By Bob DiCesare | Buffalo News Sports Michael Boss, the son of Niagara Falls Country Club head pro John Boss, leads the local contingent after shooting a 1-over 71 Wednesday in the first round of the Porter Cup at NFCC. Three local golfers, Nick Morreale, Ben Reichert and Jamie Millier, are still on the course. Other local finishes: 72 – Billy Gaffney 74 – Billy Hanes 75 – David Hanes, Jake Katz 78 — Desmond Stoll, Chris Yustin, Marc Holzhauer. 81 – Jake Kreuz.

By Bob DiCesare | Buffalo News Sports Reporter Local players will take the stage early and late as the first round of the Porter Cup commences at 8 a.m. Wednesday at Niagara Falls Country Club. The “feature group” of Jared du Toit, Gavin Hall and Derek Bard puts a peg in the ground at 11 a.m. There is no admission charge for the tournament, one of the main events on the national (and in some cases international) amateur golf circuit. Michael Boss of Lewiston will be in the lead threesome at 8 a.m. He’ll be followed by BDGA champ Desmond Stoll (Lockport) and International Junior Masters winner David Hanes (Elma) at 8:10, Billy Hanes (Williamsville) at 8:20, Bill Gaffney (Williamsville) and Marc Holzhauer (Clarence Center native) at 8:30, Jake Kreuz (Amherst) at 8:40, Chris Yustin (East Amherst) at 8:50 and Jake Katz (Williamsville) at 9:15. Later in the day, Josh Stauffer (Bradford, Pa.) and Nick Morreale (Tonawanda, NFCC club champion) head out at noon, Ben Reichert (East Amherst) at 12:10 and Jamie Miller (Orchard Park) at 12:20. Jared du Toit heads to the Porter Cup after an eye-opening showing at the Canadian Open (Getty Images) du Toit, Hall and Bard comprise the threesome likely to attract the biggest following. du Toit, a British Columbia native who attends Arizona State, contended into the final round of last weekend’s Canadian Open before placing ninth. He’s up to sixth in the world amateur rankings. Hall, a Pittsford native, is going into his senior year at Texas. He’s a perennial Porter Cup contender, having finished top 10 in four previous appearances. Bard was runner-up in last year’s U.S. Amateur. He plays at Virginia. email: bdicesare@buffnews.com

By Jay Skurski | Buffalo News Sports Reporter Billy Gaffney had tried qualifying for the Porter Cup so many times, he lost count. “Probably six years, at least. Maybe eight,” Gaffney said. “I was just never ready.” He is now. Gaffney, a 23-year-old from Williamsville, shared medalist honors during Monday’s qualifier after a round of 4-under-par 66 at Niagara Falls Country Club. Gaffney finished his round in style, stuffing his tee shot on the par-3 18th hole to about a foot for a kick-in birdie. “I didn’t have to think about the putt at all,” he said. “It was just like, ‘wow, I finally qualified.’ I’m really relieved.” Gaffney started his round with a birdie on the first hole, then added another on the par-4 fifth. His lone dropped shot came at the tough, par-4 ninth, but he bounced back for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 11th after putting his 230-yard approach shot to within 6 feet with a 6-iron. He added a final birdie on the par-3 16th hole. “My three nemesis holes I have out here are 10, 16 and 17, and those were three of my best holes today,” Gaffney said. “I made a good save for par on 10. On 16, I hit a 6-iron to 10 feet and made it, and then 17 I made a good par.” Windy conditions along the Niagara Escarpment presented a challenge for the field of 92 golfers competing for eight spots. Gaffney’s approach was a tried and true in tournament golf – hit as many fairways and greens as possible. “I hit 17 out of 18 greens,” he said. “I had a birdie putt, really, on every hole.” Gaffney finished his senior season with the Youngstown State men’s team in the spring with a 23rd-place finish at the Horizon League championship. He played in all 12 tournaments and 33 rounds with the Penguins. Last month, Gaffney teamed up with Jeff Wolniewicz to win the New York State Golf Association Amateur Four-Ball Championship. He’s set to turn professional at the end of the summer – but getting his first Porter Cup experience before then will be priceless. “I would say I’d do anything for an invite,” Gaffney said, “but nothing beats qualifying. Shooting a good score and knowing that you did the work to get in, that’s a great feeling. “It’s something I’ve been wanting. By qualifying, I know I have the game to play. I’ve been looking for the opportunity and the chance to play against guys like this.” Gaffney shared medalist honors with John Boncoddo. The Brantford, Ont., native’s round of 66 was highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole. Boncoddo recently finished his sophomore season with the Eastern Michigan men’s team. Included in the rest of the qualifiers are a pair of local players – East Amherst’s Danny Yustin and Elma’s David Hanes – both of whom shot 3-under 67. Yustin, 18, is a recent graduate of Williamsville East High School who will play collegiately at Binghamton. “I was hoping to get anything under par, since that’s usually what gets in,” he said. “I hit my driver probably the best I’ve ever hit it. I never got into too much trouble, so I could go at greens.” Yustin went out in 32, making birdies at the second, seventh and ninth holes. He added another one on the par-5 13th hole, with his only dropped shot coming at the par-4 17th. “I played really well,” he said. “I made a couple 20-footers, but otherwise hit it pretty close and was able to make a few putts.” Yustin had a familiar face working the bag. His older brother, Danny, is a past Porter Cup participant who recently started a professional career. “He was really good, actually,” Chris Yustin said of his brother’s caddying skills. “I was surprised. He was into it and taking everything seriously, so it was nice.” There’s also a family tie with Hanes. His older brother, Billy, is in the field as the Buffalo District Golf Association points champion. “Very happy for him!” Billy Hanes said in a text message to The Buffalo News. “Brother battle soon.” (left to right) Tony Bagneschi, Jake McNulty, Joo-Young Lee, Charlie Green David Hanes opened with a bogey on the first hole, but erased that with a birdie on the par-3 fifth hole. He got to 2-under with birdies on the eighth and 11th holes, then dropped another shot on No. 13. He closed with birdies on the par-4 15th and 18th. The remaining qualifiers were Jake McNulty of Port Perry, Ont., with a 2-under 68 and three players who shot 1-under 69: Joo-Young Lee of Dekalb, Ill., Charlie Green of Ann Arbor, Mich., and former Niagara Falls resident Tony Bagneschi, currently of Scottsdale, Ariz. McNulty’s round included a hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth hole. The 58th Porter Cup will be held from July 27-30.

