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A.J. Cavotta of Saratoga Springs made headlines when he shot a round of 65 (6-under) in the New York Open at Bethpage Black on July 15.
The second-round performance jolted him into the lead and the final pairing on the third day of the Open, hosted by the Metropolitan chapter of the PGA.
After the round, Cavotta credited soft greens in the early morning for giving him a good look at birdies. He had birdies on five of the first nine holes and an eagle and another birdie on the back. After sleeping on the lead in the prestigious tournament, he excelled once again on the final day and recorded an even-par round, tying for the lead through 54 holes, finishing the tournament at 2-under 75-65-71 (211).
"Going into any tournament, my main goal is to have a chance to win with nine holes to play and despite being plus-5 through my first nine holes of the first round, I accomplished that," Cavotta said.
Cavotta lost the tournament in a playoff to Peicheng Chen, a former player at St. John's. Chen earned the $17,500 winner's prize and Cavotta earned $11,000.
"At the end of the day, I did everything I could've possibly done to win and it just didn't happen. I've had a lot of people reach out and they have been nothing but supportive and I appreciate all of it," he said.
The final nine holes were indicative of his resilience at Bethpage.
"Even after my double on 13, I turned to Austin, my brother-in-law who caddied for me, and I told him I would have signed up to be two back with five holes to play to start the week," he said. Cavotta bounced back with a birdie on the next hole and eventually finished the 54 holes on one of the nation's toughest courses in a tie.
The Farmingdale course, which hosted the Ryder Cup last September, played at 7,134 yards. Chen won the New York Open as an amateur in 2023 and played this year as a professional. He is an assistant professional at Rock Hill Golf & Country Club and is now the first player to win the championship as both an amateur and a professional. Cavotta works at Anders Mattson Junior Golf Academy in Saratoga Springs.
Jeb Buchanan of Loudonville (2015) remains the only Capital Region player to win the tournament in its 49-year history.
Amateur Francisco Cupp of Saratoga Springs and University at Albany assistant golf coach Thomas Strandemo tied for 31st, and Nolan Crowley of Saratoga Springs tied for 38th. They were the only golfers of 14 from the area to make the 36-hole cut.
Cavotta followed up his performance at Bethpage with a second-place finish in Monday's Pro Classic Series at Edison Club. Chris Sanger of Red Hook Golf Club was the medalist, finishing at 5-under. Cavotta was three strokes back, carding a minus-2 70.
NEWGA Championship preview
Playing on her home course, Sue Kahler of Saratoga Springs will be seeking back-to-back Northeastern New York Women's Golf Association championships when the two-day stroke play event is played at Ballston Spa Country Club on July 28 and 29. Kahler has won the NEWGA championship five times.
Sisters Kathy Harkins and Heidi Harkins, also playing out of Ballston Spa, are one-time NEWGA champions challenging Kahler. Heidi Harkins won in 2021 and Kathy Harkins won in 2016. Also in the field is one-time NEWGA champion Kimberly Skiba of Edison Club, who won in 2024. Additional challengers include Anna Peles of Colonie Country Club, Mary Scatena of Pinehaven Country Club, Sue Chambers of Western Turnpike and Mary Diefendorf of Canajoharie Golf & Country Club.
Noteworthy
Maria Glavin of Waterford was seeded 20th after qualifying for the match play field in the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C., July 13-18. She lost her opening match to Alexi Takai of Honolulu, 3 and 2.
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