Luke Whalen still considers himself “one of the kids” and can’t believe how quickly time has passed. Of course, it hasn’t been that long since the 21-year-old was actually a kid. But the Poughkeepsie native took the lead on the local senior golf table last summer, winning the Dutchess County Amateur.
That victory, said tournament president Mark Webber, was “good for the competition.”
“There’s been talk over the years that ‘only 3 to 5 guys each year have a real shot at winning it,’” Webber said. “For Luke to emerge and play like he did, coming from behind and beating some of the best players, it’s fantastic, especially as a young man.”
Poughkeepsie native Luke Whalen takes a swing during the 2023 Dutchess County Amateur Golf Tournament.
The competition is steeped in history dating back almost 90 years, and it’s a delight that some of the familiar names involved are septuagenarians who still have the game and passion for the event. But the organizers understand that its growth and future will depend on the influx of young people.
Therefore, it is encouraging for them that a college student is the defending champion and that some prominent high school stars are competing.
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The Dutchess Amateur Championship will begin July 12 and run over three consecutive days at the newly renovated McCann Memorial Golf Course in Poughkeepsie. The registration period has been extended by two weeks until June 30.
“I love seeing the younger kids get involved in this; They remind me a little bit of myself,” said Whalen, a Spackenkill High School graduate who competed in the amateur tournament for the first time when he was 17 years old. “It’s a great tournament that’s been going on for a long time and you always want to see the next generation keep it up.”
Jim Hamburger competes in the second round of the Dutchess County Amateur at Red Hook Golf Club in 2014.
Some longtime greats like Jim Hamburger and Barry Winter, who is expected to compete in the Amateur for the 40th time, will be part of a field that includes newcomer Shaun Flaherty, an Arlington High School graduate who won the Section 1 men’s golf in 2022. .
Franklin D. Roosevelt standout Ike Rothman and Ketcham junior Jonathan Tecchio will participate, as will Newburgh brothers Mark and Josh Yan, who played in the state high school tournament earlier this month .
“There’s a lot of competition in this,” Webber said. “There are probably 8-10 favorite players, but it’s a talented field and there could be some surprises.”
Shaun Flaherty of Arlington tees off on the first hole during the final round of the Section 1 golf tournament at Westchester CC on May 18, 2022.
They will play a McCann course that recently had an overhaul of its traps and drainage system on the front nine. With the installation of Capillary Concrete, a polymer-based concrete in the bunkers, humidity can be regulated more easily and debris does not rise to the surface, Webber explained.
“One of the problems golfers have had was the traps, which didn’t drain well and had rocks in the sand, so that was a defect we had to fix,” McCann course superintendent Chris Kemble said of the project. which started three years ago. It does with hiring an architect. “We repositioned some of the traps that come into play and made them smaller for maintenance purposes.”
Luke Whalen and Brian Viola were among the main quartet, who posed together before the third round of the Dutchess County Amateur Golf Tournament on August 6, 2023.
Renovation began in 2022 and the final seven holes of the front nine were completed earlier this month. The expectation is that with the more consistent sand, golfers will have more traditional bunker shots. This spring’s work was done relatively quickly, Webber said, and the finished product is “impeccable.” A similar project is planned for the back nine.
“The new bunkers will definitely perform differently, and the improvements are positive,” said Whalen, who typically plays at McGann twice a week after his spring semester at Coastal Carolina University ends.
“We look forward to it every year,” Kemble said of the Amateur. “We love the buzz about it, the praise we get from golfers. With all the hard work the team has put in, they can’t wait for everyone to see the tour.”
The tournament currently has 55 golfers, 20 less than last year, and that motivated the extension of the registration period. Their hope, Webber said, is to attract at least 10 more golfers. There has been an overall decline in participation in recent years and, Webber said, some of the challenges include conflicts with summer scheduling and the interest level of young golfers locally.
FDR’s Ike Rothman on the 6th hole at the Powelton Club in Newburgh during May 23, 2023.
Organizers are making a concerted effort to further promote the event, including a push on social media and word of mouth. That’s also why the entry of those teens and twenty-somethings is so significant.
Whalen totaled 2-under 214 in the three-round tournament last year, advancing in the second and third rounds to finish five strokes ahead of Brian Viola, the 2022 champion and his former golf instructor. Colin Offenbacher shot 220 for third place, and Mike Fisher and Nick DiMarco Jr. tied for fourth.
“My game is pretty good right now; better than a year ago,” said Whalen, who has improved his putting. “I hope to compete again, but the mentality is no different for me as a defending champion. It’s like, ‘Go play a few rounds of golf.’ I think if I do what I can, I should be able to put up good numbers.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal: Golf: Dutchess County Amateur scheduled for July at renovated McCann course
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