PREVIEW: 2024 NYS Men's Mid-Amateur Championship at Schuyler Meadows Club
LOUDONVILLE, NY -- The 40th New York State Men's Mid-Amateur Championship is set to begin at the Schuyler Meadows Club September 27-29, 2024. Nearly 132 players will compete in 54 holes of individual stroke play for a chance to hoist the Bob Hogan Cup. 18 holes will be played on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday to determine a champion. There is a cut after 18 holes to the low-60 and ties, and after 36 holes to the low-30 and ties.
Related: Pairings / Scoring / Program / Course Photos / 2023 Recap / Qualifying Results
PREVIEW VIDEO
COURSE FLYOVER VIDEO (1-18)
CHAMPIONSHIP QUICK FACTS
Dates: September 27-29
Host Site: Schuyler Meadows Club, Loudonville, N.Y.
2022-23 Champion: Billy Hanes went 67-73-69 (-7) to run away with a seven stroke victory at the 2023 Mid-Am at his home course of Crag Burn Golf Club. He also claimed the 2022 title at Seven Oaks Golf Club.
Format: 54 holes of stroke play, played over the course of three days. There is a cut after 18 holes to the low-60 and ties, and after 36 holes to the low-30 and ties.
Eligibility: The Mid-Amateur Championship is open to male amateur golfers who are active NYSGA members, maintain an active USGA Handicap of 10.4 or less and are aged 25 or older as of September 27, 2024.
Top 20 Exempt: The top 20 players in the NYS Men's Mid-Amateur Championship will be granted exemption into next year's playing of the state Mid-Amateur.
Par & Yardage:
6,837 Yards, Par 72 (37-35)
OUT: 3684 yards / IN: 3153 yards
Thursday, September 26 - Practice Rounds
- 8:30am....................Practice facilities open
- 9:30-4:00pm……..…. Player registration
- 10:00-2:30pm........ Practice rounds
- 11:00-2:00pm.........Player lunch
- 5:00pm................... Driving range closes
- 6:45am....................Registration opens
- 7:00am....................Practice facility open
- 8:00-9:30am............Round 1 from tees #1 and #10
- 11:00-3:00pm..........Player lunch
- 12:00-1:30pm..........Round 1 from tees #1 and #10
- 5:00pm....................Driving range closes
*Cut applied after 18 holes to low 60 & ties
- 6:45am....................Registration opens
- 7:00am....................Practice facility open
- 8:00-11:30am..........Round 2 from tee #1
- 12:00-4:00pm..........Player lunch
- 5:00pm................... Driving range closes
*Cut applied after 36 holes to low 30 & ties
- 6:45am....................Registration opens
- 7:00am....................Practice facility open
- 8:00-9:30am............Round 3 from tee #1
- 12:00-3:00pm..........Player lunch
- 2:30pm....................Award ceremony
SECTIONAL QUALIFYING MEDALISTS & EXEMPT PLAYERS
Syracuse Qualifier
August 23 - Tuscarora GC (34/6)
68 (-3) Brett Cunningham, Beaver Meadows GC
Albany Qualifier
August 26 - McGregor Links CC (101/16)
71 (-1) David Ioele, Saratoga National GC
Rochester Qualifier
August 28 - Ravenwood GC (31/5)
67 (-5) Joseph Feeney, Midvale GC
Buffalo Qualifier
August 28 - Pendleton Creek GC (29/4)
71 (-1) Jeff Janese, Niagara Falls CC
North Country Qualifier
August 31 - Malone GC (6/2)
75 (+3) Nicholas Bouyea, The Barracks GC
Mid Hudson Qualifier
September 3 - Powelton Club (73/10)
70 (E) Christopher Connell, Osiris Golf & CC
70 (E) Jonathan Renza, Hudson National GC
Long Island Qualifier
September 9 - Baiting Hollow Club (38/6)
74 (+2) Joe Ferrone, Nassau Players Club
Binghamton Qualifier
September 9 - Binghamton CC (38/6)
73 (+2) Jason Hurley, Willowcreek GC
Utica / Rome Qualifier
September 11 - Yahnundasis GC (36/6)
73 (+2) Benjamin Rublee, CC of Troy
Last Chance Qualifier
September 25 / CC of Troy (54/7)
74 (+3) - Joe Marro, Mohawk GC
List of currently exempt players (as of September 25, 2024):
Click here to view full 2024 qualifying results
Past Champions
Billy Hanes (2023, 2022 champion), Ken Riter (2009 champion), Jimmy Welch (2011 champion), Matt Clarke (2005 champion).
