Jeb Buchanan, a mini-tour competitor from Loudonville, New York sank a four-foot putt to win the NYS Open in a playoff yesterday at Bethpage Black. His winning putt edged out Brian Bartow of Rye, who posted the best round of the day, a 3-under 68 that pushed the tournament into the playoff.
Buchanan had led all three rounds but stumbled badly on the front nine of the Black Course with a double on the second hole followed by three bogies against two birdies in the next five. The tie came at the treacherous seventeenth hole, where Buchanan slipped again with a bogey while Bartow carded a birdie.
Bartow, who is prepping for a run at Q school this fall while working at Sunningdale Golf Club, stumbled in the playoff on the normally benign eighteenth hole when his approach came up short and bounded into a deep bunker. He missed a tricky mid-length putt for par while Buchanan had a straightforward two-putt for the win.
Filling out the leaderboard was Deepdale assistant Ben Polland at third, Fresh Meadow’s Matt Dobyns at fourth, and four players including John Stoltz from the Concord Resort and Sleepy Hollow amateur Cameron Young in a tie for fifth. In all, only eight players finished under par. Young won low amateur honors to go with his win of the MGA Ike trophy this year.
Other local players of note included Frank Bensel from Century Country Club (T9), Greg Bisconti from Saint Andrews Golf Club (T11), Chris Scialo of Paramount Country Club (T11), and Rob Labritz of GlenArbor (T16).
