Round 2
Kevin Grady’s five birdies, en-route to a 5-under-par, 65 was good enough to overtake Chris Baloga and capture the Maryland State Golf Association’s 35th Mid-Amateur Championship at the Country Club of Maryland.
This was not the first time Grady and Baloga faced off this season. During the 100th Maryland State Amateur, the two faced each other in the first round of match play, with Baloga claiming victory. After beginning the day one stroke behind, Grady (Rolling Road GC) managed to tie things up with Baloga (Hillendale CC) after the first nine. Grady was able to make birdie on Nos. 1 and 4, while Baloga was only able to make a birdie on No. 4. Both players kept the first nine on their card clean and bogey free.
On the back-nine, Grady was able to make a birdie on the drivable par-4, No. 10 to go 5-under-par with eight holes to go. Grady followed with two more birdies on the back to shoot a bogey-free 33-32.
Baloga was unable to catch Grady after making a bogey on the difficult fourteenth hole. With a three-stroke lead with four holes left Grady was able to close the door on his competition and capture his third Mid-Amateur Championship in four years.
When Grady hoisted the championship trophy, he joined Terry Burke (2000, 2007, 2009) as the only three-time champion.
Round 1
Chris Baloga scored early and at the end of the opening round his 3-under-par 67 led the 35th Mid-Amateur Championship of the Maryland State Golf Association by one stroke at Country Club of Maryland in Towson.
Baloga, the Men’s Golf Head Coach at nearby Loyola University-Maryland, started his day off of No. 1. and returned with a 33-34, 3-under-par 67 which included five birdies and two bogeys. In the last group on the course in the late afternoon, Keith Janecek, from Pine Ridge Golf Course, carded a 33-36, 1-under-par 69made up of two birdies on the front nine one bogey on the back nine. Both players birdied hole three and four.
Two-time champion (2018, 2019) Kevin Grady (Rolling Road GC), Kyle Carranza (Breton Bay G&CC), Ryan McCarthy (Argyle CC), and Andrew Stein (Woodmont CC) all followed at 2-under-par 68. Grady was able to make two birdies but ended up making bogey on No. 17 to finish 33-35 on the day. Carranza, started the day with four straight birdies (seven total on the day) but ended up making five bogeys to keep him a 2-under-par. McCarthy was able to make four birdies in the opening round but a bogey on No. 14 hole cost him a share of the first-round lead. Stein, was able to make an eagle on the par-4, No. 6 and a birdie on No. 12 however, a bogey on No. 8 also cost him a share of the lead.
In the last group on the course in the late afternoon, Keith Janecek, from Pine Ridge Golf Course, carded a 33-36, 1-under-par 69 which included two birdies on the front nine and one bogey on the back nine.
Five more trailed at 70 – defending champion Billy Wingerd, from Hillendale CC; Alex Hosier, from Country Club of Maryland; Ray Sheedy, from Mount Pleasant Golf Course; Vance Welch, from Hobbits Glen Golf Club, and Mike Devlin from the Washington TG Golf Club. A total 115 cards were returned with the field cut to the low 40 and ties for the second round.
The tournament also included a one-day net division event, won by Brian Kerr, who registered from the MSGA eClub, 81-11-70, trailed by Sean Crawford, MSGA eClub, 75-2-73, Dean Daniels, E-Club, 76-3-73, and Mark Joyner, Hillendale Country Club, 80-7-73, among the seventeen who recorded a score.
