Morning Recap

Following the first round of play at the 64th MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship at Hominy Hill Golf Course, there’s a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard. Included in this trio is Dennis Lynch of Nassau Players, the two-time defending MGA Mid-Amateur champion. “I hit it close a few times and made some birdies,” said Lynch, the most experienced tournament player among the leading contenders. “I think someone might go low [this afternoon]. I’m just going to go out and try to make as many birdies as I can.”

Eric LefanteJoining Lynch are two players much to the 50-year-old Lynch’s junior: Adam Larkin, 19, of Bethpage and Marc Kunesch, 20, of Rolling Green. All three players shot one-under-par 71’s and are paired in the last groups for this afternoon’s final round.

“I birdied two of the first three holes, so I started off well,” said Kunesch. “My game is starting to come together. Also I really like the course; it’s pretty straightforward and you can play it well after just one practice round, which I had.”

Also in contention is 2008 Met Junior champion Anthony Aloi of MGA e-Club New Jersey, who shot a first-round 72 and birdied the first two holes of his afternoon round to jump ahead of the pack. Aloi can win his second MGA title with a solid afternoon round. Two-time NJSGA Public Links champion (2009 & ’10) Eric LeFante, also playing out of MGA e-Club New Jersey, is no stranger to Hominy Hill as he grew up playing the Monmouth County public track that is regularly considered one of the finest public courses in the Met Area.

First Tee of Metropolitan New York participant and future Penn State Nittany Lion Xander McDonald-Smith shot a first-round 73 and is in a good position to make a move further up the leaderboard this afternoon.

Hominy Hill proved to challenge the field in the morning round as the scoring average was 76.7 and only one eagle was recorded. A strong thunderstorm hit the course just before 2:00pm, causing a delay in play and possibly causing softer greens and more birdie opportunities as the day progresses. The final 18 holes should provide some exciting action as 14 players are within three shots of the lead, making it anyone’s championship to win.

Play Suspended at Public Links

Second-round play at the 64th MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship at Hominy Hill was suspended at 1:56pm due to lightning in the area. Players were given the option of completing play on the hole they had started. Hopefully the storm cell, which is fast-moving and to the southwest, will pass by quickly.

USGA Public Links at Hominy Hill

In addition to hosting four previous MGA/MetLife Public Links Championships, Hominy Hill has also been the site of two USGA national championships. The 1983 U.S. Public Links Championship was held here, and that year former University of Houston golf standout Billy Tuten took the title with a 3 & 1 victory over David Hobby. In 1995, Hominy Hill hosted the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship, won by Jo Jo Robertson. Robertson went on to win the title again in 1997, and was a member of the 1998 U.S. Curtis Cup team.

Hominy Hill's Championship Tradition

The 64th MGA/MetLife Public Links Championship is being held at a familiar place: Hominy Hill Golf Course in Colts Neck, N.J. The jewel of the Monmouth County Parks system, Hominy is no stranger to big-time competition. This is the fifth time the 6.918-yard, par-72 Robert Trent Jones layout is hosting the MGA Public Links, with the previous editions coming in 1986, 1991, 1996, and 1999.

Hominy has a history of producing fine champions. In 1986, Charlie Cowell won the MGA/MetLife Public Links here, and would go on to win the 1994 Met Open. Paul Dickinson took the title in 1996, and then repeated the following year at Bethpage Black (the same two-year course rotation that the MGA will follow this year and next year). In 1999, New Jersey native Lee Richardson won his third MGA/MetLife Public Links title at Hominy.

We'll look forward to seeing which Met Area marquee name hoists the trophy today after 36 holes of competition.

Four On the Number

Three professionals and one amateur are leaving Canoe Brook happy after earning spots in the 111th U.S. Open. Geoff Sisk, a 46-year-old Nationwide Tour pro from Marshfield, Mass., qualified for his sixth U.S. Open and earned medalist honors with a total of six-under-par 137. Three players finished one stroke behind him at 138: 19-year-old amateur Cheng-tsung Pan, Alexandre Rocha of Brazil, and Englishman Matt Richardson.

