Michael Miller, 20, of Brewster, N.Y., shot a 2-under-par 69 to lead New York to a one-stroke lead following Thursday’s second round of the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team Championship at the par-71, 6,963-yard Galloway National Golf Club.
New York, whose best finish in this event is fifth in 1995, registered a 36-hole score of 1-over 285. Miller’s teammate Max Buckley, of Rye, carded an even-par 71. Iowa, behind a 1-under 70 from Dennis Bull, sits one stroke behind at 286 heading into Friday’s final round, while 2009 champion Pennsylvania is three strokes behind in third at 288.
The USGA Men’s State Team Championship consists of 54 holes of stroke play, with the two lowest of three individual scores counting as the team total for the round. The team with the lowest aggregate score following the final round is the champion.
The Men’s State Team Championship is conducted biennially by the United States Golf Association. The men’s and women’s competitions are held in alternating years. Each state is responsible for selecting its team and the players must reside in that state to be eligible. All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are represented in the 2012 field.
Miller, who advanced to the second round of match play at last month’s U.S. Amateur, nearly made five consecutive birdies on his outward nine in equaling the best round of the day. He almost holed an eagle putt at the par-5 11th, then made a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 12. After his birdie attempt lipped out at No. 13, Miller knocked a 5-iron at the 213-yard, par-3 14th to within 5 feet and completed the birdie barrage with a 3 at the par-4 15th.
"I played real solid, hit the middle of the green and took advantage when I needed to," said Miller, who kept his round going with a par on the 16th after hitting his second shot into the trees and his third into a greenside bunker on the par 5. "The atmosphere is really cool. To play the course we are playing…It’s firm, it’s fast and it’s tough."
Buckley, 22, scrambled his way around Galloway National. He holed a 15-foot par putt at the par-4 13th – his fourth of the round – and made another sizeable par save at No. 16. The 2011 U.S. Amateur quarterfinalist added birdies on Nos. 5, 8 and 11.
"I was grinding all day," said Buckley, whose team was tied for fifth after Thursday’s first round. "I think I hit three fairways and seven greens. I was just able to make a lot of putts. I did a lot of good putting today."
Bull, 30, of Norwalk, and Gene Elliott, 50, of West Des Moines, helped get Iowa move into contention with rounds of 70 and 72, respectively. Bull, who advanced to the quarterfinals at last week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, used an eagle-3 at No. 9 to highlight his round. Iowa is seeking its best finish since finishing solo 10th in 2001.
"That got me going," said Bull, who hit a 3-iron on his approach to the ninth and later added birdies on Nos. 11 and 14. "I hit it better on the back. We are all trying to get the win. It’s a USGA event. It’s a big deal."
Nathan Smith, 34, of Pittsburgh, carded an even-par 71 and teammate Sean Knapp, 50, of Oakmont, Pa., added a 73 for a two-round total of 4-over 288.
Smith, who last week won his fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur title and has represented the USA on two Walker Cup Teams, rebounded from a double-bogey 6 on his first hole, the par-4 10th, by carding a 2-under 33 on his second nine. He birdied holes three and nine to go with seven pars.
"It was tougher for us because we had to go off on the backside at 7:15 [a.m.]," said Smith, who admitted he didn’t feel comfortable until he signed his scorecard. "That’s a lot of golf course. I think the pins were a little harder."
Knapp, one of two amateurs to make the cut at this summer’s U.S. Senior Open, also struggled on his outward nine with three bogeys, but regrouped coming to the clubhouse. His 1-under 34 on the second nine was bolstered by birdies at Nos. 1 and 8.
"You can’t give up out here," Knapp said. "Any hole you can make an ‘X.’ It’s important to stay in the game. The whole day is about being patient."
Georgia’s William Mitchell, 48, of Roswell, and Tennessee’s Todd Burgan, 43, of Powell, shared the day’s best round with Miller. After turning in 2-over 38, Mitchell fashioned a spotless second nine that featured four birdies and five pars. Burgan, the 2010 Mid-Amateur semifinalist, had five birdies on the card against three bogeys. Georgia is in fourth position at 290, while Tennessee is tied for fifth at 293.
