Jonathan Jeter (Met Golf Association photo)
Jonathan Jeter of Nassau Players Club won the 2019 Long Island Mid-Amateur Championship at the Noyac Golf Club on Wednesday, shooting a 36-hole total of 3-over147 to edge Brett Cooper of the Seawane Club by two shots.
Jeter and Cooper started the day tied for the lead, but Jeter's 1-under 35 on the front nine gave him a three shot lead, and Cooper never caught him. Jeter's round featured his first ever hole in one, a 154-yard pitching wedge on the down wind 8th hole.
"It was great. It's the best hole-in-one you can imagine," said Jeter. "I hit it absolutely pure. It never left the stick, it took one bounce, took another bounce, then rolled in the hole. We saw it disappear, but we weren't sure if it went in the hole or was just over a little ridge. I think the most exciting part about it was the fact that Brett almost made it right on top of me." Hitting the same club, Cooper's tee ball finished up just a foot from the hole.
It has been quite a week for Jeter, as he won his club championship on Saturday on the Black Course at Bethpage. Even with his game in good shape, Jeter -- and the entire field -- were tested by Noyac and it's demand for accuracy from tee to green.
"It was tough conditions the whole time," noted Jeter, referencing a steady breeze both days at the club that doesn't sit far off the Little Peconic Bay and Noyack Bay. "So I think I just tried to stay patient out there knowing that bogeys were coming and just dealing with them," he continued. "It was sort of all over the place, but I just stayed in the moment and got it back to where it needed to be."
Though Cooper carded double on the par-4 15th, he gained a shot on both 16 and 17 with a par and birdie to trim Jeter's lead to two with one hole to go. Neither found the fairway from the tee and Jeter didn't breathe the sigh of relief until the round was complete. "He was on the green and if he made his and I three-putted the long one, we would've been tied. So, it wasn't until the final putt dropped," said Jeter, as he picked up his first ever LIGA victory. "I think I've been second four or five times in LIGA events, I've never actually won one, so it's nice to finally break through and when you get your name on a trophy, that never stinks."
Craig Brewer of Southward Ho, Dominic Formato of North Hills and Alexander Kang of Harbor Links rounded out the top five, tying for third at 152.
Noyac Golf Club served as an outstanding venue for the LIGA's 2019 Mid-Amateur Championship, as the competitors were tested on the layout and treated to superb hospitality from the membership and staff at the club. Players consistently complimented the layout and its fantastic conditioning, which helped produce an enjoyable event.
View results for Long Island Mid-Amateur
ABOUT THE Long Island Mid-Amateur
36 hole stroke play championship for mid-amateurs
with an established handicap index at a Long Island
club or course.
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