Round of 66 leads to five-shot victory By Jay Skurski | Buffalo News Sports Reporter Four years into the Women’s Porter Cup, some trends are emerging. Tops among them is that the winner can be expected to go deep into red numbers on the final day. No. 2 is that Canadian players can be expected to put in a strong showing. Josee Doyon captured the Women’s Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club with a sparkling 5-under 66 in the final round. (James P. McCoy/Buffalo News) Josee Doyon checked both of those boxes Friday, firing a sterling 5-under 66 to earn a five-shot victory at Niagara Falls Country Club. After two days of tough scoring conditions, the third and final round was played under spectacularly sunny skies and just light breezes. Doyon capitalized on the opportunity, ripping off consecutive birdies at the par-4 sixth and par-3 seventh holes. When second-round leader Princess Superal bogeyed the sixth after missing the green long and failing to get up and down, Doyon moved into the lead and never looked back. “I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Doyon said of her position on the leader board. “Just keep playing how you play. Don’t force anything.” Doyon took a two-shot lead to the back nine, but Superal shaved one off that with a birdie on the par-3 12th hole. When she stuck her third shot on the par-5 13th hole within 2 feet, Doyon’s lead looked in danger. But the 23-year-old from St-Georges, Quebec, calmly got up and down from the right bunker for a birdie of her own to maintain her advantage. “I knew she would make a birdie,” Doyon said, “so I thought, ‘Put that bunker shot as close as I can.’ It was pretty much straight uphill, so I knew I would make it.” The lead stayed that way until Superal missed a 3-foot par putt on the par-4 15th hole. Doyon then put her foot on the gas, bombing a drive on No. 17 – which plays as a par 5 for women – leading to an easy two-putt birdie. “It was the first time hitting the fairway on that hole,” she said. “The whole week I didn’t hit a lot of fairways, and then today I hit almost all of them. That really made a difference. It was pretty long, too, so that was good.” For style, Doyon birdied the par-3 18th, holing a 25-footer up the hill. “It was really nice to finish the day by sinking that putt,” she said. “It was going well today. That was my longest putt of the week that I’ve made and it was pretty great to finish on it. “My putter has always been my strength. I just needed to step up and do it.” Doyon finished with a 54-hole total of 3-under 210. Superal was next at 2-over 215, followed by Team Canada member Jaclyn Lee at 3-over 216. “I didn’t really have much today,” Superal said. “But Josee played amazing.” That’s been a trend among recent winners. Last year, Ana Paula Valdes shot 6-under 65. The year before, current LPGA Tour star Brooke Henderson blitzed NFCC with a 62. “I remember I was phoning Brooke that final round,” Doyon said. “It did cross my mind even today, remembering she shot 62 the last day. That’s someone I would want to follow in her footsteps. She’s a great player.” Doyon hopes Friday’s victory is a springboard to bigger things. After a disappointing senior season at Kent State, she plans on playing a full amateur schedule this summer before turning pro in the fall. “It’s the beginning of a new season,” she said, “and I’m getting ready for a good summer.” Doyon finished with a stroke average of 73.94 during her senior season, with a seventh-place finish at the Mid-American Conference championship. Her victory Friday came in her third Porter Cup appearance, and after a third-place finish in 2015. Not bad after almost never getting into the field. Doyon laughed when recollecting how her application for her first Porter Cup in 2014 came in late. “I remember the first year, I registered late,” she said. Tournament director Brian “Oakley was like, ‘I don’t know if we can get you in.’ I finally got in the tournament. I was in Canada, he called me and was like, ‘You need your passport.’ I was like, ‘Where is this tournament?’ “ It turns out, she knows now. Clarence’s Cat Peters shot a 2-over 73 Friday to finish tops among the local players in the field with a 54-hole total of 229.

