McQuaid grad wins prestigious RDGA title

Alex Hill, a 2024 McQuaid graduate and current Colgate University men's golf player, won the Rochester District Golf Association district championship last weekend at Stafford Country Club.

Hill finished at 1-under-par 215 (67-77-71) across the three-day tournament, which comes with a $700 purse.

He was the tournament's leader after Day 1, when he scored a five-under 67 — the top single-day score of the weekend — but struggled with a 77 on Day 2.

On Day 3, when others on the leaderboard faded, Hill shot one under to regain the lead.

"I just thought, keep it simple, fairways and greens, and maybe a putt or two will drop," Hill said in a RDGA press release.

With the win, Hill earns an exemption to this week's Monroe Invitational and the 2027 New York State Men's Amateur Championship. The victory earned Hill 500 points toward the 2026 RDGA Men's Player of the Year race and the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Hill recently completed his sophomore season at Colgate. The Victor native, who majors in applied mathematics, recorded a 77.6 adjusted average across 21 rounds. That includes a sixth place finish at the Autumn Invitational last September in Lake Placid.

Prior to college, Hill was a two-time All-Greater Rochester selection at McQuaid. He qualified for the 2024 NYSPHSAA championships, where he shot a four-over 148 to place 14th at the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira.

The RDGA also recognized two others at the tournament's conclusion. Jim Scorse, a 61-year-old member at Stafford, won the annual Low Senior Medal, given to the top scoring player age 55 or older. Scorse finished tied for seventh. Ron Plummer, a Ridgemont Country Club member, received the John Henry Ryan Gentleman of Golf Award which recognizes a player or administrator for sportsmanship. That award is voted on by the district championship field.

Here were the top finishers:

• Alex Hill, Cobblestone Creek: -1 (67, 77, 71)
• Christian Chapman, Cobblestone Creek: E (74, 69, 73)
• Kyle Downey, Oak Hill: +2 (75, 72, 71)
• Colin Barber, Cobblestone Creek: +2 (70, 72, 76)
• Philip Minnehan, Cobblestone Creek: +3 (72, 72, 75)
• Patrick Ward, Lake Effect: +3 (72, 71, 76)
• Jim Scorse, Stafford: +4 (75, 72, 73)
• Owen Corby, Monroe: +4 (73, 72, 75)
• Brian Albertazzi, Sodus Bay Heights: +4 (70, 69, 81)
• Andrew Kay, Oak Hill: +5 (75, 75, 71)
• Aiden Spampinato, Cobblestone Creek: +5 (77, 71, 73)

The RDGA district championship debuted in 1930 and is considered the premier event on the calendar for local golfers. 

For most of its history, the tournament was a 72-hole stroke play competition, but that changed in 2020 when the format downsized to a three-day, 54-hole event. 

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: McQuaid grad wins prestigious RDGA title