Maverick McNealy runs away with medalist honors at Northern California Match Play
8/11/2015 | by Northern California Golf Association
see also: View results for NCGA Match Play, Spyglass Hill Golf Course
The Pac-12 Player-of-the-Year from Stanford secured the No. 1 seed with a 36-hole total of 136 at Spyglass Hill
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — NCAA Player of the Year Maverick McNealy ran away with medalist honors at Spyglass Hill, albeit it’s a whole new game now.
A day after carding a 7-under 65 McNealy slowed to a 71 in Tuesday’s second round of stroke play qualifying at this week’s NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship. Regardless, he still earned medalist honors and the No.1 seed in record fashion.
The Stanford junior’s 65 on Monday set an NCGA mark for lowest competitive round at Spyglass Hill. McNealy’s two-day total of 8-under 136, meanwhile, is the lowest 36-hole total for any NCGA championship at Spyglass Hill.
The previous low NCGA 18-hole score at Spyglass Hill was 66, shot by Austin Roberts and Jay Myers during the 2012 Amateur Match Play Championship.
Ed Castagnetto shot 65 at the 1956 Amateur Match Play Championship, but that year’s event was held at Silverado Resort in Napa.
The previous low 36-hole score during the stroke play qualifying portion of the championship (the event moved to 36-hole qualifying in 1996) was 138, set by Eddie Olson in 2005. Olson went on to win the title that year.
“I got a little sloppy,” said McNealy, who opened his round with birdies on three of his first five holes before cooling off. “But I’m happy with the body of work over the last two days.”
Also looking strong are San Jose’s Justin Suh and Meadow Club member and defending champion Matthew Seramin. The two finished stroke play qualifying tied for second at 141 after shooting 70 and 71, respectively.
A freshman at USC, Suh recently became the first player to win two Junior Tour of Northern California Player of the Year titles. Seramin, a 23-year-old UC Davis grad, plans on taking a shot at PGA Tour Q-School this fall either as a pro or still as an amateur.
“I wanted to try and go out and win medalist,” said Seramin, who was paired with McNealy the last two days. “Maverick is very nice and has a great game. It makes you want to step up your game. Playing with the No.3 ranked amateur in the world is a good way to see how my game compares.”
Finishing in fourth place at 143, and claiming the No.4 seed, was Teal Bend GC member Steven Chung.
The cutline for reaching match play (low 32) came at 5-over 149.Among those missing the cut were 2014 NCGA Player of the Year runner-up Jason Anthony (150), recent NCGA Amateur Stroke Play Championship winner Robby Salomon (152) and 2015 NCGA Master Division champ Jerry Ledzinski (155).
Wednesday’s action will consist of both the first and second rounds of match play.
Results: NCGA Match Play
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Portola Valley, CA | 400 | ||
| Runner-up | San Francisco, CA | 260 | ||
| Semifinals | San Jose, CA | 160 | ||
| Semifinals | Santa Rosa, CA | 160 | ||
| Quarterfinals | San Jose, CA | 120 |
About the NCGA Match Play
The oldest of the NCGA’s major events, the Amateur Match Play Championship, dates back to 1903 when it was first played at San Rafael GC. Varying formats have been used over the 100+ years of competition but today the tournament is 36 holes of stroke...
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