Leads Women’s Porter Cup by one By Mark Gaughan | Buffalo News Sports Reporter Another day of tough conditions were no problem for 19-year-old Filipino Princess Superal Thursday at the Women’s Porter Cup golf tournament. Superal relied on her stellar short game to shoot a 1-under 70 and take a two-shot lead entering Friday’s final round. It was separation day in the event at Niagara Falls Country Club. Superal was one of only two golfers in the 83-player field to break par. There were 22 golfers within seven shots of the lead after the first round but only 13 within seven shots after 36 holes. First-round leader Jaclyn Lee, a Canadian who plays at Ohio State, went from 68 on Wednesday to 5-over 76 Thursday. She’s tied for second with Canadian Josee Doyon, who plays at Kent State. Tied three shots back are New Zealander Zoe Brake, a senior at Ohio State, and Canadian Naomi Ko, who just finished her freshman year at North Carolina State. The wind didn’t blow as hard as on Day One, but it was still breezy on the Niagara Escarpment. And the wind made the greens faster. “It was harder yesterday,” said Superal. “But it still was not easy. I think the pin positions today were tougher than yesterday.” Superal won the U.S. Junior Girls championship in 2014. She’s only 5 feet tall and 118 pounds. But she’s seasoned. She took up the game at age 5 and learned it from her father, who’s a teaching professional in the Philippines. She has been traveling internationally the past four years. She placed eighth at the British Amateur Stroke Play championship last summer. She plans to turn professional within the next two months, and her first pro objective is a spot on the Asian Tour. “Her short game definitely is her strength, and her putting most especially,” said fellow Filipino Pauline Del Rosario, who stands seven shots back. “She’s a very hard worker. She loves to practice.” Superal made only one bogey. She sank a 15-putt for birdie on the par-3 12th and two-putted for birdie on the par-5 17th. “I feel very happy,” said Superal. “Yesterday the putts weren’t that good. Today they were good.” Lee, a 19-year-old from Alberta, was keeping a positive attitude. Her round was spoiled by a triple-bogey on the par-3 fourth hole. She hit over the green, chipped on, then putted off the front of the steeply pitched green. “The course got a little bit of the best of me today,” said Lee, who ranked fourth as a freshman on the Buckeyes team this year. “But I just had one bad hole. … I just try not to get too caught up in thinking about numbers.” Another Buckeye threat is Brake, a 24-year-old who was all-Big Ten as a freshman but dropped to sixth on the Ohio State roster this season. She has made 10 birdies over the first two days and was on track for 70 Thursday before she bogeyed the last two holes. “This is probably the most confidence I’ve had in awhile,” Brake said. “I worked with my coach in New Jersey, Mike Adams, on Saturday. I had a good day with him and I’ve got more confidence. Telling myself over and over: My game’s great. I’ve got all the shots in the bag. My self-talk probably wasn’t where it should be this year.” Jackie Rogowski, who just finished her freshman year at Penn State, shot the other round of 70 to move into sixth place, four shots back at 146. She made an eagle 2 on the 420-yard ninth hole by hitting a 5-iron from 170 yards into the wind into the cup on one bounce. Lancaster’s Chelsea Dantonio and Clarence’s Kat Peters both stand at 156.

By Buffalo News Staff Report Ohio State’s Jaclyn Lee shot a round of 3-under-par 68 in windy, chilly conditions Wednesday to top the leader board after the first round of the fourth Women’s Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club. Lee, a 19-year-old from Calgary, carded a 33 on the inward nine to hold a one-stroke lead over fellow Canadian Naomi Ko. Lee recently completed her freshman season with the Ohio State women’s golf team, playing 36 rounds for the Buckeyes with a stroke average of 74.75. Ohio State won its third straight Big Ten championship. Ko and Lee are teammates on the Canadian national team. Ko’s round of 2-under 69 was highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole. She was the only other player to break par on a tough day along the Niagara Escarpment. “There were 25 to 30 mile-per-hour winds,” tournament director Brian Oakley said. “It led to the scores being a little higher than usual, but what it does is it puts the girls who shot 74 or 75 and who might normally be out of it – they’re still in contention.” Ko, 18, is from Victoria, British Columbia. She recently completed her freshman year at North Carolina State, playing 27 rounds for the Wolfpack with a scoring average of 75.41. She entered this week’s tournament in fine form, having won the Portland Classic Amateur Open last week at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Ore. That earned her a spot in the LPGA’s Portland Classic, which will be held later this month. Susana Vik, a 17-year-old high school senior from Greenwhich, Conn., shot even-par 71 to sit alone in third place. Taylor Totland, a 21-year-old senior at Furman University, is four shots off the lead after an opening-round of 1-over 72. At No. 57 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking Totland is the highest-ranked American player in this week’s field. The top local finisher after the first round was Lancaster’s Chelsea Dantonio, who shot a 4-over 75. Clarence’s Cat Peters shot 76 to sit eight shots off the lead.

