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 Bloomingdale, July 16, 2010 – As the temperature heated up on a sweltering Friday morning, so did the competition, as one age bracket required a playoff and another was decided on the final hole by one stroke at the Glenwild Greens Junior Masters.  Perhaps the day could have been named “Champions Day” as each of the winners already had a first-place trophy on their respective mantles from prior years.  In all, forty-seven local area golfers teed it up in the first of two junior tournaments to be held this summer.

Joe Burns of Kinnelon readies his approach to the ninth green. Eventual winner as Michael Mazza of Ringwood looks on with his caddie (and dad) Guy.

Age 14 & Over:  Jay Guggiari of Pompton Lakes and Anton Ferraro of Kinnelon finished 9 holes of play deadlocked at 33.  Ferraro had birdied the par-3 eighth hole, only to drop back into a tie with a double-bogey on the ninth.  Guggiari made par on holes 7 and 8, only to falter with a bogey on the closing hole.  The playoff started and ended on the 165-yard ninth hole, as Anton clipped a tree limb on his tee shot, while Guggiari sent his tee ball greenside and got up-and-down with a victorious four-foot putt.  Nicholas Morabitoi of Ridgewood finished in solo third place with a score of 36.  Tournament veterans Alex Graham of Kinnelon and Jay Decker of Haskell rounded out the top five finishers.  Graham opened strong but a quadruple-bogey 7 at the fifth hole spoiled his bid for a top-three finish.  Birdies were made by Ferraro (#8), Morabito (#9), Decker (#4), and Michael Paleno of Ridgewood (#3),.

(l to r) Jay Guggiari of Pompton Lakes, Anton Ferraro of Kinnelon, and Nicholas Morabito of Ridgewood were 1st, 2nd, and  3rd  respectively in the 14-17 age bracket.

Age 12-13:  Standing together on the ninth tee, Brendan Less of Kinnelon was cruising to victory over fellow competitor Steven Gakos, also of Kinnelon.  The golfers were paired together in the final group of their bracket due to their “past champion” status.  Gakos had steadied the ship after opening with a double-bogey, but found himself two strokes back on the ninth tee.  Less’s tee ball on the home hole found trouble, and he was forced to take an unplayable lie penalty.  One swing led to another, and before he knew it the former champ had closed with a triple-bogey 7, allowing Gakos to take the title by a single stroke with a bogey 4 for a score of 34.  Luke Barnard of Ridgewood was another stroke back at 36   A birdie at hole 3 was offset by doubles at 1,4, and 6 for Barnard.  Jon Paul Blasi and Ryan Less, both of Kinnelon, were close behind the lead pack. .

 
(l to r) Steven Gakos of Kinnelon, Brendan Less of Kinnelon, and Luke Barnard of Ridgewood were 1st, 2nd, and  3rd  respectively in the 12-13 age bracket.

Age 10-11:  Michael Mazza of Ringwood made consecutive pars on holes 6, 7, and 8 to close out a five-stroke victory over Sloan Ruhl, 42, and Max Hofstetter, 43, both of Ridgewood.  Patrick Cummings of Ridgewood and Ryan Westbrook of Kinnelon finished in a tie for fourth place with identical scores of 44.  Joe Burns of Kinnelon had the lone birdie of the day on the 110-yard 7^th hole.

 
(l to r) Michael Mazza of Ringwood, Sloan Ruhl of Ridgewood, and Max Hofstetter of Ridgewood (not pictured) were 1st, 2nd, and  3rd  respectively in the 10-11 age bracket.

Age 9 & Under:  Christian Less of Kinnelon added to his Glenwild trophy collection with a score of 40 and a five-stroke victory over defending champion Zackary Milko of West Milford.  Colin Nidds of Ridgewood finished third one stroke back of Milko.  Zack’s brother Luke, Ryan Cummings of Ridgewood, Tate Barnard both of Ridgewood, Alan Margreither, III of Pompton Plains and Erin Cavanaugh of Butler all finished well. 

 
(l to r)  Christian Less of Ridgewood, Luke Milko of West Milford, and Colin Nidds of Ridgewood were 1st, 2nd, and  3rd  respectively in the 9 and Under age bracket.

The Glenwild Greens Junior Open will be held on Friday, August 13th.  On-line registration has begun for the tournament, which is open to all junior golfers age 5-17 of all abilities.  Adult caddies are permitted and encouraged in the younger age groups.  For more information on summer golf camps and tournaments, visit www.glenwildgreens.com or call Bruce at 973-634-8379.