First-round leader North Carolina struggled on Thursday, shooting 155 to fall 10 strokes back of New York at 295.
North Carolina’s second-round scorecard was 15 shots higher than the previous day. Scott Harvey, of Greensboro, had the team’s best score with a 75, while his teammates were both in the low 80s. Bruce Woodall, who had a 69 on Wednesday, struggled to a non-counting 82.
"Hopefully, we didn’t completely shoot ourselves in the foot," said Paul Simson, the 2010 USGA Senior Amateur champion from Raleigh, who had an 80. "The course is set up difficult and we just did not play as well."
Brian DePasquale is a manager of championship communications. Email him at bdepasquale@usga.org.
Galloway Township, N.J. – Scores from Thursday’s second round of the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team Championship being conducted at the 6,956-yard, par-71 Galloway National Golf Club. (Note: Best two scores from each three-man team count for the team’s daily total.)
1. New York 145-140--285 (Michael Miller, Brewster 72-69--141; Max Buckley, Rye 73-71--144; Joseph Saladino, Huntington 79-80--159)
2. Iowa 144-142--286 (Jon Olson, Ankeny 70-75--145; Gene Elliott, West Des Moines 74-72--146; Dennis Bull, Norwalk 79-70--149)
3. Pennsylvania 144-144--288 (Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh 72-71--143; Sean Knapp, Oakmont 72-73--145; Andrew Mason, Huntingdon Valley 72-75--147)
4. Georgia 145-145--290 (William Mitchell, Roswell 77-69--146; Mark Strickland, Woodstock 70-77--147; David Noll Jr., Dalton 75-76--151)
T5. California 144-149--293 (Andrew Biggadike, Belmont 75-73--148; Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks 70-79--149; John McClure, Los Angeles 74-76--150)
T5. Florida 148-145--293 (Jon Veneziano, Mount Dora 74-73--147; Joe Alfieri II, Lutz 78-72--150; Don Bell, Port Orange 74-78--152)
T5. Missouri 145-148--293 (Richard Berkmeyer, Wildwood 73-73--146; Brad Nurski, St. Joseph 72-75--147; Nick Wilson, Columbia 73-77--150)
T5. Tennessee 148-145--293 (Todd Burgan, Powell 76-69--145; Tim Jackson, Germantown 73-77--150; Craig Smith, Nashville 75-76--151)
9. Ohio 146-148--294 (Bill Williamson, Cincinnati 72-75--147; Robert Gerwin II, Cincinnati 74-74--148; Jeffrey Scohy, Bellbrook 84-74--158)
T10. Louisiana 145-150--295 (Matt Nicholas, Lake Charles 71-76--147; Robby McWilliams, Bossier City 76-74--150; Patrick Christovich, New Orleans 74-76--150)
T10. North Carolina 140-155--295 (Scott Harvey, Greensboro 73-75--148; Bruce Woodall, Yanceyville 69-82--151; Paul Simson, Raleigh 71-80--151)
12. Michigan 148-148--296 (Drew Preston, Grand Rapids 74-74--148; Brian Hayward, Grand Rapids 74-77--151; Tom Werkmeister, Kentwood 77-74--151)
T13. South Carolina 145-152--297 (Steve Liebler, Irmo 71-76--147; Todd White, Moore 74-76--150; Josh Branyon, Honea Path 82-82--164)
T13. Washington 150-147--297 (Mike Haack, Bellevue 75-72--147; Tom Brandes, Bellevue 75-75--150; Sean Packer, Seattle 78-76--154)
