Crump Cup: Another September triumph for Hagestad as rain shortens event

September 23, 2023 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

Stewart Hagestad (USGA)

With an impending storm, the Crump Cup is cut short as Championship and Senior flights play 18 holes to decide winners

Stewart Hagestad capped off an incredible September with a rain-shortened victory in the Crump Cup. He beat Stephen Behr, last year's winner, in a one-hole playoff after both men shot 73 on Saturday in the one-round sprint to the Cup.

After two bluebird days at Pine Valley, the Crump Cup Tournament Committee decided to eliminate match play as Tropical Storm Ophelia headed towards southern New Jersey. This, unfortunately, marks the second straight year that rain impacted the event. Last year, they completed the tournament as planned on a rainy, stormy Sunday that saw players being pulled off the course in the final matches.

This year, just the 16 Championship Flight players and the eight Senior Flight players teed it up on Saturday for 18 holes of stroke play. The rounds from Thursday and Friday did not count towards the final score.

Hagestad and Behr both shot 73 in the tough, rainy conditions. Matthew McClean finished two shots back after shooting 75. McClean will point to a 40 on his front nine for why he couldn't reach the top of the leaderboard.

After a front nine 38, Hagestad settled down and made seven pars on the back nine. He birdied the par-5 15th and then dropped a shot on the par-4 16th en route to a 35.

Behr's day started with a bit more excitement; he got to 1-under par when he eagled the fourth hole. However, he made bogey on hole Nos. 6 and 9 for an opening 36. A 37 on the back, with bogeys on the 13 and 15, got him into the playoff with Hagestad.

George Crump decided to make the first hole challenging so that ties would be decided quickly. Last year, Hagestad lost to Jimmy Ellis in the semi-final in 19 holes. This time, Hagestad was triumphant on the first green and captured the Crump Cup.

In the Senior Flight, Matthew Sughrue set the tone early with a front nine 33. He made birdies on hole Nos. 1 and 7. He cruised home with eight pars on the back nine and shot an impressive 69. Bob Royak finished runner-up with a 74.

Results: Crump Cup

Place	Player	Location	Pts
Win	Stewart Hagestad	Newport Beach, CA	500
Runner-up	Stephen Behr	Atlanta, GA	400
3	Matthew McClean	, Northern Ireland	300
T4	Evan Beck	Virginia Beach, VA	300
T4	Brad Nurski	St. Joseph, MO	300

View full results for Crump Cup

About the Crump Cup

Crump Cup: Another September triumph for Hagestad as rain shortens event

The George A. Crump Memorial Tournament -- named for the hotelier and course architect most famous for building Pine Valley -- is arguably the premier mid- amateur event in the United States. The invitational field is made of of top players from arou...