Brian Oakley still hasn’t gotten to see the Women’s Porter Cup champion return the following year to defend her title. As far as disappointments go, that’s about the only one the fourth-year tournament director can come up with. With 2015 champion Ana Paula Valdes not in this year’s field, another new champion will be crowned from 84 hopefuls when the fourth annual Women’s Porter Cup wraps up Friday. The first of three rounds will be held beginning at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at Niagara Falls Country Club. Valdes is a high school senior at Bishops Gate Golf Academy in Florida, and her class trip is to her native Mexico. “We’re disappointed, but understand why she can’t be here,” Oakley said. Five of the top nine finishers from 2015, however, will be back in the field, including Canadian Josee Doyon, who finished third. Doyon, 108th in the latest Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, is a part of the five-member Canadian national team. All of her teammates, as well as the five-member Canadian development team, will be in this year’s field. This is the third straight year Team Canada coach Tristan Mullally has brought all eligible players to the tourney. “The way Tristan runs his team, he’s very focused,” Oakley said. “He has these girls mentally prepared. After each round, he sits down with them, he goes through every hole. He’s very methodical.” Maddie Szeryk, a junior-to-be at Texas A&M, looks like a favorite in the Women’s Porter Cup after tying for 14th last year. (Getty Images) One of Doyon’s teammates, Maddie Szeryk, enters as the pre-tournament favorite. The 19-year-old is a dual citizen who recently completed her sophomore season with the Texas A&M golf team. “She’s probably the biggest contender,” Oakley said of Szeryk, who finished tied for 14th last year. In sticking with the tradition established by the men’s event, there are eight countries represented, giving the tournament a global field. “That gets me more excited than anything else,” Oakley said. Leading the international contingent are Princess Mary Superal and Pauline Del Rosario, both of the Philippines. They teamed up last month to reach the semifinals of the United States Golf Association’s Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in Florida. Superal, ranked 131st in the world, tied for seventh last year, while Del Rosario is ranked 207th and finished tied for 40th. Other countries represented include Finland (Anne Hakula), Norway (Susana Vik), Venezuela (Gabriela Coello), Thailand (Wad Phaewchimplee) and Brazil (Clara Teixeira). Phaewchimplee is ranked 133rd in the world. The top-ranked American in the field is 21-year-old Taylor Totland, a junior at Furman who is making her Porter Cup debut. She finished tied for 20th in the recent NCAA championships. “She’s coming off a really strong year and has been playing really well lately,” Oakley said. A good sign of the event’s growth came last week, when Oakley got calls from head coaches at the University of Georgia and Harvard, both of whom plan to attend the tournament on scouting trips. That shows the caliber of players in the field. Locally, the contenders include a pair of top-10 finishers from a year ago. Lewiston’s Maren Cipolla, playing on her home course, finished tied for seventh after a final-round 67. Cipolla will play for the University of Texas in the fall. Clarence’s Cat Peters tied for 10th last year at 2-over 215. She recently completed her senior season at Michigan, earning All-Big Ten second-team honors. Peters had the best-ever finish for the Wolverines at an NCAA regional, fifth place in Alabama, which helped the team finish sixth and advance to the NCAA final for just the second time in program history. “They’re both great girls in addition to being great players,” Oakley said of Cipolla and Peters. “It would be great to see a local winner.”

By Jay Skurski | News Sports Reporter | @JaySkurski Denny McCarthy knows what it’s like to walk up the fairway on the 18th hole at a major championship. Denny McCarthy finished off his best Porter Cup yet by winning the championship on Saturday. It almost feels as good as what he experienced Saturday at Niagara Falls Country Club. McCarthy, a recent University of Virginia graduate, won the 57th Porter Cup in his final appearance of the prestigious amateur tournament. A bright future in professional golf awaits, but saying goodbye to his favorite amateur event with a win in his fifth and final attempt, well, it just doesn’t get much better than that. “I’ve dreamed about this moment,” McCarthy told the crowd shortly after slipping on the winner’s green jacket. “I can’t describe how sweet it feels.” With two previous runner-up finishes, the 22-year-old from Rockville, Md., will go down in history as one of the best Porter Cup players in history. So, too, will Saturday’s finish. Tough-as-nails North Carolinian Carter Jenkins went birdie-birdie on the par-4 17th and par-3 18th holes to force a playoff with McCarthy after each finished 72 holes at 11-under-par 269. Playing No. 18 again, McCarthy was victorious with a par in sudden death, much to the delight of a massive gallery that had waited out a rain delay of nearly three hours. “That’s as good as it gets,” McCarthy said. “It rivaled the U.S. Open, walking up to the 18th green at the U.S. Open, just because this place just means so much to me. Actually, it felt better. I love coming here, and it’s a nice way to finish strong.” McCarthy and Jenkins were part of a final grouping that also included Pittsford’s Gavin Hall, a 20-year-old honorable mention All-American for the University of Texas. Hall took the lead early in the final round with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 third hole to reach 10-under. Jenkins, meanwhile, made a mess of the two par-3 holes on the front, making double bogey on both No. 4 and No. 7 after missing the green each time and three-putting. “I had been doing a good job keeping the double off the card, which can happen so easily out here with as tight as it is, as thick as the rough is and how sloped the greens are,” he said. “Those were just unfortunate.” That dropped Jenkins to 5-under for the tournament – seemingly out of the