15. Vermont 153-145--298 (Devin Komline, Dorset 76-73--149; Mike Stackus, Barre 78-72--150; Garren Poirier, Killington 77-77--154)
16. Wisconsin 150-149--299 (Max Hosking, Madison 74-73--147; Bob Gregorski, Menasha 76-76--152; Sam Frank, Madison 79-85--164)
T17. Arizona 154-146--300 (Adam Walicki, Phoenix 77-73--150; Trey Martin, Scottsdale 81-73--154; Andy Aduddell, Avondale 77-79--156)
T17. Connecticut 148-152--300 (Matt Smith, Thompson 74-75--149; Jeffrey Hatten, Farmington 74-77--151; Brian Ahern, West Hartford 80-77--157)
T17. Indiana 147-153--300 (Kenny Cook, Noblesville 73-77--150; Bob Stephens, Indianapolis 74-78--152; Todd Palmer, Fishers 78-76--154)
20. Colorado 155-146--301 (Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield 77-73--150; Brian Dorfman, Greenwood Village 78-73--151; Michael Harrington, Colorado Springs 78-79--157)
21. Oregon 153-149--302 (Tyler Simpson, Happy Valley 75-76--151; Scott Hval, Portland 78-73--151; Bill Winter, Portland 78-79--157)
T22. Alaska 153-150--303 (Adam Baxter, Fairbanks 77-71--148; Kevin Daniels, Anchorage 76-79--155; Paul Blanche, Anchorage 95-86--181)
T22. Maryland 152-151--303 (Mark Cusic, California 79-74--153; Michael Mulieri, Silver Spring 76-77--153; Serge Hogg, Baltimore 76-80--156)
T24. Kentucky 154-150--304 (Davis Boland, Louisville 75-77--152; Tyler Sharpe, Greensburg 79-73--152; Joshua Rhodes, Paducah 87-80--167)
T24. Maine 152-152--304 (Ricky Jones, Thomaston 77-73--150; Jason Gall, Augusta 75-79--154; Mark Plummer, Manchester 92-85--177)
T24. New Jersey 156-148--304 (Brian Komline, Bridgewater 76-73--149; Mike Stamberger, Brielle 80-75--155; Niall Handley, West Caldwell 81-76--157)
T24. Texas 154-150--304 (Aaron Hickman, Tyler 74-75--149; Clarke Kincaid, Trophy Club 80-75--155; Lucas Boyd, Plano 80-86--166)
T24. Virginia 152-152--304 (Keith Decker, Martinsville 76-75--151; Buck Brittain, Tazewell 78-77--155; Scott Shingler, Haymarket 76-87--163)
T29. Oklahoma 149-156--305 (Jeff Coffman, Oklahoma City 73-75--148; Michael Hughett, Owasso 76-81--157; William J. Lavender, Oklahoma City 80-82--162)
T29. Rhode Island 148-157--305 (Bobby Leopold, Coventry 75-77--152; Brad Valois, Warwick 73-82--155; Charlie Blanchard, North Providence 78-80--158)
T31. Illinois 153-153--306 (Todd Mitchell, Bloomington 82-71--153; Dave Ryan, Taylorville 73-82--155; Andy Mickelson, Lockport 80-83--163)
T31. Minnesota 154-152--306 (Andy Jacobson, Willmar 77-76--153; Matt Schneider, Cohasset 77-76--153; Jesse Larson, Shakopee 84-79--163)
T31. New Hampshire 150-156--306 (D.J. Lantz, New London 75-77--152; Joshua Chamberlain, Amherst 75-79--154; Ryan Kohler, Spofford 77-82--159)
34. Utah 154-153--307 (Dan Horner, Sandy 74-76--150; Jeff Jolley, South Jordan 84-77--161; Jon Wright, Sandy 80-86--166)
T35. Alabama 157-151--308 (Lew Mitchell, Troy 82-76--158; Victor Kyatt III, Hoover 75-87--162; Andy Mc Rae, Hoover 87-75--162)
T35. Mississippi 160-148--308 (Eddie Brescher, Jackson 79-75--154; Clay Homan, Starkville 83-73--156; Alex Rowland, Houston 81-79--160)
