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The New Jersey Amateur Players Tour returned to the spotlight with the highly anticipated Duel of Designs at the esteemed Architects Golf Club in Phillipsburg, NJ. Though the day began under a blanket of grey with thunderstorms in the forecast, the weatherman’s predictions proved off the mark. Instead, the sun emerged gloriously, bringing along gusty winds that added an extra layer of challenge. With a dedicated field of 54 competitors, all passionate about this beloved course, the stage was impeccably set for a thrilling day of golf.
In Division 1 a light field of three competitors took the spotlight: Lucas Hofmeister, a recent addition to the tour, Zack Mueller, last week’s champion at the Ocean County Invitational at LBI National, and Ryan Silvestri, the North Jersey Open at Black Bear champion. Mueller continued his winning form from LBI, delivering a solid front nine with eight pars and a single bogey, making the turn at +1. Hofmeister, starting strong with back-to-back pars, stumbled on the next two holes and particularly struggled on hole #7, turning at +6, just five shots behind Mueller. Silvestri’s day was off to a rough start with a triple bogey and he never quite found his rhythm, turning at +12. As the back nine progressed, the winds picked up, adding an extra layer of difficulty. Mueller navigated these conditions with five bogeys but managed to counterbalance one with a birdie, finishing his round with 12 pars and a +5 score of 76, securing his second consecutive Division 1 championship. Hofmeister ended his round at +14 with a score of 85. We eagerly anticipate seeing these competitors in future events, where they’ll no doubt continue to impress.
In Division 2, a tightly contested field of 10 players was set for an intense battle. With only 2 strokes separating the winner from fourth place, the competition was fierce. Brian Coakley started strong with 2 birdies and 3 pars, making the turn at +2. Matching his pace was Colleen Rafter, who also turned at +2 with 1 birdie and 5 pars. Close behind were Richard Knox and Greg Bartz at +4, and Bob Wallerius at +5. The back nine would prove decisive—or so it seemed. Knox ran into trouble on holes #13 and #14, finishing at +10 with a score of 81, while Bartz’s struggles on the back nine took him out of contention. Meanwhile, Coakley and Rafter went stroke for stroke, maintaining a dead-even pace. Coakley finished his round first at +8, posting a score of 79. Rafter, still on the course, needed to par the 18th to force a playoff. Wallerius, in the mix as well, battled back to be just one shot behind Coakley but double-bogeyed #17, leaving him needing a birdie on the 18th to tie. Wallerius and Rafter reached the green on their second shots. Wallerius missed his birdie putt, which would have forced a playoff, and Rafter missed her birdie putt for the win but made her par to tie Coakley. The playoff was set. Coakley and Rafter headed back to hole #1 for the first and only playoff hole. Coakley clinched the victory with a par, while Rafter double-bogeyed. Wallerius finished with a score of 80, +9. Coakley and Rafter both carded impressive rounds of 79, but it was Coakley who took home the hardware after the playoff.
In Division 3, brought a thrilling competition with 21 players battling it out, with only 3 strokes separating the top five. At the turn, Rich Guillod III was on fire, carding four pars and a birdie on his first five holes, to sit at +4 with a score of 39. Joining him were Larry Barber, Kurt Bonewitz, and Rich Zoon, all also at +4 with a score of 39. Close behind, at +5 with scores of 40, were Jeff Grubb, Larry Hoffman, Timothy Dublynn, Ian Farley, and newcomer Adam Schlereth. As they moved to the back nine, the wind became a significant factor. Zoon finished at +13 with a score of 84, while Bonewitz couldn’t shake off the bogeys, ending at +11 with a score of 82. Farley, who started strong with four pars through holes 10-14, also ended up at +11 with a score of 82 after a series of bogeys. Dublynn, despite his best efforts with four pars, also finished at +11 with a score of 82, tying with Bonewitz and Farley for fifth place. Grubb looked poised to make a run for the cup with three pars and a birdie through 13, but double bogeys on 16 and 18 derailed his chances, finishing at +10 with a score of 81. Hoffman avoided double bogeys on the back nine but didn’t make enough pars, tying Grubb for third with a score of 81. The spotlight then turned to Barber and Schlereth. Barber began the back nine solidly with a par and a birdie on holes 10 and 11 but was soon bogged down by bogeys and a double bogey. Schlereth, however, remained composed, notching four pars and a birdie. Both ended at +8 with final scores of 79, leading to a playoff. In the playoff, Schlereth’s drive down the center of the fairway on hole #1 was matched by Barber, with both making par and moving to the par-3 second hole. Here, Barber clinched the victory with a par, as Schlereth bogeyed. Barber returned to the clubhouse as the Duel of Designs Division 3 champion. Schlereth, in his first APT tournament, made a strong debut, finishing in second place.
