Notable golfers from 2023
With the finish line to the season fast approaching, here’s a look back at seven golfers who made headlines in 2023:
Kennedy Swedick: A 17-yearold Albany Academy senior, headed for the University of Virginia next year, she added to an already-gaudy resume. In June, she won her second consecutive high school state championship at Edison by seven strokes. In July, she advanced to the third round of the U.S. Girls’ Junior at Colorado Springs. In August, she won her first American Junior Golf Association title at North Salem. Earlier this month she and longtime friend Angelina Kim qualified for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-ball, to be played next May in San Antonio.
Chris Sanger: The head pro at Woodstock represented the local Northeastern New York PGA section well by gaining entry into the PGA Championship in May through the PGA Professional Championship in New Mexico. The fact that he finished last at Oak Hill in suburban Rochester didn’t deter him, as he won the section’s Stroke Play Championship the following week.
Tom Mcginn: The Mohawk member got the year started right by winning the Tri-county Match Play in May at Colonie and was the wire-to-wire leader in the inaugural Capital District Golf Association point standings, a creation of the New York State Golf Association.
Jenny Bae: In just her third pro event after a sparkling career at the University of Georgia, Bae put herself on the fast track to LPGA membership by winning the Twin Bridges Championship in July at Pinehaven. It was her second straight Epson Tour victory and moved Bae, who beat Natasha Andrea Oon on the fifth playoff hole, into the top 10 on the money list and in position for LPGA exempt status. She is currently eighth with two tournaments remaining.
Scott Berliner: The Lake Luzerne native added to his NENYPGA career record with his 31st major victory, capturing the Donald Ross Classic in Glens Falls, which is now his home course. Berliner also has all but clinched his 12th section Player of the Year title in the past 13 years.
Blaine Mccallister: Why Blaine? He is the one responsible for securing players for the Charity Skins Game, which held its second annual event in June at Mohawk. Four-time PGA Tour winner Tim Herron won, beating out fellow Champions Tour regulars Billy Andrade, Rocco Mediate and Chris Dimarco. The exhibition raised $250,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Schenectady.
See
familiar with the name now, you should be by spring. As a seventh-grader, Knapp, from South Glens Falls, finished third in the state high school tournament. Next April she will be in Augusta, Ga., having qualified for the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at the site of the Masters.
Area roundup
At a tie for 16th, Ben Bates of Eagle Crest was the top area finisher in the State Mid-amateur at Crag Burn (East Aurora). Bates’ 54-total of 233 was 24 shots behind the host club’s Billy Hanes, who won by seven strokes. Shaker Ridge’s Joe Fitzsimmons, who was 30th at 240, was the only other Capital Region player to make the 36-hole cut. … The season’s final two amateur events are this weekend. The Haggerty Two-man is Saturday and Sunday at Schenectady Municipal, and the
Wnyt-sponsored Capital Region Golf Championship, with gross and net divisions, is Saturday at Colonie.
The NENYPGA postponed its “Sully” Senior Match Play and Assistants Match Play on Monday because of wet conditions at Wyantenuck. The events will be rescheduled. … High school sectional golf competition begins the second week of October. The boys will compete at Fairways of Halfmoon on Tuesday, Oct. 10 (Class B and C/D); Thursday, Oct. 12 (Class A); Saturday, Oct. 14 (A-B-C-D sectionals) and Sunday, Oct. 15 (state qualifier). The girls’ sectionals and state qualifier will be Oct. 11 and 13 at Edison.
Club roundup
Colonie: Because of incorrect information supplied by the club, the senior men’s champion was incorrectly identified in this space Sept. 13. The winner was Jeff Pachter.
Shaker Ridge: Longtime member Matt Mcgarvey has taken over the coaching duties at RPI.
Thunderhart:kevin Hunt (men), Kirsten Robert (women) and Dennis Vanderbeck (senior) all won their second consecutive club championships.
Van Patten:travis Koch (153 over 36 holes) captured the club championship, and Jim Dezalia (163) was tops in the senior division.
Windy Hills: Club champions crowned were Bruno Bianchi (men), Cathy Martin (women) and Jay Jennings (senior).
Elsewhere
Five players in last weekend’s Solheim Cup are alumni of the local Epson (nee: Symetra) Tour tournament. The quintet is led by Lilia Vu, the 25-yearold Californian who won the 2021 Twin Bridges Championship in its first year at Pinehaven. The other Americans are Nelly Korda (Bradenton, Fla.), who tied for 49th in 2016, and Cheyenne Knight (Aledo, Texas), who missed the cut in 2018. On the European side, Celine Boutier (France) tied for 30th in 2017, and Leona Maguire (Ireland) tied for 11th in 2018 and tied for 16th in 2018. Other than Vu, the others played locally when the event was at Capital Hills.