Zack Byrd and Nate McCoy, who finished at 139, played off for the alternate positions, with Byrd earning first alternate after a chip-in on the first playoff hole.

Pan Pulls Ahead Through 27

The youngster Cheng-tsun Pan made the turn in his afternoon round at one-under-par and stands at six-under-par total through 27 holes. Three-time U.S. Open qualifier Geoffrey Sisk made a big move, shooting four-under-par 32 on his front nine on the North Course to leap to five-under-par total.

Sixes are Wild

Ideal scoring conditions are contributing to a lot of red numbers on the scoreboard at U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying. Two players posted scores of five-under 66 on the South Course this morning: 18-year-old amateur Cheng-tsung Pan and four-time European Tour winner Mathias Gronberg. Pan is nearing high school graduation from the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and will play golf for the University of Washington starting in the fall. Gronberg, 39, is currently in the top 10 on the Nationwide Tour money list and enjoying one of his best seasons on that tour.

Liu a Titleholding Teenager

There is only one player in today's U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying field who has previously hoisted a USGA championship trophy: 15-year-old Jim Liu, who also happens to be the youngest player at Canoe Brook today. Liu, of Smithtown, N.Y., on Long Island, won the U.S. Junior last year in Michigan, and broke the record previously held by Tiger Woods as the youngest champion in that event's history. Liu is aiming to play in his first U.S. Open.

Positive MGA Vibes

There are 11 U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying sites across the country, and players choose the site where they'd like to attempt to qualify. Nine players in the field today at Canoe Brook have successfully qualified for past U.S. Opens in MGA-run qualifiers, and hope that teeing it up in the Met Area once again will yield the same result. The players, and where they previously qualified, are as follows:
--Geoffrey Sisk (2007, Century CC/Old Oaks CC, Purchase, N.Y.; 2004, Canoe Brook; 2003, Century/Old Oaks)
--Chris Nallen (2006 and 2005, Canoe Brook)
--Andrew Svoboda (2006, Canoe Brook)
--Jim McGovern (2002, Century/Old Oaks)
--Yohann Benson (2008, Century/Old Oaks)
--Michael Welch (2009, Century/Old Oaks)
--Jim Herman (2010, Canoe Brook)
--Jon Curran (2010, Canoe Brook)
--Dan McCarthy (2010, Canoe Brook)

Svoboda Aims for Fourth Open

Among the 83 U.S. Open hopefuls at Canoe Brook Country Club this morning is 2003 Met Open and 2004 Met Amateur champion Andrew Svoboda, who now plays full-time on the Nationwide Tour. The 31-year-old St. John's alumnus has played in three career U.S. Opens, including two of the last three (2009 at Bethpage and 2008 at Torrey Pines). He is paired today with Mark McCormick, the head professional at Suburban Golf Club in Union, N.J.

2010 MGA Year End Video

Tight Race at the Senior Open

-Billy Condon

After extending his lead to five strokes, Bobby Heins now has a one-shot lead over amateur John Ervasti of Sleepy Hollow. Ervasti sank a bunker shot for birdie on the par-4 11th hole to move to +1, and he is -1 on the day.

Heins, after making birdies at two of the first three holes, has recorded four bogeys on the fifth, seventh, ninth and tenth holes and is at even par for the championship. Heins is looking to become the first three-time winner of this championship and a five-time MGA champion.

It has become quite hot out here at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Conn., and you can be sure the winner will be the competitor with the coolest nerves.

Players and Conditions Heating Up at Senior Open

-Billy Condon

As the temperature passes 90 degrees, course conditions are getting more challenging. The greens are firming up and the breeze is challenging the field, but the top contenders are fighting back punch for punch - or in this case, putt for putt. Leader Bobby Heins is -2 thru three holes and stands at -4 for the championship. However, numerous other players are in red digits on this final day at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Conn. John Ervasti, Bruce Zabriski, Pete Busch and Mike Diffley are all 1-under for the day as well, and all besides Diffley are at +1 for the championship.

