Russo’s quality play has stood the test of time
It probably wouldn’t matter what method we used, Dan Russo would have been identified as the Capital Region’s best amateur over the past two decades.
The Capital Region amateur point standings, later classified as the Capital Region Amateur Golf Association standings, were created in 2002, the brainchild of local amateurs Matt Clarke and David Hayes. The mission was to promote amateur golf while also identifying the area’s best players.
In a 19-year compilation, including the almost-concluded 2020 season, Russo has been the dominant player. He will win the points title for the fifth time this year (also in 2003, 2004, 2014 and 2016) and has been runner-up six times.
Russo, a resident of Hagaman who now plays out of Schuyler Meadows, is the only player who has been in the top 10 all 19 years of the standings, never finishing lower than seventh.
The points distribution has been tweaked over the years, but the standings seem to have done a fair job of recognizing some of the area top players.
To see who ranks behind Russo over this 19-year period, we went back and compiled each season’s top 10, then applied a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system to see who stands out.
Jim Welch, the steady player from Valatie who is a member at Olde Kinderhook, was second, having made the top 10 in 17 of 19 years. He was the overall leader in 2007 and 2013.
Here’s a look at the top 20 (seasonal championships in parentheses):
1. Dan Russo (5) 153
2. Jim Welch (2) 120
3. John Vaccaro (4) 62
4. Jim Gifford (2) 61
5. Chad Stoffer 53
6. Steve Quillinan Jr. (1) 45
7. Matthew Clarke (1) 44
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