Top 20 & Ties - 2023 NYS Mid-Am at Crag Burn GC
Benjamin Bates, Chris Blyth, Kyle Downey, Billy Hanes, David Hanes, Doug Kleeschulte, Matt Maione, Jeff March, Brad Monroe, Anthony Ragusa, Wills Reardon, Gregory Sibick, Carter Thompson, Andrew Watson.
NYS Men's Am Champions - Past 10 Years
Kyle Downey (2023), Luke Feehan (2014)
2024 NYS Men's Am - Low 40 & Ties
Andy Bernatovicz, Chris Blyth, Thomas Conroy, John Duthie, Joel Jakubowicz, Jeff March, Ben Peacock, Wills Reardon, Carl Schimenti.
2024 NYS Men's Four-Ball Championship
Jim Hirsch, Bill Virkler
2024 NYS Men's Senior - Top 5 & Ties
Jim Scorse, Jimmy Welch, Andy Bernatovicz, Jim Lane, Jim Mueller
USGA Championship Qualifiers
Jon Klotz, Joe Mitchell, Nick Taylor
Special Exemptions
Max Adler, Joe Fitzsimmons, Dan Gabel, Blake Gianniny, Jim Gifford, David Hayes, Andrew Kay, Tom McGinn, Patrick Mainey, Dan Russo, Dave Segot, Austin Teal.
Club Exemptions
Tim DiStefano, Ryan Foster, Patrick Hayes, Bill Melchionni, Sean Puleo, Chris Falvey
Regional Association Champions
Ben Bates (Schenectady Classic), John Duthie (AIM), Jonathan Farber (LIGA Am), Timothy Hegarty (WGA Open), Mark Mumford (WGA Mid-Am), Nolan Swanson (WST Am), Josh Woodward (Watertown City), Aaron Youngman (RDGA Mid-Am).
PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE FIELD
Past Mid-Amateur Champions in the Field
Billy Hanes, 38 of Crag Burn Golf Club will look to go for three in a row at this year’s Mid-Amateur Championship. He took the 2022 and 2023 championships at Seven Oaks and Crag Burn respectively, to go along with two Men’s Four-Ball titles and a Sub-Junior victory back in 2000. Hanes finished runner-up at the 2018 Mid-Amateur and top 10 in both the 2019 and 2021 tournaments. He won the 2023 BDGA Men’s Individual Championship and finished runner-up at this year’s BDGA Match Play Championship.
Ken Riter, 61, of Cortland Country Club won the 2009 Mid-Amateur Championship at Glens Falls Country Club. Riter would later win the 2023 Men’s Senior Four-Ball Championship alongside Andy Bernatovicz. He is coming off a sixth place finish at the Men’s Senior Amateur earlier this month at Corning Country Club.
Jimmy Welch, 57, of Olde Kinderhook Golf Club was the 2011 Mid-Amateur Champion thanks to a playoff victory at Dutchess Golf & Country Club. Welch qualified for the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and won the Tri-County Match Play Championship the same year. He is coming off a runner-up performance at this year’s Men’s Senior Championship and finished T3 at the same tournament in 2023.
Matt Clarke, 63, of Cazenovia Country Club won the 2005 Mid-Am at the Country Club of Rochester. Clarke combined with Bob Rosen to win two Men’s Senior Four-Ball titles (2016 & 2022). He finished co-runner up at the 2015 Mid-Amateur Championship at Wolferts Roost. Clarke has qualified for a dozen USGA championships over the years and presently serves as an assistant golf coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy.