T35. Montana 156-152--308 (Ben Leestma, Great Falls 77-75--152; Jerry Pearsall, Billings 80-77--157; Nathan Bailey, Laurel 79-80--159)
T35. West Virginia 150-158--308 (Sam O'Dell, Hurricane 74-80--154; Patrick Carter, Huntington 76-78--154; Bruce Wetherholt, Barboursville 80-82--162)
39. Massachusetts 156-154--310 (Brian Higgins, Bellingham 78-77--155; Doug Clapp, Walpole 78-79--157; Herbie Aikens, Kingston 83-77--160)
T40. Arkansas 153-158--311 (Joey Nichols, Little Rock 77-76--153; Wes McNulty, White Hall 76-82--158; Chris Jenkins, Little Rock 78-83--161)
T40. Nebraska 156-155--311 (Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon 77-80--157; John Sajevic, Fremont 80-77--157; Ryan Nietfeldt, Elkhorn 79-78--157)
T42. Kansas 153-159--312 (Kit Grove, Lawrence 76-79--155; Jack Courington, Wichita 77-80--157; Zac Burton, Manhattan 79-80--159)
T42. New Mexico 153-159--312 (Sam Saunders, Albuquerque 76-79--155; Justin Knauber, Albuquerque 77-80--157; Anton Salome, Socorro 79-83--162)
T42. Wyoming 158-154--312 (Todd Griffin, Rock Springs 78-74--152; John Hornbeck, Saratoga 80-80--160; Todd Van Rensselaer, Douglas 81-87--168)
45. District of Columbia 159-155--314 (Rich Sobonya, Washington 81-75--156; Frank Alafoginis, Washington 78-80--158; Mychael Cohn, Washington 86-88--174)
46. Nevada 161-154--315 (Brady Exber, Las Vegas 78-75--153; David Nelson, Reno 83-79--162; Ryan Mitchell, Incline Village 90-84--174)
47. Delaware 152-165--317 (Greg Wolfe, Newark 77-81--158; Chase Brockstedt, Rehoboth Beach 75-84--159; Simon Hagger, Hockessin 86-86--172)
48. North Dakota 163-155--318 (Tim Skarperud, Grand Forks 84-75--159; Josh Bergrud, Grand Forks 79-80--159; Chad Skarperud, Fargo 84-90--174)
49. Idaho 161-160--321 (Todd Points, Star 83-79--162; Everett Grimes, Nampa 79-84--163; Darren Kuhn, Pocatello 82-81--163)
50. Puerto Rico 168-168--336 (Raul Rivera, Toa Baja 79-84--163; Daniel Caban, Cabo Rojo 89-84--173; Roberto Fabelo, San Juan 90-86--176)
51. Hawaii 176-165--341 (Eric Le, Aiea 89-82--171; Carl Ho, Honolulu 87-88--175; Kenji Miyata, Kapaa 93-83--176)
52. South Dakota 172-170--342 (Brandon Sigmund, Mitchell 84-84--168; Ben Irlbeck, Sioux Falls 88-86--174; Chris Long, Garretson 88-92--180)
Galloway Township, N.J. – Groupings and starting times for Friday’s final round of the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team Championship being conducted at the 6,956-yard, par-71 Galloway National Golf Club. (All times EDT):
Tee 1
6:55 am -- Alex Rowland,Houston, Miss. ; Nathan Bailey,Laurel, Mont. ; Bruce Wetherholt,Barboursville, W.Va.
7:04 am -- Clay Homan,Starkville, Miss. ; Jerry Pearsall,Billings, Mont. ; Patrick Carter,Huntington, W.Va.
7:13 am -- Eddie Brescher,Jackson, Miss. ; Ben Leestma,Great Falls, Mont. ; Sam O'Dell,Hurricane, W.Va.
7:22 am -- Ryan Kohler,Spofford, N.H. ; Jon Wright,Sandy, Utah ; Andy Mc Rae,Hoover, Ala.
7:31 am -- Joshua Chamberlain,Amherst, N.H. ; Jeff Jolley,South Jordan, Utah ; Victor Kyatt III,Hoover, Ala.
