WMGA Year in Review
The year 2021 started out with the nation in the grasp of the Covid-19 Pandemic and finished with the same grip returning, while likely not as constricting, just as troublesome on many fronts.
Due to the pandemic 2020 was a season of cancellations, postponements, and adjustments to the WMGA schedule. Despite the challenges, golf, once released from mandates and restrictions, thrived. 2021 began with many of the same concerns in place, but those concerns generally receded once spring arrived. For the most part, the WMGA enjoyed a normal and prosperous season with exciting competitions and hard fought team matches.
The first event on the calendar is the WMGA Senior Team Matches. Cancelled in 2020 they returned in 2021 with 28 out of 32 spots in the field taken. Bracket play came down to the wire in several groupings and eight teams advanced to the ‘Final Eight’ single elimination bracket. The quarter-final matches were all close, with Congressional CC edging Manor CC in sudden death. The finals featured Congressional vs. International CC. This match was close well into the back nine when a late surge by Congressional gained them a 7 1/2 to 4 1/2 win. Results are ⇒ HERE
Next up was the WMGA Mid-Amateur Championship, for the last couple of years the property of Charlie Winegardner, winner in 2019 and 2020 with no score out of the 60’s. The Mid-Am is a 36 hole contest conducted on one day. This year, at Worthington manor GC, Jon Moles of the host club, shot 62-67–139 (-5) to win by one over Joe Scheffres from Woodmont CC (73-67–140) and two over Charlie Winegardner of The Cannon Club (74-67–141). Charlie jumped into the lead in the PM after an opening 30 (-6) on the front nine but his momentum stalled with a 37 on the back. Jon Moles brought it home with a 33 (-3) on the back, including an eagle 3 on the par 5 18th to jump past Joe Scheffres who birdied the same hole, and win by one shot over Joe.
For the first time in several years the event was actually oversubscribed, a testament to everyone’s desire to get back out on the course and compete. Results are ⇒ HERE
The WMGA summer calendar is focused primarily on junior golf with the Frank Emmet Schoolboy leading off. Played at Worthington Manor GC for a number of years now, the club saw another of its players come out on top. This time it was Stephen Betz who had just finished his junior year at DeMatha Catholic HS in Washington, DC, where he competes on the golf team. This event has been a three round affair with a cut after two rounds. After the second round, Dylan Allen, a graduating senior at DeMatha, took the lead with 75-73–148 (+4). A 74 in round three saw him drop to second when Betz, in the group ahead, posted a 70 (-2) for three round total of 221 (+3). Allen, who is very long and may have the broadest spread in body weight to distance ratio, failed to birdie the reachable par 5 eighteenth and that cost him a chance for a play-off.
A Middle School Division was introduced several years ago and that field plays two days over a shorter course. It was not a contest, as Carson Looney, Bethesda CC, fired rounds of 72-71–143 (-1) to win by 19 over his closest competitor. Carson had just completed 8th grade at the Laurel Springs Academy. He will be with the big guys in 2022 and will be a favorite to win if he plays. Schoolboy Results are ⇒ HERE
The Bob Riley Junior Open, held each year at Belle Haven CC, has three age divisions. The 14-15 and 16-18 divisions play from the same tees as the over-all winner can come from either grouping. The 13 under grouping was won by Nicolas Mantzouranis, Montgomery CC. The 14-15 age group was won in dominating fashion by Jack Stamato from Chartwell G & CC with 72-73–145 (+1). The 16-18 winning prize was taken by Drew Miller of the Westwood CC with 69-77–146 (+2). The over-all champion, from the 16-18 division was Dylan Allen, The Cannon Club, with scores of 78-65–143 (-1). In the second round he went out in 30 and returned in 35, enough to win the over-all Riley Crown by two over Stamato. His 13 stroke improvement over his round one score may be the largest stroke improvement between two rounds to gain the win in Riley history. It helped take some of the sting out of his disappointment a few weeks earlier at the Schoolboy. Riley results are ⇒ HERE
The Bobby Gorin Memorial, conducted at the Woodmont CC for over sixty years, like the Riley, has three age divisions. The 13 under division was won by Jack Borg, Congressional CC, 79-77–156 (+12). The next grouping, 14-15, was won by Joe Johnson, River Creek Club, with 74-72–146 (+2). Caleb Taylor, Cattail Creek CC, took the 16-18 division with 68-70–136 (-6). After turning with a 35 on the front nine of the second round, he blew a tire and made a triple bogey 8 on the par 5 10th! No problem. He fixed the tire, parred 11 and 12 and then went on to lap the field with birdies on holes 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17! His final winning margin was 6 strokes. Gorin results are ⇒ HERE
The final junior event of the season is the Bubby Worsham Memorial. In 2019 the Dewey Ricketts Memorial and Young Amateur events were merged with the Bubby Worsham and the result has made three events that had begun to founder one strong event with a super competitive field. The three age divisions – Dewey Ricketts 14-15, Dewey Ricketts 16-18, and Young Amateurs 19-24, comprise the Worsham. The player, no matter the age division (all players play from the same tees) they are playing in, with the lowest 36 hole score, is the over-all Bubby Worsham Memorial Champion. In 2021 over 100 players registered to play. A key attraction has been the Bethesda CC which has hosted the club for three years and will host again in 2022. Bethesda CC was Bubby Worsham’s home club. Venues do make a big difference.