running. McCarthy, meanwhile, was just treading water, with pars on the first six holes. A bogey on the par-3 seventh hole, however, proved to be a wake-up call. Birdies on the next two holes followed, to get McCarthy to 10-under, tied with Hall for the lead going to the turn. “I hadn’t played particularly well up until that point,” he said. “No. 8 and 9 really boosted my round just to give me a little kick start. I was kind of dull coming out of the gates.” Jenkins, too, considered a birdie on the par-4 eighth as a turning point. “It freed me up and I started playing more aggressive golf,” he said. With the tees moved up on the par-4 10th, Jenkins attacked with a driver that led to a short wedge and a birdie to get to 7-under. Two more birdies followed on the par-5 11th and par-5 13th holes, and just like that, he was even for the day, 9-under for the tournament and right back in it. Hall made a two-putt birdie on No. 11 to reach 11-under, which was then matched by a birdie from McCarthy on the par-3 12th. At that point, the wind was at its strongest. All three players needed three shots to reach the 13th green, with Jenkins making birdie, Hall saving a par and McCarthy dropping a shot. After the group hit their tee shots on the par-4 14th, play was halted for a weather delay with 21 players left on the course. Before they went to the clubhouse, however, Hall got a look at where his drive ended up, and it wasn’t pretty. His ball came to rest behind a massive tree just right of the fairway, and he had hours to think about his predicament. “Everyone had to deal with the rain delay,” Hall said. “I was the one who hit the bad shot. That’s golf. It happens. You’ve got to deal with the elements.” McCarthy did so by taking a quick nap. “I came out refocused and tried to keep it steady coming in,” he said. “Mentally, I was great today. I felt like I really stayed in the present, really focused on each shot. I told myself to keep breathing … and it really worked out well for me.” When they came back out to the course just before 6:30 p.m., Hall had a supremely difficult shot ahead of him. He made good contact with the ball, but it caught a tree branch and came to rest just 15 yards in front of him. He wasn’t able to save par, dropping him back into a tie with McCarthy as the group headed to the par-4 15th hole. For the second straight day, Hall hit a wayward drive, which ended up right of the hole. McCarthy, meanwhile, carried the creek with a perfect 3-wood to split the fairway. Hall’s second shot sailed through the green into the back bunker, from which he wasn’t able to get up and down. “You can’t go long on that hole, and that’s what I did,” said Hall, who now has two runner-up finishes in four appearances. “No. 15 seems to get me every time. It was a couple bad holes, but overall for the tournament, I feel like I played really well. This is a great tournament, great support system … and I had a blast.” McCarthy hit a perfect wedge shot that stopped 4 feet behind the hole. “I figured it was going to come down to that hole,” he said. “They both hit it right off the tee and I knew they were going to have trouble. … I still had a really tricky down-hill 4-footer that I had to make, so I had to calm my nerves a little there, but that was definitely a huge swing with Gavin making bogey.” McCarthy took a two-shot lead to the par-3 16th over both Jenkins and Hall, and after Jenkins missed a 5-foot birdie try and all three players made pars, it looked like McCarthy would simply have to avoid the big mistake. Jenkins, though, had other ideas. He drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the difficult par-4 17th to make sure there would be some drama on No. 18. “In the Ham Am, I played with a good friend and he said he was going to go birdie-birdie on the last two holes,” Jenkins said. “I was like, ‘Nobody goes birdie-birdie on 17 and 18. So it was kind of ironic I said that earlier in the week and pulled it off.” He did so by hitting a perfect, three-quarters 7-iron to about 8 feet on the 18th hole and draining the putt. After going out in 3-over 38, Jenkins played the back nine in 5-under 30. “I was figuring going into 17 if I go par-par, that’ll usually get it done here,” McCarthy said. “I just had a gut feeling when he hit that second shot into 17 and when he was standing over that putt that he was going to make it and I was really going to need to keep steady and play a good hole on 18. … I knew he was going to finish strong. He really elevated his game on the back nine, and I had to try and match him.” McCarthy two-putted for par from about 20 feet in regulation to set up the first playoff at the Porter Cup since Patrick Rodgers’ victory in 2011. Both players switched to an 8-iron for the playoff as the wind speed increased. McCarthy had about 30 feet for his birdie putt, while Jenkins came up about 50 feet short of the hole. Perhaps because the adrenaline was pumping, he ran his birdie try 10 feet past the hole, leaving a nasty downhill putt for par. “Nobody wants that coming back,” he said. McCarthy, who watched that happen, missed his birdie try by about 18 inches. When Jenkins’ par attempt slid by the hole, all that was left was a tap-in. “It’s a pretty unique scene,” McCarthy said of the gallery, which had swallowed the 18th green. “I love coming back here. I haven’t been to any other tournament five years in a row, so it says something about the people around here and what I think of this place. It’s incredible.” email: jskurski@buffnews.com

