Westhampton's Zach Berger wins second straight Suffolk golf championship
Zach Berger of Westhampton watches his shot during the Suffolk boys golf individual championship on Tuesday. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Zach Berger entered the second day of the Suffolk boys golf individual championship with a six-stroke lead.
How was the Westhampton senior feeling walking up to the first tee box at Pine Hills Golf and Country Club in Manorville?
“I was just excited to go play,” Berger said. “I’ve played in a ton of golf tournaments before and I’ve had leads overnight. I’m always just excited for the opportunity to play this game.”
Berger shot a 3-over par 76 on Tuesday to claim his second straight county title with a two-day, 36-hole score of even-par 146.
“I’ve been thinking about this tournament since my dad went and watched people play in this tournament when I was two years old,” Berger said. “It’s just special to win it.”
Berger totaled 12 pars and picked up an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole. He birdied three holes on Monday for a 3-under 70.
“I was just putting really well yesterday,” Berger said. “I was making all my putts inside of five feet and I was putting my lag putts really close to the hole. I never really got into trouble. It was just a pretty clean round.”
The top nine finishers will compete in the state championship next June at Mill Creek Golf Club in Churchville. Berger tied for fifth at last year’s tournament with a 1-over 143.
Longwood’s Logan Knipe and Harry Wolk (Half Hollow Hills West) each shot a 2-over 75 on Tuesday and tied for second at 152.
“I was just trying to keep par,” Knipe said. “I actually had to take a stroke for an unplayable ball on 11, which I think saved my score. If I didn’t take that stroke, it probably would’ve been a crazy number. But I bounced back and birdied the next hole and kept making pars.”
Wolk tied for 13th in last year’s state tournament with a 149.
Knipe will make his first appearance in the tournament. He suffered an injury early last season that lingered and hampered his performance.
“He had some adversity, but came back his senior year and tied for second in the county,” Longwood coach Michael MacKenzie said. “What’s better than that?”
Bayport-Blue Point’s Chase Rebore, Westhampton’s Danny Schumacher, Mount Sinai’s Jaxon Caruso and Mattituck’s Sam Quartararo all tied for fourth (153). Riverhead’s Colby Baran and Southampton’s Ethan Heuer tied for eighth (155). Half Hollow Hills East’s Max Greenfield (156) defeated Sayville’s Ray Woolsey in a one-hole playoff and will serve as Suffolk’s alternate for the state tournament.
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
