TOWSON, Md. – The Maryland State Golf Association (MSGA) wrapped up the three-day Maryland Open Championship on Wednesday afternoon at the Country Club of Maryland with three former Towson University men's golfers finishing in the top 25.
Billy Wingerd and Chris Baloga, both 2005 graduates and key members of the 2003-04 and 2004-05 squads that earned back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances, led the way – tying for 13th place with two other players at 1-over par.
Baloga, a member at the Country Club of Maryland, finished with rounds of 69-70-72. Now the head coach at nearby Loyola University, he made 37 pars during the 54-hole event – making at least 12 pars each day.
Wingerd, a Towson Athletics Hall of Famer, shot 73-66-72 to match Baloga. The 2007 Maryland Open winner moved up 34 spots on Tuesday with a 4-under round and finished with 11 birdies over the three days. He became Towson's first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship medalist and Player of the Year when he captured the individual conference title as a junior and is the only Towson golfer to earn first team All-CAA honors three times.
Ryan Siegler, who won this event two years ago, finished tied for 24th place at 3-over after rounds of 71-73-69. The 2016 graduate had six birdies on Monday morning and made back-to-back eagles during Wednesday's final round. This is his sixth straight top 25 finish at the event.
Three other former Tigers qualified for the 135-player field but failed to advance to Wednesday's final round. David Hutsell (class of 1992), who won the 2011 Maryland Open, shot 75-73. Julian Gonzalez ('23) finished with rounds of 80-75, while Alex Church ('16) carded rounds of 78-83.
Previous winners of the event include Fred Funk, who won 29 professional tournaments including the 2005 Players Championship and the 2009 U.S. Senior Open, and Denny McCarthy, currently ranked 43rd in the World Golf rankings.
-TowsonTigers.com-