Silver Spring resident closes in on winning Maryland Amateur
Effortlessly, Zach Lese slipped the back edge of his Bettinardi putter under the coin and tossed it to Jay Mulieri. Conceding three straight holes in the finals of the Maryland Amateur, Lese became adept at the concession flip Tuesday at the Chevy Chase Club.
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It wasn’t because Lese was playing poorly. He was caught in his opponent’s buzzsaw.
Making five straight birdies, Mulieri had taken control in his efforts to win the same tournament claimed by his brother, Mike, a year ago. When a thunderstorm struck and play was called in their 36-hole final, Mulieri had the lead, 3 up, with three holes left. Play will resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
The players spent 14 hours at Chevy Chase on Tuesday. Their 7 a.m. start was pushed back to 8:50 a.m. because of an early-morning downpour. Then, with their match nearing completion, a violent storm rocked Chevy Chase at 5 p.m. Subsequent rain squalls prevented play from resuming as the players waited it out until dark.
Mulieri, 19, and Mike Mulieri, 22, teammates this spring on the golf team at Loyola University, could become the first brother duo to win in the 88-year history of the Maryland Amateur.
It’s been a taxing weekend for Mulieri, who played 37 holes Saturday and 37 more Sunday as he advanced to the finals with four clutch wins. On Monday, Mulieri played 36 holes in U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying, struggling to a 77-76 – 153, 14 strokes shy of qualifying.
But Mulieri had his best stuff Tuesday. After playing Lese to a draw in their morning 18, Mulieri, a member at Avenel, staged a spectacular display of shot-making on the front nine of the afternoon 18. Firing his irons high and tight off the immaculate fairways of Chevy Chase, Mulieri shot darts at the pins.
At No. 5, Mulieri hit a wedge to within 2 feet for a birdie. At No. 6, he hoisted a 9-iron 155 yards over the pin and made an 8-foot comeback putt. At No. 7, Mulieri’s 7-iron from 170 yards came to rest eight inches from the cup as he took a 3-up lead.
On No. 8, a par 5, Mulieri drove onto the lip of a bunker and had 166 yards left to the hole on his third shot, but stuck it to within three feet and made the downhill putt for his fifth straight birdie. Lese had played the hole well, hitting a wedge to within a foot, but his birdie was worth only a halve.
Lese, a 26-year-old Silver Spring resident, had his chances on the back nine as Mulieri missed a 5-footer for birdie at No, 11, then followed with a pair of three-putt greens. But Lese was struggling with his irons and didn’t take advantage.