By Jay Skurski | News Sports Reporter | @JaySkurski The top-ranked amateur in the field. The rising star from Rochester. The hottest player in amateur golf. Porter Cup tournament director Steve Denn probably couldn’t have dreamed up a better final group than that. Denny McCarthy, Gavin Hall and Carter Jenkins made that a reality Friday by playing their way into a three-way tie for the lead at the 57th Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club. “I’m in good position for tomorrow,” said Hall, a 20-year-old from Pittsford, after carding a round of 1-under-par 69. “It’ll be fun to be in that last group. I’m excited to be with Denny. He’s a great player. Denny loves this tournament and so do I. I’m really happy we’re both playing well, along with Carter. He’s a great player, too. “It’s pretty amazing to see the support for amateur golf out here. You don’t see this every week.” All three players are at 9-under 201 through 54 holes. Virginia Tech graduate Trevor Cone is one back at 8-under 202. Nobody else is within five shots of the lead. Hall once again got off to a good start Friday, making birdies on the second and third holes to reach 10-under. He gave a shot back with a bogey on the par-3 fourth hole, then parred his way through No. 10. A birdie on the par-4 11th hole got him back to 10 under, where he stayed until the short, par-4 15th hole. Even into a stiff wind, the hole is reachable from the tee for pretty much every player in the field. With an eagle in mind, Hall hit driver, but the ball leaked left and kicked out of bounds – a potentially disastrous mistake. “I tried to get cute with it,” Hall said. “Tried to make a two. I’ll focus a little harder on that tee box tomorrow.” The damage was mitigated, however, as Hall was able to save bogey on the hole. His 3-wood from the tee found a green-side bunker, from which he was able to get up and down. “That was good,” he said, “but I didn’t make enough putts on the back nine. I feel like I played the front nine pretty solid, then the back nine was tough with all that wind. So I was happy with the way I grinded and finished under par.” While Hall couldn’t get much going coming in, McCarthy gave himself a talking to early in his back nine to get things going. “Today I really kept myself in it,” he said. “It was a huge day for me. I did not play well at all on the front nine – didn’t hit it well at all and kept it together to shoot even. As the wind picked up on the back nine, I knew it was going to play tougher. I elevated my game a little bit, I knew I had to grind bringing it to the house and played a great back nine to shoot 3-under and be right there at the top.” A 6-foot par save on the par-5 11th hole was the spark for McCarthy. “After that, it was kind of, ‘come on, let’s get it going a little bit,’ he said. A 12-foot birdie on the par-5 12th hole followed, then McCarthy laced a drive down the middle of the fairway on the par-5 13th. With the tees moved up, that allowed him to get his second shot just in front of the green, which led to an easy up-and-down birdie. Another birdie followed on the 15th, when McCarthy chose to lay up with a 3-wood to the middle of the fairway, leaving just an easy wedge to a couple feet for a kick-in birdie. “It doesn’t suit my eye for driver,” he said. “I knew I couldn’t get there with 3-wood. I probably could have with driver, but to me, the risk wasn’t worth it. … That’s kind of been my strategy on that hole in years past, and it’s worked out for me, so I’ll take the same mindset into tomorrow. I’m in a good spot and ready to go.” McCarthy kept his momentum going with a 20-foot par save on the difficult par-3 16th. With the wind swirling off the Niagara Escarpment, he was unsure of his club on the tee and wound up missing the green right. “I felt like I had too much club and I just didn’t make a committed swing,” he said. “Left it in a terrible spot, took my medicine with a chip to hit it to 20 feet and made a great 20-footer for par. That was huge to keep the momentum going.” McCarthy, who is playing in his fifth Porter Cup, was the pre-tournament favorite. At No. 8 in the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings, he’s set to turn pro this fall. “Obviously I’m in a good spot, tied for the lead,” said McCarthy, who twice before has been runner-up. “That’s all you can ask for, a chance going into the last day. I’ve done that here before. I’m a little bit more experienced now, so I think I know what it’s going to take tomorrow. “ Slipping on the winner’s green jacket would be a sweet way to wind down an amateur career, but the 22-year-old from Rockville, Md., said he’s not feeling any pressure. “I think I’ll sleep fine,” he said. “The people out here are just great. They make it so much easier on us, the players, to just come out and relax and have fun. That’s what I’ve done the last five years. The camaraderie is just so great, so I don’t think there’s going to be any added pressure. “I’m pretty good buddies with Gavin, so we’ll have a great time tomorrow.” Of course, it’s not just a two-man competition. Jenkins made sure of that by shooting a round of 2-under 68 Friday. The 20-year-old junior at the University of North Carolina reached 10-under when he rammed home a long birdie putt on the par-3 14th hole, but then dropped his only shot of the round on the par-3 16th with a three-putt. “Anything under par was a pretty good score today,” he said. “I didn’t putt my best, but gave myself some opportunities and that’s what you have to do out here.” Denn called Jenkins, who is believed to be the first player to hold the Carolinas Amateur and North Carolina Men’s Amateur championships jointly, one of the hottest amateur players in the country coming into this week. “I’ve been in a nice flow the past few months,” he said. “I’m limiting my mistakes pretty well right now. When putts drop, I can shoot 65 like I did in the second round. When they don’t, I play like I did today.” The final group is scheduled to tee off at 12:35 p.m. Saturday. email: jskurski@buffnews.com

