Downey runs away with NYS Men's Mid-Amateur Championship

The former Siena College basketball standout, who broke the Schuyler Meadows Club course record with a 63 in the opening round, capped a wire-to-wire victory with a final-round 68 and a three-day total of 14-under-par 202, giving him a 10-stroke lead over Wills Reardon of Piping Rock Club (70-212).

Capital Region representatives claimed the next two spots, with Jim Gifford of Mohawk Golf Club (69-213) and Ben Bates of NYSGA eClub-Capital Region (68-214) finishing third and tied for fourth, respectively.

Sean Puleo of the host club (71-215) and Benjamin Rublee of the CC of Troy (72-215) both finished in the top 10, while Austin Teal (71-217) and Ryan Foster (71-218), also both of from the host club, finished in the top 20.

Downey, 35, the NYS Mens Amateur champion a year ago, birdied the second and eighth holes to offset a bogey on the seventh hole on the front nine.

He made two strong pars to begin the back nine, but then basically put an exclamation point on his victory with three consecutive birdies from the 12th through the 14th holes.

He failed to get up and down for par on the par-3 15th hole, but he closed the tournament with a birdie on the 18th hole.

I had a tough night sleeping, Downey admitted.

Ive played in this event nine times, and in seven of them, I played in the last or the second to last group, and I never won.

Today, the goal was to shoot red numbers.

My caddie said a 66 would be nice.

We wanted to birdie all the par-5s and then grab a few more birdies here and there so that we didnt give anyone some confidence.

It wasnt the start Downey was looking for, however.

It was a little rocky on the front.

We grinded out a lot of good pars, including a 12-footer for par on the first hole.

With an eight-shot lead starting the day, we didnt want to shoot a 77 and make things interesting, he said.

It turned out that the round wasnt very interesting for the rest of the field, especially when Downey birdied three straight holes on the back nine.

He said he played some mental games with himself to stay aggressive.

I made five or so bets with some friends back home as to what I was going to shoot today.

I set the over and was trying to beat it, Downey explained.

If you get lost and dont show up, its just like basketball.

You cant underestimate your opponent or bad things can happen.

Downey was confident that he could get hot at any time with a birdie spree, and he did.

If you hit the fairway in the right spot and with the right angle, you can make some birdies out here, he said.

Theres no reason you cant hit it inside 10 feet on any hole.

My birdie on the 13th hole was a heck of an up-and-down because I hit the wrong club and went way over the green.

It could have gone the wrong way pretty quickly.

Then, on the 14th hole, I hit it inside 15 feet and got a good read when Wills [Reardon] just missed his putt.

I know I can rip off three, four or five birdies in a row sometimes.

Youve just got to stay patient.

Downey, a financial advisor who works out of his home, doesnt have much time to savor his major win.

Hes competing in both the U.S.

Four-Ball and John R.

Williams tournaments this week, with practice rounds included in both tournaments.

But hes having a great time.

Mid-Am golf and amateur golf in general is supposed to be fun, he said.

Im not a professional, so most of my time is spent with my two kids.

If you cant learn this game and enjoy it, you will end up hating it.

Gifford, who has numerous top-10 finishes in NYS championships, was pleased with his final-round performance and third-place finish.

I played solid today, he said.

It was a great weekend, and it feels great playing in this, especially with it being close to home.

Im on the NYSGA board of directors, so it feels extra special for me.

Its nice when these events are close so I can sleep at home.

Bates, the former Skidmore College standout and five-time Schenectady Classic champion, used a torrid final round to finish tied for fourth.

He rolled in six birdies.

It was a good tournament, he said.

I think if there was anything that kept me from finishing higher it was the speed of the greens.

I didnt really have the speed down in any of the three days.

When youre struggling with the speed of the greens, its hard to make things.

One 20-footer would be four feet short, and another one would be eight feet past the cup.

I made six birdies, but I would have liked to finish with a birdie on 18.

Instead, I bogeyed, but I was pleased with the way I played this weekend.

RESULTS (Par 72-216) Kyle Downey (Locust Hill CC) 68-202, Wills Reardon (Piping Rock Club) 70-212, Jim Gifford (

This article has been shared from the original article on dailygazette, here is the link to the original article.