Other Past NYSGA Champions in the Field
Kyle Downey, 35, of Locust Hill Country Club was the 2023 NYS Men’s Amateur Champion. Downey posted a five under tournament at Wykagyl Country Club in the 100th playing of the state championship. Downey finished as the low amateur (4th overall) at the 2023 Western New York Open Championship and added a top 10 finish at last year’s Mid-Amateur to punctuate a memorable season. Downey turned heads with a co-runner up performance at this year’s Monroe Invitational, a tournament previously won by Dustin Johnson. Downey finished runner-up at the 2022 Mid-Amateur Championship at Seven Oaks.
Luke Feehan, 33, of Mahopac Golf and Beach Club was the 2014 Men’s Amateur Champion. Feehan, then 23, won in a playoff at Bellevue Country Club. A year later, Feehan won the Westchester Golf Association Amateur Championship at Rockrimmon Country Club. Feehan finished runner-up at the Westchester Amateur Championship in 2021.
Jeff Wolniewicz, 38, of Crag Burn Golf Club, took home the 2008 Men’s Amateur title at Pinehaven Country Club. He also won the 2016 and 2017 NYS Men’s Four-Ball Championships at Leatherstocking Golf Club, with partners Bill Gaffney and Jonathan Clark respectively. Wolniewicz played collegiately at Binghamton University (‘03-’07), where he was a 3x all-region selection and two-time captain. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2018.
John Duthie, 35, of Cornell University Golf Course was the 2007 Men’s Amateur Champion. He took the title in a 1 up final match at Yahnundasis Golf Club. Duthie spent a decade as a touring professional and regained his amateur status ahead of this season. He won the AIM Championship in June and later finished fourth at this year’s Men’s Amateur Championship at Wanakah Country Club. 2024 will mark his first appearance at a NYS Men’s Mid-Amateur.
Dan Russo, 66, of Schuyler Meadows Club is a two-time winner of the Men’s Senior Amateur, going back-to-back at the 2019 and 2021 tournaments at Cavalry and Powelton respectively. Russo has qualified for two U.S. Senior Opens and competed in the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur. He finished second at the 2022 Men’s Senior Championship at Springville Country Club.
Ben Bates, 43, of NYSGA eClub - Capital Region won the Boys’ Junior Amateur back in 1997. Bates finished T7 at the 2022 Men’s Mid-Amateur at Seven Oaks Golf Club. Most recently, he is riding high after three straight Schenectady Classic titles.
Jim Hirsh, 37, of NYSGA eClub - Central NY won this year’s Men’s Amateur Four-Ball alongside Bill Virkler. Hirsh led with an opening 67 and finished in seventh at the 2023 Gerry Ashe Memorial at Tuscarora Golf Club. He finished seventh again at this year’s Gerry Ashe at Bellevue. Hirsh finished runner-up at the SDGA District Match Play Championship in 2022 and finished T11 at the Men’s Mid-Amateur at Seven Oaks the same year.
Bill Virkler, 45, of Yahnundasis Golf Club won the Men’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship with Jim Hirsh. Virkler and Hirsh finished as the runner-up team at the SDGA Two Person Scramble in 2023.
Michael Stopera, 35, of the Edison Club won the 2021 Men’s Four-Ball Amateur at Leatherstocking Golf Course with partner Michael Dwyer. The pair combined to shoot a 10-under 62.
Michael Dwyer, 27, of Schenectady Municipal Golf Course teamed up with Michael Stopera to win the Men’s Four-Ball title at Leatherstocking in 2021.
Nicholas Braman, 39, of McGregor Links Country Club won back-to-back state Mixed Team titles in 2018 and 2019 alongside his cousin Madison.
Other Names to Watch
Joseph Feeney, 32, of Midvale Country Club turned in the lowest score in Mid-Amateur qualifying to earn his spot in the field. Feeney fired a 65 (-7) at the Rochester Qualifier at Ravenwood GC to reach his first state Mid-Am. Feeney is coming off a runner-up performance at the RDGA’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Mendon Golf Club where he pushed eventual champion Aaron Youngman to a playoff. Feeney played his college golf at St. John Fisher.
Jonathan Farber, 31, of Tam O’Shanter Golf Club, won the Long Island Amateur Championship earlier this season at St. George’s Golf & Country Club. Farber finished as the co-medalist in Stroke Play qualifying at two under par and proceeded to go the distance, defeating Max Silverman 5 & 4 in the final match. He also won the club championship at his home club of Mill River in August.
