HILLTOPPER TOPS NYSGA, ACC

KLEESCHULTE WINS 88TH NYSGA MEN’S STATE AM

VOORHEESVILLE – A three-under par 69, including a tap-in birdie on 18 in the third-to-last group, earned Doug Kleeschulte of Kingston’s Wiltwyck Golf Club the 88th annual New York State Amateur Golf Championship Thursday at Albany Country Club. 48 players played 36 holes to cap the week.

Kleeschulte, 20, took the lead on a shuffling leaderboard at +1 after Jake Katz three-putted the 15th. Then, Katz three-putted again at 16, a par-3, from above the hole. Kleeschulte knew he had the lead and stepped on the gas, getting to the front of the 18th green in two.

From about 60-yards, he chipped up and almost holed it for eagle, instead settling for a tap in birdie and a two-stroke lead. He signed his card at the scorer’s table, then went back to 18 green and held his breath.

“The first day I didn’t hit it that great,” Kleeschulte said. “The second day I hit it real well, I left a few shots out there. (Third round) I hit it really bad but I kept it together and shot 76 and the last round, I scrambled around the place.

“It’s a great thing. I’m just really happy,” said Kleeshulte, who is heading into his junior year a Western Kentucky University.

The leader of the first three rounds, Rochester’s Tim Spitz, finally gave up the top spot on ACC’s picturesque par-5 8th. Spitz’s third shot hit the bank in front of the 8th green and hopped into the water but he still salvaged a bogey.

In the clubhouse already was Buffalo’s Tim Hume, who made a charge from the back nine first. He posted +2 thanks to birdies at 10, 11 & 12 – five birdies in all on that side (15 & 17) – and a bogey (14) , out in 32.

SUNY Binghamton’s Jake Katz, 21, said he “swung as hard as (he could)” twice on 18 – drive and a 3W to reach the back of the green in two. His 15-foot eagle putt just went by and Kleeschulte is your winner.

“Extremely disappointed,” Katz said. “Knowing I was right there going into the last nine holes, I’ve been playing great all summer and I expected to come out with a bigger trophy than I have right now.”

Capital Area golfers made a strong showing at Albany Country Club. Dan Russo of Rolling Hills at Antlers Country Club was one shot back after three rounds.

“The first two days it was soft, spongy, no wind,” Russo said. “Today, it played like it should play.

“Bottom line is you’ve got to get the ball in the hole and I didn’t do it. That’s the bottom line.”

Troy’s Steve Quillinan Jr. (CC of Troy) was up and down too. Both finished tied for fifth place at (+4) 292.

“It’s kind of a bummer because I had three really good rounds and one round in the middle that cost me the tournament,” Quillinan said.

Those two, plus Jeb Buchanan and John Vaccaro of Wolferts Roost CC, Jimmy Welch of Winding Brook CC and Don DeNyse III of Capital Hills @ Albany all finished in the top 20, earning exemptions into next year’s field at famed Oak Hill CC in Rochester.

“It’s always nice, you don’t have to take a day off to qualify to get a chance to get in,” Welch, 43, said about his exemption. He says he played a State Am at Oak Hill back in 1987.

“I look forward to playing on it,” DeNyse said. “I’d have no other way of getting on than this.” DeNyse went to the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“A couple putts fall here and there it could have been a different story,” Buchanan said. “But I just have to keep practicing, keeping going on. It’s close. It will be there soon.”

“It went wrong, really all day,” said the leader of rounds 1, 2 and 3 Tim Spitz of Rochester. “I was just hitting a weak cut and getting killed by the wind.

“This week?” Spitz asked rhetorically when asked how he leaves the Capital Area. “I didn’t win. Disappointed.”

SCORES: Even: Doug Kleeschulte (Wiltwyck GC) 73-70-76-69=288, +1: Jake Katz (Westwood CC) 72-70-73-74=289; +2: Tim Hume (Diamond Hawk GC) 76-74-72-68=290; +3: John Duthie (Robert Trent Jones GC) 70-74-74-73=291; +4: Steve Quillinan, Jr. (CC of Troy) 72-70-79-71=292, Matthew Stasiak (Fox Valley Club) 73-70-74-75=292, Dan Russo (Rolling Hills CC) 75-68-73-76=292; +5: Jamison Sindelar (Soaring Eagles GC) 71-76-75-71=293, Jeb Buchanan (Wolferts Roost CC) 74-75-70-74=293, Tim Spitz (Monroe GC) 69-70-76-78=293; +6: John Vaccaro (Wolferts Roost CC) 74-74-72-74=294, Yaroslav Merkulov (Webster GC) 73-69-75-77=294; +7: Jess Esposito (Newman Municipal GC) 75-75-72-73=295, Jimmy Welch (Winding Brook CC) 74-75-73-73=295, Drew Creighton (Crag Burn GC) 71-70-77-77=295; +8: Don DeNyse III (Capital Hills at Albany) 76-72-76-72=296, Mark Mumford (Westchester CC) 71-76-74-75=296; +10: Peter Wilson (Piping Rock Club) 76-74-76-72=298, David Cellura (Penfield CC) 73-74-78-73=298, Tim Lane (Newman GC) 74-71-75-78=298.
 
OTHERS: T21 (+11): Robby Bigley (Pinehaven CC), Andrew Lane (Oak Hill CC). 23 (+13) Cory Stelick (Turning Stone GC), T24 (+14) Carter Rufe (Red Hook GC), Derek Bard (Cedar Lake Club), Raman Luthra (Crag Burn GC), Chris Sanger (Red Hook GC); T28 (+15) Kevin Roy (Bellevue CC), Matthew Dejohn (Clifton Springs CC), Ben Kircher (Monroe GC), T.J. Sumigray (Fox Run GC), Brandon Haase (Mohawk Golf Club); 33 (+16) Andrew Marler (Colonie G&CC); 34 (+17) Matt Campbell (Teugega CC); T35 (+18) Dylan Newman (Bonnie Briar CC), Peter Creighton (Crag Burn GC); T37 (+20) Joe Wilson (CC of Rochester), Trevor Sluman (Oak Hill CC), Luke Feehan (Mahopac GC); T40 (+21) Dave Mooradian (CC of Troy), Paul Pratico (Schenectady Municipal GC); T42 (+23) Todd Dischinger (Foxfire GC), Todd Czepiel (Shaker Ridge CC); 44 (+24) Alexandre Belmont (MGA EClub – NYC); T45 Tom Hackett (Vestal Hills CC), Jacob Reimer (Penfield CC); 47 (+26) Steve Owens (Normanside CC); 48 (+28) Kevin Burke (Mark Twain GC).

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