Rye High freshman James McHugh placed third at the prestigious 94^th annual WGA Amateur Tournament June 3-5 at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase.

 

 

 

By Melanie Cane

 

Rye High freshman James McHugh placed third at the prestigious 94^th annual WGA Amateur Tournament June 3-5 at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase. McHugh, who is 14, was the youngest player in the tournament, which he qualified for by placing in the top 30 among a field of over 300 hopefuls, all of whom had at minimum, a 5 under handicap.

 

On the first day of the tournament, McHugh played 36 holes in torrential rain, and won both rounds 1-up, beating men more than twice his age. He won the quarterfinal round before lunch on day 2, proceeding to the semifinal round in the afternoon. At the semis, McHugh played a close match against the eventual champion, 20-year-old Colin McDade, a Rye Country Day School graduate who now plays for the University of Richmond. (McHugh was the only player who did not have a caddy.)

 

This was McHugh’s first time trying out for this tournament, and he said he did so to get experience playing in a major and to see how far he could go.