Stasi wins Match Play semifinal with birdie on 18th

Meghan Stasi stayed alive Thursday in her quest for an eighth title in the Philadelphia Women's Match Play Championship, sinking an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 1-up semifinal victory over Kelsey Solan on the South course of Wilmington Country Club.

Stasi, 36, of Tavistock, won seven consecutive championships from 1999 through 2005. She will take on Emily Gimpel of Whitemarsh Valley in the 36-hole final Friday. Gimpel, 22, the top seed and defending champion, advanced with a 4-and-3 victory over Kerry Rutan of the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Stasi, a four-time U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion, is in the Athletic Hall of Fame at Eastern High, where she was known as Meghan Bolger. She and Solan, who is entering her junior year at James Madison, played a close match all the way. Solan was 1 down on the 17th tee but parred the hole to square the match before Stasi's birdie putt won it on 18.

Gimpel, a recent Maryland graduate who led Mount St. Joseph Academy to PIAA state titles in 2006 and '07, rolled to her third convincing victory of the week. She has not needed to go past the 15th hole in any of her three matches.

Amateur Max Greyserman of Crestmont, who will be a sophomore at Duke in the fall, notched back-to-back birdies on the back nine en route to a 3-under-par 68 and a 3-stroke victory in the New Jersey State Open at Essex County Country Club in West Orange.

Greyserman, 19, completed 54 holes at 6-under 207. Frank Esposito Jr. of Brooklake, the leader after two rounds, had a 72 and tied for second at 210 with Spring Lake amateur Michael Stamberger (71).

Mike Meisenzahl, assistant pro at Shore Gate Golf Club in Cape May County, carded the day's best round, a 67, and tied for sixth at 212. David Quinn of Links, who began the final round trailing by 2, stumbled on the back nine with a pair of double bogeys for a 76 and ended up at 216.

Other scores of South Jersey players included Trenton's Graham Dendler (72) and Sea Oaks' Jeff Bonicky (71) at 216, Little Mill amateur Bin Kwon (73) at 219, Deerwood's Greg Farrow (76) and Little Mill amateur Michael Hyland (76) at 223, and Laurel Creek's John DiMarco (79) at 227.

Justin Murray of Burlington, a participant in the First Tee of Philadelphia, has been selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open, a Champions Tour event Sept. 26-28 at Pebble Beach, Calif.

Murray is one of 81 boys and girls ages 14 to 18 who were chosen by a national panel of judges. The contestants were evaluated on playing ability and understanding of the life skills and core values taught by the First Tee programs.

The juniors will team with 81 players from the Champions Tour and 162 amateurs for the tournament, which will be held at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course.