Defending champion and two-time Maryland Open winner Denny McCarthy and 2008 Middle Atlantic Amateur champion Chris Baloga won two matches on Saturday to move into the scheduled final 36-hole match of the 93rd Maryland Amateur at Baltimore Country Club’s historic East Course.
McCarthy defeated young Mike Blasey 5&4 in the morning and outlasted tough Ben Warnquist 3&2 in the afternoon while Baloga won in 21 holes over 2012 Metropolitan Amateur winner Joe Rice IV and then vanquished 2009 Maryland Open champion Matt Bassler 5&3. Warnquist had defeated Brandon Cigna 2&1 while Bassler had edged Ralph Blasey IV 1 up in the morning session.
The wildest morning match was played by Baloga and Rice. Until Rice birdied the par-3 thirteenth hole to go 2 up there had not been more than a one hole difference. Baloga then eagled the par-5 fourteenth and birdied the par-4 fifteenth to go ahead by one hole only to lose to Rice’s two on the par-3 seventeenth. With the 18th being halved, the two moved to extra holes. Baloga made magical par saves on the first two hole to halve Rice and then holed a spectacular curving downhill and sidehill putt to end the match on the 21st hole.
In the Ralph Blasey and Matt Bassler match, Blasey held a two up lead through seven holes and never trailed until Bassler won the 18th hole with a par. Warnquist and Cigna had a tight match that saw a reversal of fortune at the 451-yard par-4 sixteenth hole. Warnquist drove right into a tough lie and advanced the ball to about 50 yards from the hole while Cigna hit a perfect drive and played a short iron to 20 feet short of the cup. Then Warnquist made a miracle par save while Cigna three-putted to give Warnquist a two hole lead. The match came to a conclusion when the players conceded matching pars on #17.
The McCarthy-(Mike) Blasey contest was close through the first six holes then McCarthy took four successive holes, highlighted by a near kick-in eagle two on the 303-yard eighth hole. After holes 12 – 15 were halved, McCarthy was a 5&4 winner.
In the McCarthy-Warnquist afternoon semi-final battle, the match had no more than a one hole difference through twelve holes with the players exchanging birdied putts on the tilted twelfth green. But McCarthy then won each of holes 13 – 15 and when the players halved #16 with pars, McCarthy registered the 3&2 win.
Loyola Maryland golf coach Baloga played the front nine in one over par to take a two up lead over former Loyola standout Bassler. With par wins on #s 11, 13 and 15, Baloga claimed the 5&3 victory.
The scheduled 36-hole final between McCarthy and Baloga begins Sunday morning at 7:00 AM. The East Course has played at par 70 and 6,983 yards with the par four 8th shortened by about 50 yards. The course is slated for a Keith Foster renovation beginning in mid-July.
– Reported by John Stewart