Saratoga Springs Native Powers into Runner Up Finish at NY Open

Golf is one of my favorite sports. Sure, it's a lot slower that football or Basketball, but to me it's one of the most exhilarating things you can watch.

The athletes that play professionally are at the top of their game, and a Saratoga Springs native has just put the Golf community on watch...

Get our free mobile app

A.J. Cavotta

A native of Saratoga Springs (and Chrissy's 1st cousin's son), A.J. Cavotta has golf in his blood. He was a standout at Saratoga High School, and then went on to play Division II golf at Southern New Hampshire University.

After college, he went pro, and hasn't looked back. He's now a registered PGA Apprentice, and is working as an Assistant Teaching Professional at Anders Mattson Golf. He was named the Northeast New York PGA Assistant Professional of the Year in 2023, and continues to make a name for himself in northeastern professional golf.

The NY Open

On July 15th, Cavotta had a moment few others have when he shot a remarkable 65 (6-under) at the second round of the New York State Open at Bethpage Black, one of the most challenging courses in the world. He had the most par breakers (14) out of his contemporaries, and was able to rally to the top of the leaderboard.

His final, three round score came to 211 (2-under), and he lost in a heartbreaker playoff to former St. John's player Peicheng Chen. Cavotta says that he did everything he could have to win, and unfortunately fell just short.

That won't stop Cavotta from honing his skills to become one of the best golfers in the world. He's a name to keep an eye on before he dons that Green Jacket...