PREVIEW: 105th New Jersey Open Championship at Hamilton Farm Golf Club
GLADSTONE, NJ – The spotlight returns for one of New Jersey’s premier individual championships as the 105th New Jersey Open Presented by Donnelly Industries tees off from July 22-24 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club. Hosting the competition for the first time since its founding in 1998, Hamilton Farm is guaranteed to test players while showcasing their talent, grit, and skills.
This year’s championship promises intense competition between rising stars, amateurs and professionals all vying for the C.W. Badenhausen Trophy. Past champions and first-time qualifiers will come together with a shared goal: navigating through three demanding days of golf and etching their name into the New Jersey golf history books.
Founded in 1998, Hamilton Farm provides a unique blend of modern course design on the grounds of a former English country estate. The vision for the land began in 1911 when James Cox Brady built a 5,000-acre homestead in the fields and woodlands of the bucolic Somerset Hills. In its early years, the estate produced its own food and livestock as well as a fifty-stall equestrian stable – the largest and most lavish of its kind at the time. Repurposed during World War II as an emergency hospital for Merchant Marine shipmen, the stables later returned to their original purpose and currently serve as the headquarters for the United States Equestrian Team.
In 1998, Lucent Technologies purchased the property, and nationally known architects, Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry configured the estate into two courses –– an eighteen-hole championship course (the Highlands Course) and a challenging par three layout, known as the Hickory Course.
At its maximum length of 7,256 yards, the Highlands Course at Hamilton Farm provides a championship layout with many challenges for a skilled golfer. Features including well-placed steep and sculpted bunkers combined with fast undulating greens will test the 120 contestants in the field.
As the 105th edition unfolds, expect drama, determination and moments of excellence –– all benchmarks of New Jersey golf. Let the chase for the title begin!
The DROP Podcast: Drew Jordan & the 105th NJ Golf Open Preview at Hamilton Farm GC
Format
Two, 18-hole, stroke play rounds will be played on July 22 and 23; the low 40 scorers (plus ties) will compete on day 3 over 18-holes. The Champion will be the player with the lowest 54-hole aggregate score. All players must walk – motorized transportation is not permitted.
Spectators who wish to attend must walk the course.
Inside the Field
The field for this year's New Jersey Open presents a diverse and skilled group of golfers, all set to deliver thrilling golf and captivating moments throughout the week.
Out of 507 accepted entries, a total of 59 players secured their spots in this year’s championship through seven qualifiers held at Rossmoor Golf Course, Galloping Hill Golf Course, Hawk Pointe Golf Club, Francis Byrne Golf Course, Mendham Golf and Tennis Club, Suneagles Golf Club, and Riverton Country Club. They are joined by 50 players who were exempt from qualifying, rounding out a highly competitive field for the championship.
Former Champions
The 2025 field features 11past champions, headlined by defending champion Derek Gutierrez, four-time champion Ed Whitman, and three-time champion Tyler Hall. The list of past champions include:
Derek Gutierrez – 2024
Brent Paladino – 2023
Tyler Hall – 2015, 2016, 2021
Mark Costanza – 2020
Marc Issler - 2018
Brian Gaffney - 2010
Mark McCormick, 2008
Brian Komline – 2005, 2007
Ed Whitman – 1991, 1995, 1996, 2004
Frank Esposito – 1999, 2013
Steve Sieg – 1989
Notable Players
Barnes Blake, age 20 of Baltusrol Golf Club is fresh off his NJ Amateur Championship victory on July 9 at Essex County Country Club. Blake, a rising junior at Georgetown University, defeated Troy Vannucci in a three-hole aggregate playoff after being deadlocked following 72 holes.
Derek Gutierrez, age 19, is on hand to defend his title from 2024 when he won the 104th Open at Plainfield Country Club with an aggregate score of 6-under par 207. The rising junior at Rutgers University last year became the 14th amateur in NJ Golf history to win the championship.
Mark Costanza, age 36 of Hamilton Farm Golf Club looks for his second state Open title, four years after winning in 2020 at Knickerbocker Country Club in a 3-hole playoff. Costanza went onto win the 2020 New Jersey Men’s Player of the Year Award.
Reed Greyserman, age 20, looks to continue his strong 2025 campaign. The 2024 New Jersey Amateur Champion recently captured the 108th Florida Amateur Championship on June 8 and the Metropolitan Golf Association’s 70th Ike Championship on June 24 (played at his home course - Hamilton Farm).
Danny Harcourt, a PGA Professional from Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, currently leads the NJPGA points standings on the heels of his victory in the NJPGA Match Play Championship on May 7 at Roxiticus Golf Club. Two weeks later at the NJPGA Charity Clambake at Mountain Ridge Country Club, the 28-year-old Harcourt finished t-3.
Brent Paladino, Senior Director, Championship Administration for the USGA won the NJPGA Charity Clambake by nine strokes on May 21 at Mountain Ridge. The 38-year-old won the New Jersey Open two years ago at Hackensack Golf Club and is currently second in the NJPGA points standings.
Grant Sturgeon, Head Golf Professional at Arcola Country Club, is the reigning NJPGA Player of the Year. Earlier this spring, Sturgeon teamed with Nick Bova (Hamilton Farm) to win the NJPGA Pro-Pro Championship at Galloway National Golf Club. In the 2024 NJ Open at Plainfield, the 47-year-old Sturgeon placed t-6.
Troy Vannucci, age 33 of Little Mill Country Club, is the 2023 and 2024 NJ Men’s Player of the Year. Most recently, Vannucci finished runner-up to Barnes Blake at the NJ Amateur Championship. In last year’s State Open at Plainfield, Vannucci finished t-4 with a score of 1-under par, 212. Earlier this year, Vannucci was part of the winning NJ Compher Cup team and was a quarterfinalist in the 41st Mid-Amateur Championship.
Three members of the Hamilton Farm professional staff - Drew Jordan (Director of Golf), Nick Bova (Director of Instruction), and Evan Jones (Head Golf Professional) are in the Open field. Bova, the 2023 New Jersey PGA Section Player of the Year, also teamed earlier this spring with Grant Sturgeon of Arcola to win the NJPGA Pro-Pro Championship at Galloway National Golf Club.
Full coverage will continue through the Championship at NJGOLF.org and across all of New Jersey Golf’s social platforms.
NJ Golf Social Media
For the latest updates and news, visit njgolf.org or follow New Jersey Golf on Facebook, X and Instagram at @njgolf1900.