By Jay Skurski | News Sports Reporter | @JaySkurski Scott Harvey’s dream of following in his father’s footsteps as Porter Cup champion likely ended on the back nine Friday at Niagara Falls Country Club. Harvey struggled to a 6-over-par 41 coming in, leading a round of 4-over 74 that dropped him to 3-under 207 for the tournament, six shots off the lead. “I started pressing a little bit and tried to play more aggressive than I should have,” Harvey said. “It’s one thing if you’re playing your best and you try to get aggressive, but if you’re a little off and you try to get aggressive, it’s no good. I know better than that.” Harvey, a 37-year-old from Kernersville, N.C., is attempting to become the first mid-amateur champion since Gene Elliott in 1998. That looks unlikely now after a tough stretch of holes that included a bogey on the par-5 11th hole and a double bogey on the par-4 15th, when his tee shot went out of bounds. “I didn’t play any different, really, than I played any other day,” Harvey said. “I went for a couple things. Every time I messed up, it’s because I went for something and it just didn’t turn out. No. 11, I mean, that’s probably one of the easiest holes out here, and I bogey it every single day. That’s terrible. … It just kept escalating.” Nevertheless, Harvey can solidify a top-five finish with a good showing in Saturday’s round. That would be even more of a resume-builder for this year’s Walker Cup team, which will be announced after the U.S. Amateur later this month. The amateur version of the Ryder Cup, the biennial competition will be held Sept. 12-13 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. Two spots on the American team are expected to go to mid-amateurs. Harvey undoubtedly has the inside track on one, with his victory in last year’s United States Golf Association Mid-Amateur championship. “That would be the biggest honor there is, to represent your country,” he said. “It’s the pinnacle of amateur golf. I wish I could make the decision, but it’s not my decision to make. I hope I make it, though.” On Tuesday night at the player’s dinner, Harvey received the William McMahon Porter Cup Award. Given annually to the qualifying medalist of the U.S. Mid-Amateur, the award consists of a contribution to the winner’s charity of choice, as well as an exemption into next year’s Porter Cup. The honor was especially significant for Harvey, whose late father, Dick, is the 1963 Porter Cup champion – one of more than 300 amateur titles he won. “This is a special place,” Scott Harvey said. “I pick a schedule every year and this is going to be on it no matter what. It’s a special place for me any my family. … There’s no other tournament like it for me personally.” … Friday proved to be a better day for the six locals in the field. Silver Creek’s Jamie Miller rebounded from an 81 in the second round to card a 2-under 68 Friday that stood up as one of the best rounds of the morning and was just two shots off the best round of the day – a 4-under 66 by both Argentina’s Jaime Lopez Rivarola and William Gordon of Davidson, N.C. That moved them up 24 and 23 spots up the leader board, respectively. Williamsville’s Jake Katz and East Amherst’s Ben Reichert each shot rounds of even-par 70 Friday, while Clarence’s Marc Holzhauer was 1-over 71. Lewiston’s Mike Boss, the NFCC club champion, shot 5-over 75. The low score among locals for the tournament is held by East Amherst’s Danny Yustin, who is in a tie for 35th place at 3-over 313 after a round of 3-over 73 Friday. email: jskurski@buffnews.com

By Jay Skurski | News Sports Reporter | @JaySkurski Ben Reichert’s first Porter Cup experience has given him a new outlook. “I recognized that my game is a little bit closer to these guys than I thought,” said Reichert, a 17-year-old from East Amherst who plays out of Transit Valley Country Club. “I always looked up to these guys, and I’m getting to the point where it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m not that far behind these guys.” Reichert finished his first Porter Cup with a round of 4-over 74 Saturday at Niagara Falls Country Club, struggling to a 5-over 40 going out, but coming in at 1-under on the back nine, including birdies on the par-4 15th and par-3 16th holes. “It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed every part of it,” Reichert said. “Obviously I didn’t have my best day today, but I mean, if I just keep getting better and better, I think I’ll be able to take a run at this some day. I take a lot of positives out of this week going forward.” Reichert, who will be a senior at Williamsville North, will play in the New York State Golf Association Junior Championship next week at Cedar Lake Club in Clayville. After that, he’ll participate in American Junior Golf Association events at Harvest Hill and in Rochester before school starts. He’s committed to attend East Tennessee State University. Coincidentally, Reichert played his final round Saturday with Chris Hickman, his future Buccaneers teammate. Ben Reichert of East Amherst had the chance to play with some of the best amateur golfers in the business this week at the Porter Cup. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News) “That was awesome,” Reichert said. “I think my game’s really close. I’ve just got to clean up a few things and I’ll be right there with these guys. I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m looking forward to future Porter Cups.” Reichert finished 72 holes at 8-over 288, in a tie for 42nd place. “Any time you get to play in a field like this, it’s always good to see where your game compares and what you need to work on,” said East Amherst’s Danny Yustin, who played with Reichert in the final round. “For as young as he is, he’s going in the right direction.” Yustin, meanwhile, shot 3-over 73 Saturday and 6-over 286 for 72 holes, in a tie for 36th place to make him the top local finisher. “It was a little disappointment,” Yustin said of his week. “The first round was awesome, but the next few rounds, I couldn’t get the juices going, putts weren’t falling and I didn’t get the bounces.” Yustin did admit to feeling some added pressure to perform well, especially after his final-round 62 earlier this summer in the Eastern Amateur solidified that he’s got the type of talent to compete in these tournaments. An opening-round 68 had him in the running, but he wasn’t able to back that up. Next up on his schedule is the Canadian Men’s Amateur, which will be Aug. 10-13 at Weston Golf and Country Club in Toronto. After that, he plans to explore his options regarding turning professional. Lewiston’s Michael Boss, the NFCC club champion, shot 4-over 74 Saturday and 16-over 296 for the tournament, in a tie for 63rd. Rounding out the locals in the field were Clarence’s Marc Holzhauer (T65. 76-297), Williamsville’s Jake Katz (T69.-77-298) and Silver Creek’s Jamie Miller (T73. 