PREVIEW: 43rd Mid-Amateur Championship at Alpine Country Club
DEMAREST, N.J. – The stage is set once again for one of New Jersey Golf’s premier match play championships, as the 43rd Mid-Amateur Championship heads to Alpine Country Club from June 2-4. Featuring many of the state’s top amateur players age 25 and older, the championship will showcase the precision, patience and resilience required to succeed in both stroke play qualifying and match play competition. With a deep and experienced field assembled, the path to the Gigi Carnevale Championship Trophy will demand consistency and timely execution across three days in one of New Jersey’s most respected tournaments.
Originally designed in 1928, Alpine Country Club stretches across 196 acres along the western edge of the Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. Tillinghast once referred to the property as one of the most difficult projects of his career due to the dramatic terrain and dense tree coverage surrounding the routing. Nearly 100 years later, the course still demands complete control from tee to green.
With classic Tillinghast greens, uphill approaches and a closing stretch capable of flipping any match in an instant, Alpine provides a fitting stage for one of the state’s deepest amateur fields.
43rd Mid-Amateur Championship Program
Listen: The DROP Podcast Mid-Am Preview Episode
Format
The championship begins Tuesday, June 2, with an 18-hole stroke play qualifying round. The low 16 scorers will advance to match play, with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals contested on Wednesday before the semifinals and championship match conclude Thursday.
Spectators who wish to attend must walk. Use of carts will not be permitted.
A Look Back
Last year’s championship at Morris County Golf Club saw John Havay of High Bridge Hills Golf Club capture his first New Jersey Golf major title, defeating Pat Wilson of Hamilton Farm Golf Club, 3 and 2, in the championship match. Havay battled through a demanding final day that included a 19-hole semifinal victory over James Arbes before advancing to the afternoon final in temperatures approaching 90 degrees.
Havay built an early advantage in the title match and never relinquished control, relying on steady play and timely pars to keep Wilson at bay throughout the afternoon. The victory added another milestone to an already strong amateur resume for Havay, who also won the 2023 Four-Ball Championship alongside Erik Diamond. With support from fellow caddies and friends from Trump National Bedminster surrounding the 18th green, Havay lifted the Gigi Carnevale Championship Trophy to cap one of the most memorable championship runs of the 2025 season.
Inside the Field
The Mid-Amateur has long served as a proving ground for some of New Jersey’s most accomplished players, blending experienced champions with emerging contenders capable of making deep runs through match play.
This year’s field was finalized through four qualifying sites held at Rockland Country Club, Cobblestone Creek Country Club, Rock Spring Golf Club and Jumping Brook Country Club throughout April and May. From 359 entries, 62 players earned their way into the championship, joining 22 exempt competitors to complete the field at Alpine.
Former Champions
Six past champions return this year, including defending champion John Havay, who captured his first New Jersey major title in last year’s championship.
John Havay – 2025
Austin Devereux – 2024
Brandon Dalinka – 2022, 2019
Eric LeFante – 2021
Michael Stamberger – 2008
Harris Podvey – 2001
Players to Watch
Austin Devereux, 27
Austin Devereux returns to the championship looking to capture his second Mid-Amateur title after winning the 2024 championship at Union League National. The 2020 New Jersey Amateur champion has continued to establish himself as one of the state’s top match play competitors, most recently advancing to the semifinals of the 94th Four-Ball Championship.
Brandon Dalinka, 32
A two-time New Jersey Mid-Amateur champion, Brandon Dalinka returns looking for a third title. The Baltusrol Golf Club member and former North Carolina Tar Heel has competed in multiple U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships and remains one of the most accomplished match play competitors in the field.
Patrick Pierson, 62
Patrick Pierson arrives with momentum after capturing the 67th New Jersey Senior Amateur Championship last September, defeating Gregg Angelillo and Nick Desai in a playoff for his first New Jersey Golf title. Earlier this month, Pierson also finished runner-up at the 31st Senior Four-Ball Championship alongside Andre Bolukbas.
Michael Stamberger, 54
One of the most decorated amateur players in New Jersey history, Michael Stamberger remains a consistent presence in championship golf. Coming off a Senior Open victory last week at Suburban Golf Club, the 2008 Mid-Amateur champion became the first player in more than two decades to win consecutive New Jersey Amateur titles in 2013 and 2014.
Troy Vannucci, 34
Fresh off a victory alongside Brian Hollins at the 94th Four-Ball Championship at Little Mill Country Club, Troy Vannucci enters Alpine as one of the most accomplished players in the field. The three-time New Jersey Robert Housen Men’s Player of the Year Award recipient finished runner-up at the Mid-Am in 2023 and continues to contend in nearly every major championship across the state. Last season, Vannucci also earned runner-up honors at the 124th New Jersey Amateur Championship after posting a 4-under-par total of 280.
Jeremy Wall, 30
Jeremy Wall has established himself as one of the most consistent competitors in New Jersey amateur golf, regularly contending in both the New Jersey Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships. Last season, the Manasquan River Golf Club member finished runner-up at the Four-Ball Championship and advanced to the Round of 16 at the Mid-Amateur Championship at Morris County Golf Club.
Pat Wilson, 35
A finalist in the 2025 Mid-Amateur Championship, Pat Wilson has become a consistent presence across New Jersey Golf’s premier events. The Hamilton Farm Golf Club member also recorded a top-25 finish at last summer’s 105th New Jersey Open Championship and has represented New Jersey on multiple victorious Compher and Stoddard Cup teams, including the 2024 Compher Cup squad and back-to-back Stoddard Cup victories in 2024 and 2025.
Qualifying Results
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