St. John's University Athletics
Ballo Jr. Wins Westchester Golf Association's 90th Amateur Championship
6/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 4, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - Rising senior Mike Ballo Jr. of the St. John's men's golf team won the Westchester Golf Association's 90th Amateur Championship on Thursday, defeating fellow collegian Trevor Sahn of Drexel in the match-play final, 8 and 7. The four-day event was held at the Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Conn.
"Mike deserves this win, he has worked really hard after coming back from injuries," said Red Storm head coach Frank Darby. "Hopefully this will open up the floodgates for him since it is his first local win at an amateur event."
Ballo Jr., who entered the competition as the No. 9 seed, defeated first-round opponent Frank Mollica, 7 and 5, to set up a second round match with eighth-seeded Michael Quagliano, who Ballo Jr. defeated, 3 and 2. In the quarterfinals, the Stamford, Conn., native bested No. 16 David Weisfeld, 4 and 2. A semifinal upset victory over fourth-seeded Robert Johnson, 4 and 3, put Ballo Jr. in the 36-hole final, where he squared off against the No. 2 seed Sahn.
Through the first 18 holes of play on Thursday, Ballo Jr. built a 5-up lead on Sahn, picking up birdies on holes 7 and 13. In the second-18, he expanded his lead to 7-up after six holes, carding an eagle-3 on the par-5 fifth. After birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, Ballo Jr. moved ahead, 8-up with nine holes to play. The pairing tied scores over the next two holes, which guaranteed the early victory for Ballo Jr., 8-up and seven to play.
"This is one of the most prestigious events in the Tri-State Area," said Ballo Jr. "When I saw the trophy and some of the names on it, I felt unbelievable. The field had so many good players. I feel really happy right now. I've been trying so hard since I came into college to break into the amateur scene and the monkey is finally off my back."