75-299). … Will Thomson, the 14-year-old from Pittsford who last year made history as the youngest-ever Porter Cup competitor, finished his second year at the tournament in a tie for 16th place after an even-par round of 70 to finish at 1-over 281 for the tournament. “I thought it was a great experience,” Thomson said. “Definitely left a few shots out there, but overall I’m pretty happy with it. It was a lot of fun. This tournament is always great. It’s an honor to get invited back.” Thomson didn’t stick around to see the end, as he was on his way to Texas for the 40th Junior PGA Championship, which begins Monday. “It’s still a little different with everybody being so much older than you,” Thomson said of playing the Porter Cup. “I gained a lot of length and this course was a lot more comfortable for me this year. I was more comfortable with my game in general.” Thomson will have an opportunity to work on his game full time, as his family plans to relocate to Naples, Fla., at the end of the month. He’ll start his freshman year of high school there in a few weeks, but still plans to play a summer schedule of tournaments in Buffalo and Rochester. “There’s so much tradition here,” he said. “It’s such a fun tournament and the course is always great, so this is definitely something I’ll have on my list for as long as they invite me back.” … Mid-Amateur Mike McCoy finished his 16th Porter Cup in a tie for 32nd place after shooting a round of 5-over 75 Saturday. McCoy, 52, is hopeful of securing the second mid-amateur spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team, which will compete against a team from Great Britain and Ireland on Sept. 12-13 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. “That’s one of the reasons I’m out here playing, is trying to earn that spot,” McCoy said. “It’s on my mind all the time, for sure. I’ve never played on the team, but I’ve tried hard for a lot of years. I’ve had two great years, so I hope I’m right in the mix.” Hours after his round ended Friday, McCoy was on the putting green, with his customary cigar dangling from his mouth. The 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion doesn’t have the length off the tee to compete with college kids, but makes up for it around the greens. “I’m not quite as strong, but I have to make up for it with my putter and short game,” he said. “I’m playing good golf, and that’s all I can ask of myself.” email: jskurski@buffnews.com

By Jay Skurski, Buffalo News Taylor Funk, who shot a 65, chips to the 18th green. (James P. McCoy/ Buffalo News) A couple of young guns from the University of Texas shot themselves to the top of the leader board after the first round of the 56th Porter Cup on Wednesday at Niagara Falls Country Club. Pittsford native Gavin Hall holds a one-shot lead after an opening round of 6-under-par 64. Hall, who will be a sophomore with the Longhorns, is ahead of 18-year-old Taylor Funk of Ponte Vedra, Fla., an incoming freshman with the Longhorns. Although he’s only 19, Hall qualifies as a Porter Cup veteran in his third appearance. “I feel comfortable with the golf course,” he said. “This is my third time around … so that makes a difference, for sure. I’m just happy I got a good round in. Hall started hot on a cool day on the Niagara Escarpment, holing a 15-footer for birdie on the par-4 first hole. He backed that up with an eagle on the par-5 third hole, hitting a 4-iron from 228 yards on his second shot to within 10 feet, then draining the putt. “I’ve always been right around even par after my first round, so I wanted to come out this year and really play a good round in the first and second if I can,” he said. “I just have a lot of fun here.” Hall reached 5-under on the front nine after a birdie on the par-4 eighth hole, but then dropped his lone shot of the day with a bogey on the par-4 ninth. No matter, though, as he responded with back-to-back birdies on the par-4 10th and par-5 11th holes. “That was really important, especially in the middle of the round,” he said. “It could have went two ways. That birdie on 10 was probably the biggest point in my round.” Hall said the combination of thick rough and blustery conditions meant hitting fairways and greens was at a premium. “Just giving myself a lot chances,” he said was the key to his round. “If you’re chipping a lot, it’s not easy. … Fortunately, the greens were a little receptive, so that helps. But that won’t be the case come the third and fourth rounds.” Funk, the son of eight-time PGA Tour winner Fred Funk, made the turn at 4-under 31 before dropping his first shot at the 10thhole. He responded with a run of three straight birdies on holes 11 through 13. “I played solid,” he said. “I could have been a little sharper with the full game, but the short game was really good.” That included holed putts of more than 20 feet on the eighth, ninth and 12th holes, none of which are usually prime birdie chances at NFCC. “You don’t expect to make those,” Funk said. “You’re just trying to get them close, so when they go in, it’s always nice.” While Hall qualifies as a veteran, Funk is a Porter Cup rookie. He came into the week struggling with his swing, and actually walked off the course during his practice round Monday. It wasn’t until the back nine of Tuesday’s Ham-Am that something clicked. “I’ve just been getting a little steep,” he said. “So I’ve been trying to shallow it out and swing more right. I played well on the back nine yesterday and it carried over to today.” Australia’s Simon Viitakanga is alone in third place after a round of 4-under 66. Viitakangas’ round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 15th hole, when he drove the green to 10 feet and knocked in the putt. There was an Aussie invasion at the top of the leader board, as three of Viitakanga’s country mates are also in the top 10. Geoff Drakeford and Ben Eccles are part of a tie for fourth place at 3-under 67, and Dale Brandt-Richards is part of a tie for 10th at 2-under 68. East Amherst’s Patrick Sheedy Jr. is low among the seven local players after the first round. He carded a 2-over 72, and is in a tie for 37th. The rest of the local players in the field include: Silver Creek’s Jamie Miller (3-over 73), Clarence’s Matt Stasiak and East Amherst’s Danny Yustin, both at 4-over 74, Lewiston’s Mike Boss (5-over 75), East Amherst’s Raman Luthra (6-over 76) and Niagara Falls Country Club champion PJ Alterio (7-over 77). The second round begins at 8:30 a.m., with tee times running to 12:30 p.m.