In Division 4, Patrick Keeshen dominated the front nine, finishing with a score of 39 (+4), leading by four strokes over Dona Wallerius, who carded a 43 (+8). Bryan Duong was close behind with a score of 44 (+9). The question was whether Keeshen could hold off Wallerius and Duong on the back nine. Duong struggled, recording three double bogeys that pushed his final score to 90 (+19), placing him third, just one stroke ahead of David Neder, who finished at 91 (+20). Keeshen, meanwhile, faced a tough back nine with a bogey, double bogey, par, and another double bogey. Wallerius capitalized, carding a bogey, par, bogey, and par to stay in the hunt. The battle intensified as Wallerius birdied the 17th, while Keeshen held steady with pars on 16 and 17. This left Wallerius just one stroke behind heading into the 18th hole. Keeshen bogeyed the final hole, giving Wallerius a chance to force a playoff with a par. Despite a valiant effort, Wallerius also bogeyed, falling just short. Keeshen secured the victory with a final score of 84 (+13), while Wallerius finished second with 85 (+14). It was a thrilling finish, with Keeshen holding on for a hard-fought win.
In Division 5, a smaller field of 7 players set the stage for a competitive and entertaining outing. Returning Division 5 Champion from the Ocean County Invitational at LBI National, Nicolas Vacca, made his mark early with a front-nine score of 44 (+9). Close behind was Division 5 champion of the North New Jersey Open at Black Bear, Chairoj Raviwong, with a 45 (+10). However, the back nine belonged to Don Frame from the Metro New York chapter of the APT. Frame delivered a strong performance, carding a +7 and finishing with a total score of 91 (+21). Vacca, despite his strong start, struggled on the back nine, recording eight double bogeys and finishing with a final score of 98 (+27). Raviwong put up a fight but couldn’t muster enough pars to catch Frame, ending his round with a score of 94 (+23). Ultimately, Frame represented the New York Metro tour in style, claiming the Division 5 championship at the Duel of Designs.
In Open Net, Larry Hoffman took the trophy with a score of Net Even (71), and Rich Zoon and Adam Schlereth tied for came in second with a score of Net +1 (72).
In Senior Net, Kurt Bonewitz with an impressive score of NET -5 (66) took the trophy. Larry Barber came in second with a NET -3 (68) and rounding out third was Don Frame with a NET Even score.
The New Jersey Amateur Players Tour is taking a brief hiatus before our next event in Gloucester County at RiverWinds on Saturday, June 29th. There are plenty of spots available for this event—come take on the challenge! Following that, on July 13th, we head back north to Sparta, New Jersey, for our second elevated event of the season at Skyview Golf Course. This double points, double prize pool event is not to be missed! Rounding out the month of July, we’ll travel south to Cape May to tackle the fabulous and challenging Avalon Golf Club on Saturday, July 20th. These are all incredible events you won’t want to miss! Register NOW and seize the opportunity to make your mark on the New Jersey Amateur Players Tour, and compete for Local Player of the Year.
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