News

JAMESVILLE, N.Y. -- The New York State Golf Association has accepted 466 entries for the 39th Men's Mid-Amateur Championship at Crag Burn Golf Club in East Aurora, N.Y., September 22-24, 2023. 

Related: Championship Home / Qualifying Info

To be eligible, a player must be at least 25 years old by September 22, 2023 and have an up-to-date Handicap Index of 10.4 or less, and must be a member of the NYSGA, defined as either (1) belonging to an NYSGA member club or (2) joining the NYSGA as a 2022 NYSGA eClub Member. 

Sectional Qualifying, played over 18 holes, will be conducted at sites around New York, which began on Monday, August 21 and continue through Thursday, September 7 at the following venues:

• Albany | Ballston Spa CC | Wed, Aug 23 (96/18)
• Binghamton | Binghamton CC | Mon, Aug 28 (32/6)
• Buffalo | Pendelton Creek | Wed, Aug 30 (87/16)
• Jamestown | South Hills CC | Tue, Aug 22 (7/2)
• Long Island | Bethpage Yellow | Mon, Aug 21 (45/9)
• Mid-Hudson | Powelton Club | Thu, Sept 7 (45/8)
• Rochester | Ravenwood GC | Wed, Aug 30 (51/9)
• Syracuse | Tuscarora GC | Friday, Sept 1 (47/9)
• Utica/Rome | Seven Oaks | Mon, Aug 21 (21/4)

( ##/## denotes the number of players competing for an allocated number of qualifying spots at each site.)

No playoffs will be conducted during sectional qualifying (except for the Last Chance Qualifier). All players tied for the final allocated spot at a given qualifier will advance to the championship.

The "Last Chance Qualifier" will be held at a site in Western NY a few days prior to the championship proper. More details to follow on this qualifier.

The list of players who are fully exempt into the 2023 NYS Men's Mid-Amateur (as of August 19):

Past Champions
Billy Hanes (2022 champion), Luke Hobika (2015 champion), Ken Riter (2009 champion), Tim Spitz (2012 champion) 

Top 20 & Ties - 2022 NYS Mid-Am
Benjamin Bates, Kris Boyes, Ethan Colins, Kyle Downey, Jim Gifford, Darin Goldstein, Jacob Katz, Doug Kleeschulte, Kevin Lewis, Brad Monroe, Carter Thompson, Louis Walsh, Jeff Wolniewicz

NYS Men's Am Champions - Past 10 Years
Kyle Downey (2023)

2023 NYS Men's Am - Low 40 & Ties
Alex Town, Wills Reardon, Jeff March, David Hanes, Darin Goldstein

2023 NYS Men's Four-Ball Championship
Billy Hanes, David Hanes

2023 NYS Men's Senior - Top 5 & Ties
N/A

Players Ranked in WAGR (Top 4000)
Tom McGinn, Brad Monroe

The number of exempt players into the championship could increase based on the performance of amateurs in other regional championships and tournaments around New York State (see below).

Exemption categories for the championship are as follows:

• E1. Winners of the NYS Men's Mid-Amateur Championship from the last 20 years.
• E2. From the 2022 NYS Men's Mid-Amateur Championship, the 20 lowest scorers and anyone tied for 20th place.
• E3. Winners of the NYS Men's Amateur Championship from the last 10 years.
• E4. From the 2023 NYS Men's Amateur Championship, any player in the low 40 & ties.
• E5. Winners of the 2023 NYS Men's Amateur Four-Ball Championships.
• E6. From the 2023 NYS Men's Senior Amateur Championship, the 5 lowest scorers and ties.
• E7. Most recent (as of September 22, 2023) winner or low amateur (*professional events) of the following regional championships:
• Apogee Investment Management Championship
• BDGA Buffalo District Individual Championship
• BDGA Buffalo District Mid-Amateur Championship
• CCR Invitational
• CRAGA Capital Region Amateur Championship
• Delaware County Amateur Championship
• Dutchess County Amateur Championship
• LIGA Individual Championship
• MGA Ike Championship
• MGA MET Amateur Championship
• MGA MET Open*
• NYC Amateur
• NYS Open*
• RDGA Rochester District Individual Championship
• RDGA Rochester District Mid-Amateur Championship
• SDGA Gerry Ashe Memorial
• TCGA Amateur Championship
• Ulster County Amateur Championship
• Watertown City Championship
• WGA Westchester Individual Championship
• E8. From the 2023 Monroe Invitational, any player who advances through the 36 hole cut.
• E9. From the 2023 Porter Cup, any player in the low 40 and ties.
• E10. All actively ranked golfers in WAGR (World Amateur Golf Rankings).
• E11. Players qualifying for most current (as of September 23, 2023) USGA Championships.
• E12. Host club exemptions.
• E13. Special exemptions as selected by the NYSGA.

 
About Crag Burn Golf Club

In the late 1960s, Frank Goodyear Jr. and his family decided to turn their rarely used polo grounds into a golf course. The family hired Robert Trent Jones Sr. to design a course on the 190-acre field where “a group of friends could play golf”. On May 1, 1972, Crag Burn officially opened its doors. Through the years, many course improvements have been made to Crag Burn, including some commissioned by Robert Trent Jones’ son Reese Jones. The course has hosted many amateur events, beginning in 1986 with the New York State Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Crag Burn also hosted this event in 1999 and 2010. More recently, the club hosted the 2017 New York State Men’s Senior and Super Senior Amateur Championship, and most recently the 2019 NYS Men's Amateur Championship.