7:40 am -- D.J. Lantz,New London, N.H. ; Dan Horner,Sandy, Utah ; Lew Mitchell,Troy, Ala.
7:49 am -- Niall Handley,West Caldwell, N.J. ; Andy Mickelson,Lockport, Ill. ; Jesse Larson,Shakopee, Minn.
7:58 am -- Mike Stamberger,Brielle, N.J. ; Dave Ryan,Taylorville, Ill. ; Matt Schneider,Cohasset, Minn.
8:07 am -- Brian Komline,Bridgewater, N.J. ; Todd Mitchell,Bloomington, Ill. ; Andy Jacobson,Willmar, Minn.
8:16 am -- Lucas Boyd,Plano, Texas ; William J. Lavender,Oklahoma City, Okla. ; Charlie Blanchard,North Providence, R.I.
8:25 am -- Clarke Kincaid,Trophy Club, Texas ; Michael Hughett,Owasso, Okla. ; Brad Valois,Warwick, R.I.
8:34 am -- Aaron Hickman,Tyler, Texas ; Jeff Coffman,Oklahoma City, Okla. ; Bobby Leopold,Coventry, R.I.
Tee 10
6:55 am -- Joey Nichols,Little Rock, Ark. ; Brian Higgins,Bellingham, Mass.
7:04 am -- Wes McNulty,White Hall, Ark. ; Doug Clapp,Walpole, Mass.
7:13 am -- Chris Jenkins,Little Rock, Ark. ; Herbie Aikens,Kingston, Mass.
7:22 am -- Sam Saunders,Albuquerque, N.M. ; Kit Grove,Lawrence, Kan. ; Rylee Reinertson,Gibbon, Neb.
7:31 am -- Justin Knauber,Albuquerque, N.M. ; Jack Courington,Wichita, Kan. ; John Sajevic,Fremont, Neb.
7:40 am -- Anton Salome,Socorro, N.M. ; Zac Burton,Manhattan, Kan. ; Ryan Nietfeldt,Elkhorn, Neb.
7:49 am -- Brady Exber,Las Vegas, Nev. ; Rich Sobonya,Washington, D.C. ; Todd Griffin,Rock Springs, Wyo.
7:58 am -- David Nelson,Reno, Nev. ; Frank Alafoginis,Washington, D.C. ; John Hornbeck,Saratoga, Wyo.
8:07 am -- Ryan Mitchell,Incline Village, Nev. ; Mychael Cohn,Washington, D.C. ; Todd Van Rensselaer,Douglas, Wyo.
8:16 am -- Todd Points,Star, Idaho ; Tim Skarperud,Grand Forks, N.D. ; Greg Wolfe,Newark, Del.
8:25 am -- Everett Grimes,Nampa, Idaho ; Josh Bergrud,Grand Forks, N.D. ; Chase Brockstedt,Rehoboth Beach, Del.
8:34 am -- Darren Kuhn,Pocatello, Idaho ; Chad Skarperud,Fargo, N.D. ; Simon Hagger,Hockessin, Del.
8:43 am -- Brandon Sigmund,Mitchell, S.D. ; Eric Le,Aiea, Hawaii ; Raul Rivera,Toa Baja, PR
8:52 am -- Ben Irlbeck,Sioux Falls, S.D. ; Carl Ho,Honolulu, Hawaii ; Daniel Caban,Cabo Rojo, PR
9:01 am -- Chris Long,Garretson, S.D. ; Kenji Miyata,Kapaa, Hawaii ; Roberto Fabelo,San Juan, PR
Tee 1
12:05 pm -- Tom Werkmeister,Kentwood, Mich. ; Paul Simson,Raleigh, N.C. ; Patrick Christovich,New Orleans, La.
12:14 pm -- Brian Hayward,Grand Rapids, Mich. ; Bruce Woodall,Yanceyville, N.C. ; Robby McWilliams,Bossier City, La.