This event has been very competitive with the new format, as it attracts a large number of college players. In fact, one of the aims of the new format is to provide an additional opportunity for college bound high school golfers and college players to compete together before the start of fall and competitive high school and college golf seasons. It is also a way for high school golfers to see how they stack up against current college players.
The Dewey Ricketts 14-15 division was won by Adam Green, Hunt Valley CC, with 79-75–154 (+10). The Ricketts 16-18 division was a close contest with Jack Pogorelc, Bethesda CC, opening with a 69 and hanging on with 74 to win by two. The Young Am division was won by Ben Choe, the 1757 Club, with 68-75–143 (-1). His round one 68 had him in the final grouping and tied for first going into day two. Will Koras, Hayfields CC, a rising senior and golf team member at the University of Maryland, put together 68-68–136 to win the over-all Worsham title.
To date the over-all championship has been dominated by college players, which is true to the memory of Bubby Worsham and his college roommate and best friend Arnold Palmer, who both played their college golf at Wake Forest University. It will be won by a high school player sooner rather than later. Worsham Results are ⇒ HERE
Our junior season concluded with The Williamson Cup, an international annual team competition in which golf associations from the USA and Canada send four-man teams comprised of junior golfers to a site in Canada or the northeast United States. In 2021 the event was staged at the CC of Buffalo and hosted by the Buffalo District GA. The WMGA team was comprised of Jake Griffin and Bryan Kim from Argyle CC, Connor McGarrity from Kenwood G & CC, and Marshall Meisel from the Chevy Chase Club. They won the cup by 8 shots over the team from the Golf Association of Philadelphia and Marshall Meisel won the individual crown. The 2022 Williamson Cup will be hosted by the WMGA and the Belle Haven CC on August 8 and 9. The WMGA has competed in this event since it began in 1964, winning the inaugural event at the Winged Foot GC. It has been the champ seven times. Check it out ⇒ www.williamsoncup.com
The amateur schedule resumed in late July with the A-Team Matches. 33 teams entered in 2021. Perennial contender The Cannon Club, runner-up in 2018, defeated the USNA GC 14 1/2 to 3 1/2 in the final. Navy, a first time entrant, was the surprise team of the matches, advancing from the play-in brackets with a 3-0 record. Navy knocked off The Piedmont Club in the first round of the ‘Final Eight’ and beat the defending champs, Argyle CC in a close one in the semis. The Cannon Club knocked off Lakewood CC and Bethesda CC to gain the final. Match results ⇒ HERE
Our oldest championship, the WMGA Metropolitan Amateur (once known as the DC Amateur) was hosted by the Montgomery CC in Laytonsville. A large and very strong field competed Thursday for the 31 available spots in match play. Carlo Pizzano, 2020 Champion, automatically gained the first seed. It took 74 (+2) to make match play. A play-off of 12 for 2 spots ensued. The final match was won by Matt Barnes, Argyle CC, who defeated Zack Miller, Baltimore CC, by a margin of 5 & 4. Enroute to his victory he beat Tracy Vallandingham, Walter Neel, Jon Moles, and 2018 Champion Charlie Winegardner. Miller took out Dominic Zampedro, Jaxson Schultz, Siyuan Lyu, and Alex Hosier. The Montgomery CC course was in fantastic shape, and though on the short side for today’s bombers, proved to be an exciting match play venue. All the results are HERE
The WMGA Senior Amateur was played at the Hobbit’s Glen GC. Three age divisions competed. The Mid-Masters Division (40-54) was won by Blair Johnson, Chantilly National G & CC, with 70-70–140 (-4). Pete DeTemple, Breton Bay G & CC, won the Senior Division (55-64) with 71-70–141 (-3), his birdie 4 on par 5 final hole was the difference, as Walter Jew, Argyle CC, made a par to finish 72-70–142. Pete won this event in 2017. The Super Senior Division (65 & up) was won by Tim Vigotsky , Robert Trent Jones GC, with 74-67–141 (-3). Tim won the senior division in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Results are ⇒ HERE
The final event of the season was the WMGA Four-Ball Championship played at the recently renovated Washington G & CC. The ‘updated’ golf course is fantastic and the players loved it.
The Amateur Division (54 and under) was won by Jason Pool, River Bend Club, and Ryan Tendall, Congressional CC, who beat Tracy Vallandingham and Kyle Carranza, Breton Bay G & CC, on the first play-off hole with a birdie on the first play-off hole. The teams were tied at 66 (-4). The Senior Division (55-64) ended in a tie at 69 (-1). The teams of Tim Meinhardt & John Vollmer (Manor CC) and Pete DeTemple and Bill Jenner (Breton Bay G & CC) played and tied two holes of their sudden death play-off but darkness drew the curtain and it came to an end. The two teams shared the Senior title. The Super Senior Division (65 & up) also ended in a tie at 69 (-1). Joe Fenlon & Bob Stark (Breton Bay G & CC) and Richard Thomas & Steve Fay (Washington G & CC) came in with darkness rapidly descending and were unable to play-off. Like the seniors, they would share the title. Results ⇒ HERE
The WMGA looks forward to 2022 and some outstanding venues. We hope to publish the schedule soon. We are still trying to lock down some sites. It has become very difficult acquiring venues in the Covid era.
See you in 2022!