Battling right now for low amateur, although they are very much in the race for the title of MGA Senior Open champion are Ervasti and Ed Gibstein. Gibstein is even on the day and tied with Ervasti, Busch and Zabriski at +1.

Heins Aims for Three-Peat at MGA Senior Open

-Billy Condon

Two-time defending champion Bobby Heins of Old Oaks can become the first three-time winner of the MGA Senior Open as he enters the final round of the event at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton, Conn. Heins shot an opening round 68, and holds a two-shot lead over his nearest competitor, Ed Whitman of Knickerbocker. But Heins' quest for the three-peat is not the only headline going into today's finale. Here is what to watch for:

-In the 13 previous championships, an amateur has never won the MGA Senior Open. Ed Gibstein of Engineers has a good chance after posting a 71, and has played well in this event before as he finished as the low amateur at the 2009 Senior Open.

-Ed Whitman, currently in second place (70), is the 2004 champion and would join Heins, Darrell Kestner and Russell Helwig as two-time champions. Bill Britton, the 1979 Met Open champ, who shot a first-round 73, also looks to add a second Senior Open title to his resume.

-Stay tuned all day for updates from the 14th MGA Senior Open Championship and follow live scoring on www.mgagolf.org.

Pastore Wins 8th Carter Cup at Baltusrol

-Billy Condon

David Pastore of Greenwich, Conn., is the winner of the 8th Carter Cup. Pastore shot rounds of 70-70=140 to earn a three-stroke victory over Ryan McCormick of Middletown, N.J.

Can Anyone Catch Pastore?

-Billy Condon

With McCormick finished and in the clubhouse with a 1-under 143, David Pastore is still going strong and is -3 for the championship. The only player who can catch him is Mike Miller, who stands at even-par. And Miller has a chance as he is going into the par-5 17th and 18th holes. Stay tuned as the action plays out at Baltusrol.

Players Go Lower on the Lower

-Billy Condon

The Lower Course at Baltusrol, site of numerous U.S. Opens and the 2005 PGA Championship, has been the better-scoring course for the players at The Carter Cup. As the leaders are going low on the Lower (Peter Kim is 5-under thru 10 and numerous others are 3- and 2-under), the scores bring up an interesting discussion at Baltusrol. Why would the players go lower on a course that hosts major championships? Especially when it is their second 18 holes of the day, in hot and humid conditions, with no caddies? Here are a few explanations we came up with:

-The Lower Course has flatter greens than the Upper Course.
-The Upper Course requires much more intimate knowledge of the undulations on the greens and strategies for attacking the flag, something very hard to come by when playing the course for the first time or one time a year.
-Players gain a mental edge knowing they are playing a course where names like Nicklaus and Mickelson have won.

Miller Making Charge at Baltusrol

-Billy Condon

2010 Met Junior champ Mike Miller of Brewster, N.Y., is making a strong surge to catch the leaders as he is 3-under for his second 18 holes. Miller finished in fourth place at last year's Carter Cup and hopes to make one last push in his final year of eligibility in the event.

The Race is On at Baltusrol

-Billy Condon

David Pastore and Ryan McCormick have created a gap between themselves and the rest of the field as Pastore sits at 4-under and McCormick at 3-under. The next closest competitors are at even-par.

Pastore Leads Going into Afternoon 18

-Billy Condon

2009 Carter Cup runner-up David Pastore of Greenwich, Conn., is the first-round leader after firing a two-under-par 70 and is one-under thru one hole in his afternoon 18 on the Lower Course. Pastore, who also won the Met Junior on two occasions (2009 & 2006), is playing with 2010 Met Junior champ Mike Miller and perennial Carter Cup contender Sean Kelly of Staten Island, N.Y.

Ryan McCormick of Middletown, N.J., is right on Pastore's heels as he is three-under on his afternoon round and two-under for the championship.