Final Four Locked in For Semifinals of 43rd Mid-Amateur Championship
DEMAREST, N.J. –– Four players remain in pursuit of the 43rd New Jersey Mid-Amateur Championship after a marathon day of match play at Alpine Country Club.
James Arbes of Watchung Valley Golf Club, Andrew Biggadike of The Ridgewood Country Club, Clifford Lindholm of Baltusrol Golf Club and Troy Vannucci of Little Mill Country Club each survived two matches Wednesday to earn spots in Thursday's semifinals.
Arbes and Biggadike will square off in one semifinal, while Lindholm and Vannucci meet in the other with a place in the championship match on the line.
The quarterfinals featured a mix of dominant performances and tightly contested battles, highlighted by Arbes' bogey-free victory over Sean Vowells and Lindholm comeback effort against Clifford Lindholm.
Lindholm advanced to the quarterfinals after a dominating 7-and-6 victory over Robert McHugh. Lindholm, of Baltusrol Golf Club, got off to a strong start in the Round of 16. Heading into the turn, Lindholm held a 6-up lead before clinching the match with a birdie putt on No. 12.
In the quarterfinal matchup against Cody Cox, Lindholm secured a 2-up lead heading into the turn. The match turned into a back-and-forth battle on the back nine as Cox closed in on the competition, winning holes 10 and 11 consecutively.
“I got two up at the turn and then had a rough stretch on the back nine,” Lindholm remarked. “I got to the 14th hole and told myself it’s a new match. I knew if I could birdie one or two holes coming in that it would be good enough to win.”
With a par on No. 16, the 190-yard par 3, Lindholm chipped away back to his lead, closing out the match on the 18th green.
By advancing into the semifinals, Lindholm receives an exemption into the New Jersey Amateur Championship being held at his home club at Baltusrol Golf Club from July 6-8.
“It’s very special,” Lindholm remarked about the exemption. “No doubt it was on my mind in the afternoon.”
“I’m super grateful to be a member at Baltusrol,” he continued. “The club’s been so supportive of me so to be able to play the State Am at your home golf course in a couple of weeks from now, it’s going to be special for sure.”
Arbes punched his ticket to a second consecutive Mid-Amateur semifinal after winning both of his matches in convincing fashion.
The Watchung Valley member opened the day with a 7-and-5 victory over David Iwan, winning six holes on the front nine and closing out the match with wins on Nos. 12 and 13.
“This is some of the best golf I've played in terms of fairways and greens,” Arbes said. “If I didn't make a birdie, I came pretty close, so it was fun,” he continued.
In his quarterfinal match, Arbes took a commanding 4-up lead through nine holes against the 2025 Four-Ball Champion Sean Vowells. A bogey-free scorecard, paired with four birdies, lifted Arbes to a 6-and-4 victory en route the semifinals, where he will face Andrew Biggadike.
“This morning, I did not have my best stuff. But I was good enough to win the match,” said Arbes. “I’ve played against Sean now for a couple of years, so I knew, if I had any shot, I really had to pull off all good shots and commit to my lines. I couldn't really make any mistakes.”
Standing opposite Arbes on Thursday will be Biggadike, who continued an impressive run through the bracket after defeating 2024 champion Austin Devereux in the Round of 16 before dispatching Jeremy Wall, 4 and 3, in the quarterfinals.
With a highlighted birdie on No.3, the 402-yard par 4, Biggadike commanded a 3-up lead through four holes. Wall fought back to close the front nine tied with Biggadike, knocking in an eagle putt heading into the turn.
“I played two really good players today,” Biggadike said after his second match. “To be able to get past them feels really good. I’m excited for tomorrow.”
Wall and Biggadike remained tied through 12 holes but Biggadike pulled away with a strong final stretch. The Ridgewood Country Club representative parred holes 13 and 14, and added in a final birdie on No.15 to close the 4-and-3 victory.
With Alpine playing at 6,725 yards among rolling hills and undulating greens, the former standout out of Guilford College felt his game was well-suited to the demands of the course.
“You don’t have to hit a long way here, but you really have to control your ball,” Biggadike added. “When I’m playing well that’s one of my strengths.”
Vannucci advanced to the quarterfinal round after defeating Jason Cruz during the longest match of the morning. Battling back-and-forth against each other, the pair exchanged hole leads through the end of the round at the 602-yard par 5 18th hole, where Vannucci fired in a par putt to send the match to the 19th hole.
“You have to control ball speed and ball control here,” Vannucci said. “You have your thinking cap on the whole round and can't take any holes off,” he finished.
In his quarterfinal match, Vannucci battled with Brandon Dalinka, out of Baltusrol Golf Club. Vannucci went 1-up after knocking in a par on No. 6, but Dalinka answered with a birdie on the 555-yard par-5 7th hole.
“We both played great,” Vannucci said. “We didn't give each other much. A lot of good par saves, some birdies mixed in. Birdies are tough to find out here with the pin locations. I just stayed patient,” he finished.
Vannucci finished the 3-and-1 victory on the seventeenth hole with his third and final birdie of the match; he will face Lindholm in tomorrow morning’s semifinal.
Round of 16 Results
Cody Cox def. Stephen Wentz, 1 up
Clifford Lindholm def. Robert McHugh, 7 and 6
Brandon Dalinka def. Michael Guli, 2 up
Sean Vowells def. Brandon Capone, 2 and 1
James Arbes def. David Iwan, 7 and 5
Jeremy Wall def. Eric LeFante, 6 and 5
Andrew Biggadike def. Austin Devereux, 2 and 1
Troy Vannucci def. Jason Cruz, 19 holes
Quarterfinal Results
James Arbes def. Sean Vowells, 6 and 4
Andrew Biggadike def. Jeremy Wall, 4 and 3
Troy Vannucci def. Brandon Dalinka, 3 and 1
The semifinal matches get underway at 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning.
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