Sean Puleo, 26, of Schuyler Meadows Club will be making his second appearance at a NYS Mid-Amateur. Puleo made waves with a four-under performance (good for fourth place) at the 2021 Men’s Amateur at Schuyler and is poised to be a top of the leaderboard threat as one of the youngest players in the field, playing at his home club.
Nolan Swanson, 48, of NYSGA eClub - Western NY won the inaugural Western Southern Tier Amateur Championship at Moon Brook Country Club in 2023. Earlier this season, he finished 17th at the SWNY-NWPA Amateur Championship at Bartlett Country Club. Swanson is a Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame inductee for his cross country and track & field prowess, winning four state titles during his high school career.
Bill Moore, 50, of Bellevue Country Club finished T8 at the 2021 Mid-Amateur Championship at Shaker Ridge. The Executive Director of the NYSGA was named the SDGA’s Player of the Year in 2022 and is a four-time SDGA major winner. He won the SDGA Amateur Championship in 2014 (his second) and is also a two-time winner of the Gerry Ashe Memorial (‘00, ‘05).
Jim Gifford, 37, of Mohawk Golf Club finished fourth at both the 2022 and 2019 Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships at Seven Oaks and Tuscarora respectively. Gifford qualified for the 38th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in 2018.
Jeff March, 40, of Penfield Country Club is coming off a third place finish at last year’s Mid-Amateur at Crag Burn. He finished Top 10 at both the 2021 Men’s Amateur at Schuyler Meadows (host of this year’s Mid-Am) and the 2024 Men’s Amateur at Wanakah Country Club.
Carter Thompson, 28, of The Creek finished T7 at last year’s Men’s Mid-Amateur at Crag Burn. The newly eligible mid-am player also finished T11 at the 2022 tournament at Seven Oaks GC. Thompson finished T23 at the 100th Men’s Amateur at Wykagyl.
Andrew Watson, 27, of USGA/MGA GC finished fifth at last year’s Mid-Amateur Championship in his first appearance at the tournament. Watson opened with a one under 71 and remained in contention throughout, despite a second round 79.
Ryan Foster, 43, of Schuyler Meadows Club led with an opening 69 (-2) at the 2021 Men’s Mid-Amateur at Shaker Ridge. As a member of the host club, Foster will have an edge over much of the field.
Youngest Competitors in the field
26 - Sean Puleo, Schuyler Meadows Club
26 - David Hanes, Crag Burn GC
26 - Matt Maione, Binghamton CC
Oldest Competitors in the field
68 - John Carver, NYSGA eClub - Adirondacks
66 - Dan Russo, Schuyler Meadows Club
65 - Chris Grady, Woodstock Golf Club
63 - Chris Falvey, Schuyler Meadows Club
Past NYSGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HOST CLUB
1938 Boys’ Junior Amateur, Won by Guy Berner of Hamburg
1955 Women’s Amateur, Won by Naomi A. Venable of Poughkeepsie
1976 Women’s Amateur, Won by Cathy Morse of Rochester
1980 Boys’ Junior Amateur, Won by Alan Schulte
2013 Men’s Amateur, Won by Matt Stasiak of Clarence
2017 Women’s Amateur, Won by Marianna Monaco of Yonkers
2017 Women's Mid-Amateur, Won by Lauren Cupp of Rome
2021 Men’s Amateur, Won by James Allen of Scarsdale
SCHUYLER MEADOWS CLUB
As one of the premier golf clubs in the New York’s capital region, Schuyler Meadows boasts a magnificent 1926 design by the preeminent course architect Devereux Emmet.
Schuyler Meadows is a two-time host of the NYS Men’s Amateur Championship, won by Matt Stasiak in 2013 and James Allen in 2021.
Schuyler Meadows has hosted the NYS Women’s Amateur Championship three times, with the most recent championship taking place in 2017 (which also included the concurrent Mid-Am championship) as well as in 1976 and 1955. The club hosted its first state championship, the NYS Boys’ Junior Amateur in 1938.
