Golf: Arcola Cup welcomes met area's top amateurs

Ridgewood’s Dan Macdonald defends his title at North Jersey’s premier annual summer amateur golf tournament, the Arcola Cup.

Macdonald is among the more than 70 golfers competing in the 36-hole event on Friday at Arcola Country Club in Paramus.

Macdonald won last year’s title in a playoff over New Yorker Stewart Hagestad, who went on to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur, make the cut at The Masters and qualify for the U.S. Open.

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The Arcola Cup welcomes top amateurs from the metropolitan area, and it also serves as a final tune-up for the New Jersey Open, which is July 11-13 at Metedeconk National in Jackson.

Macdonald, a member at Arcola, is enjoying an outstanding season that includes winning the prestigious Travis Invitational and Hochster Memorial in New York.

Macdonald is one of several Bergen County residents capable of challenging for the title. Franklin Lakes’ Trevor Randolph, also a member at Arcola, is a three-time New Jersey Mid-Amateur champion who last year tied for third.

Haworth’s Thomas La Morte will challenge, after the collegian tied for second Tuesday at the Metropolitan Golf Association “Ike” Stroke Play Championship. Woodcliff Lakes’ Jared Mactas also should contend.

Other Bergen County residents capable of cracking the top 10 include Mahwah’s Michael O’Connell and Wyckoff’s George Cultraro Jr., both Arcola members, and Glen Rock’s Zach Egermayer.

The cast of state heavyweights features Bridgewater’s Brian Komline, a two-time New Jersey Open champ, Mountainside’s John Felitto, who last year tied for fifth, Fair Haven’s Charlie Edler and Milford’s Dan O’Rourke.

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The cast of out-of-state notables is extensive. Sam Bernstein, winner in 2014 and 2015, heads a New York roster that also includes Darin Goldstein, who last year tied for third, Jonathan Jeter and Ethan Ng.

There is a Senior Division and the list of challengers features New Yorker George Zahringer, Parsippany’s Jay Blumenfeld, Edison’s Ron Vannelli, Summit’s Roger Hoit and Allendale’s Jim Craffey.

New Jersey Junior Girls’ Championship

Yoona Kim of Edgewood, who earned All-State this season as a freshman at Immaculate Heart, is among the contenders at the New Jersey 63rd Junior Girls’ Championship.

Kim is one of more than 40 golfers competing in the two-day, 36-hole New Jersey State Golf Association event that opens Wednesday at Royce Brook in Hillsborough

Ami Gianchandani of Montclair is the favorite, after winning this year’s New Jersey high school title as a junior at Pingry. She was chosen the New Jersey PGA Player of the Year.

Several others players who also earned All-State from the New Jersey PGA are expected to contend for top-five finishes. That list includes Anna Bowman of Suburban, Christine Shao of New Jersey National, Jacquelyn Cai of Mercer Oaks and Hannah Trinh of Princeton.

Joining Kim on the list of locals: Sophia Bae of Edgewood, Eunice Kim of White Beeches, Sun Hwang of Overpeck, Madeline Flynn of Preakness Valley, Jenna Han and Brooke Schaffer of Darlington, Emma Lee of Knickerbocker and Alyssa Soma of Paramus.

WMGA/MGA Amateur Championship

Basking Ridge’s Adrienne MacLean leads the New Jersey contingent into the WMGA/MGA 16th Amateur Championship on Thursday at Mountain Ridge in West Caldwell.

MacLean is coming off a successful performance at the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association Match Play during which she reached Thursday’s semifinals.

MacLean is among more than 60 women competing in the Amateur and that list includes three others from the Garden State who reached the Championship Flight at the Match Play: Tenafly’s Helen Bernstein, Pennington’s Alicia Kapheim and Flemington’s Fran Gacos.

The state lineup also includes Caldwell’s Valerie DePiro, Clark’s Noelle Maertz, Spring Lake’s K.C. Maloney and Lumberton’s Kelsey Solan.

MGA Amateur qualifier

Brothers Michael and Luke Graboyes of Watchung Valley lead the Garden State lineup into Thursday’s MGA Amateur qualifier at Black Oak in Long Valley. They posted top-15 finishes Tuesday at the MGA “Ike” Stroke Play to win the team title.

Other state notables include Dylan Stein of Stanton Ridge, Dan O’Rourke of Oak Hill, Erick Alonso of Knickerbocker and Brendan Davis of Fiddler’s Elbow.

MGA Public Links Championship

KJ Kim of Darlington is among the contenders at Thursday’s MGA Public Links Championship at Ballyowen in Hamburg.

Sixty golfers are slated to compete in the 36-hole event and the North Jersey lineup also features Christopher Lee of MGA eClub of New Jersey and Darlington’s Henry Angier, Scott Kim and Stephen Valahovic.

New Jersey Father & Son

Ken and Drake Ferriter can contend at the New Jersey 95th Father & Son Championship on Thursday at Beacon Hill in Atlantic Highlands. Ken, representing Darlington, and Drake, playing out of Essex Range, were last year’s runners-up.

Thursday’s field of 80 teams also includes Kyle and David Hershan of Alpine, Jack and Colin McGovern of Hackensack, Stuart and Josh Goldstein of Darlington and Stephen and Stephen Osterlof of Darlington.