Match Play Championship
Greg Norman Match Play Championship
The Greg Norman Match Play Championship, the Section's first major of 2017, is taking place from May 1-3 at Morris County Golf Club.
(May 2) - David Reasoner of Ridgewood made an uphill 20-foot putt on the 18th hole to win his match 1-up against Jim Famula of Royce Brook to advance to the semifinals of the Greg Norman Match Play Championship.
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Reasoner, who was 3-down through nine holes, evened the match heading to the 17th. This is the first time Reasoner has reached the semifinals of the Match Play Championship.
Defending Champion Dan Kinn of Acushnet Company bowed out in the quarterfinals to Spring Lake’s Matt McKeon, 5 and 4.
Defending Match Play Champ Dan Kinn goes down.
— New Jersey PGA (@NJPGA) May 2, 2017
Spring Lake Golf Club's Matt McKeon advances to the semifinals with a 5 and 4 victory. pic.twitter.com/RC6LuQ3lRe
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The first semifinalist to advance today was Forsgate’s Frank Esposito, who defeated Jim McGovern of White Beeches, 5 and 4. McGovern knocked off Alex Beach, winner of the last two majors, in the round of 16 in 19 holes.
Esposito will play Pat Fillian of Echo Lake, who defeated Arcola’s Grant Sturgeon, 8 and 6. Fillian birdied his first five holes and was 7-under through 12 holes during his match.
“Grant’s one of the better players probably in the country so I knew I had to play well going in,” Fillian said. “The wind made it hard but I had a lot of good shots out there.”
Fillian said that he and Esposito have never been paired at a tournament during their careers.
“Frank’s obviously one of the legends out here,” Fillian said. “If I play like I did today, I’ll be happy tomorrow.”
(May 1) - Alex Beach of Baltusrol, who was the 2016 OMEGA Player of the Year, and Jim McGovern of White Beeches, last year’s Senior Player of the Year, will face each other at the start of the second day of the Greg Norman Match Play Championship at Morris County Golf Club.
Defending champion Dan Kinn of Acushnet Company, defeated Hollywood’s Bryan Dougherty, 1 up.
Former Match Play winner Brett Jones of Due Process Stable, who won in 2009 and 2015, fell in the second round to Grant Sturgeon of Arcola, 6 and 4.
Morris County’s Craig Smith, who was a quarterfinalist last year, advanced over Montammy’s Mike Burke, 3 and 2. He will play Jim Famula of Royce Brook, who defeated Marty Vybihal of Preakness Valley, 2 and 1.
Ridgewood’s David Reasoner, who edged 2016 finalist Travis Deibert of The Ridge at Back Brook in 20 holes in the first round, advanced to the round of 16. Reasoner was one of 11 qualifiers to beat exempt players in first round matches. He will face Brent Studer of Metedeconk, the No. 6 seed, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Hamilton Farm’s Drew Jordan, the No. 50 seed, defeated Bill Britton in the second round, 1 up. No. 52 seed Matt Romond of Hamilton Farm also advanced to the round of 16, defeating Brooklake’s Dave McGovern on the 21st playoff hole.
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