12:23 pm -- Drew Preston,Grand Rapids, Mich. ; Scott Harvey,Greensboro, N.C. ; Matt Nicholas,Lake Charles, La.
12:32 pm -- Jeffrey Scohy,Bellbrook, Ohio ; Craig Smith,Nashville, Tenn. ; Nick Wilson,Columbia, Mo.
12:41 pm -- Robert Gerwin II,Cincinnati, Ohio ; Tim Jackson,Germantown, Tenn. ; Brad Nurski,St. Joseph, Mo.
12:50 pm -- Bill Williamson,Cincinnati, Ohio ; Todd Burgan,Powell, Tenn. ; Richard Berkmeyer,Wildwood, Mo.
12:59 pm -- John McClure,Los Angeles, Calif. ; Don Bell,Port Orange, Fla. ; David Noll Jr.,Dalton, Ga.
1:08 pm -- Paul Misko,Thousand Oaks, Calif. ; Joe Alfieri II,Lutz, Fla. ; Mark Strickland,Woodstock, Ga.
1:17 pm -- Andrew Biggadike,Belmont, Calif. ; Jon Veneziano,Mount Dora, Fla. ; William Mitchell,Roswell, Ga.
1:26 pm -- Andrew Mason,Huntingdon Valley, Pa. ; Dennis Bull,Norwalk, Iowa ; Joseph Saladino,Huntington, N.Y.
1:35 pm -- Sean Knapp,Oakmont, Pa. ; Gene Elliott,West Des Moines, Iowa ; Max Buckley,Rye, N.Y.
1:44 pm -- Nathan Smith,Pittsburgh, Pa. ; Jon Olson,Ankeny, Iowa ; Michael Miller,Brewster, N.Y.
Tee 10
12:05 pm -- Steve Liebler,Irmo, S.C. ; Mike Haack,Bellevue, Wash.
12:14 pm -- Todd White,Moore, S.C. ; Tom Brandes,Bellevue, Wash.
12:23 pm -- Josh Branyon,Honea Path, S.C. ; Sean Packer,Seattle, Wash.
12:32 pm -- Kenny Cook,Noblesville, Ind. ; Max Hosking,Madison, Wis. ; Devin Komline,Dorset, Vt.
12:41 pm -- Bob Stephens,Indianapolis, Ind. ; Bob Gregorski,Menasha, Wis. ; Mike Stackus,Barre, Vt.
12:50 pm -- Todd Palmer,Fishers, Ind. ; Sam Frank,Madison, Wis. ; Garren Poirier,Killington, Vt.
12:59 pm -- Jon Lindstrom,Broomfield, Colo. ; Matt Smith,Thompson, Conn. ; Adam Walicki,Phoenix, Ariz.
1:08 pm -- Brian Dorfman,Greenwood Village, Colo. ; Jeffrey Hatten,Farmington, Conn. ; Trey Martin,Scottsdale, Ariz.
1:17 pm -- Michael Harrington,Colorado Springs, Colo. ; Brian Ahern,West Hartford, Conn. ; Andy Aduddell,Avondale, Ariz.
1:26 pm -- Mark Cusic,California, Md. ; Adam Baxter,Fairbanks, Alaska ; Tyler Simpson,Happy Valley, Ore.
1:35 pm -- Michael Mulieri,Silver Spring, Md. ; Kevin Daniels,Anchorage, Alaska ; Scott Hval,Portland, Ore.
1:44 pm -- Serge Hogg,Baltimore, Md. ; Paul Blanche,Anchorage, Alaska ; Bill Winter,Portland, Ore.
1:53 pm -- Keith Decker,Martinsville, Va. ; Ricky Jones,Thomaston, Maine ; Davis Boland,Louisville, Ky.
2:02 pm -- Buck Brittain,Tazewell, Va. ; Jason Gall,Augusta, Maine ; Tyler Sharpe,Greensburg, Ky.
2:11 pm -- Scott Shingler,Haymarket, Va. ; Mark Plummer,Manchester, Maine ; Joshua Rhodes,Paducah, Ky.