file photo caddy shack
Mark Stankewicz of Ridgewood makes the cut for the Bergen Amateur
AUGUST 8, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY GREG MATTURA
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
RIVER VALE – Rus Whitney started strong and, somewhat to his surprise, finished even stronger.
Whitney earned medalist at Thursday’s Bergen County Amateur qualifier after shooting a 1-under 69 at Valley Brook Golf Course that featured a 2-under 33 on the back nine.
“I’ve never put together two good nines here,” said Whitney, 32, an Oradell resident and commodities trader, “and I feel like I did it here today.”
Whitney, whose father, Cyrus, is among New Jersey’s top senior amateurs, earned the first of 15 qualifying spots to the Bergen Amateur on Sept. 14 at Rockleigh GC.
A 77 or better made Thursday’s cut on this short, tight course, and the top four finishers are Bergen residents: Paramus’ Jin Jeon was runner-up with 71, and Harrington Park’s John Trainor and Ridgewood’s Mark Stankewicz each shot 72.
During a strong back nine under almost perfect conditions, Whitney birdied both par-3s and almost aced the 136-yard 17th. He hit a “knockdown” pitching wedge that rolled to within 6 inches.
Jeon labeled his 71 an “up-and-down day,” and it featured an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole — at 580 yards the longest on the course. Jeon, 24, a Northeastern graduate with a degree in industrial engineering, holed out from 95 yards with a pitching wedge.
Trainor was in the first threesome that teed off at 7:30 a.m. and drove to his 72 in just 3 hours, 30 minutes. Trainor, who last year made the cut at the Bergen Amateur, secured a return trip with two birdies and only four bogeys.
“It was a great day, a good day to play golf; not much wind,” said Trainor, 54, a police captain in Tenafly and the club champ at Knickerbocker CC. “The wind was not a real factor and I thought the golf course was the best I’ve seen it.”
This marked the first time Stankewicz, 47, attempted to qualify for the Bergen Amateur. Stankewicz, who made the cut at this year’s New Jersey Amateur, had three birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/golf/whitney-leads-pack-at-qualifier-1.1064529#sthash.Q0SvOsD2.dpuf