Barnes Blake of Baltusrol Golf Club captured the 2025 New Jersey Amateur Championship in dramatic fashion at the prestigious Essex County Country Club, carving out a defining moment in Garden State golf. Entering the final day six shots back, the Westfield native surged up the leaderboard with back-to-back rounds of 68 and 67 - featuring a pivotal eagle on the short par-4 14th in the final round. After forcing a three-hole playoff with Troy Vannucci, Blake sealed the win with poise, claiming the Edwin M. Wild Trophy and punching his ticket to the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. With his younger brother Henry on the bag, the 20-year-old Georgetown standout showcased elite shot-making and competitive fire when it mattered most.
Blake’s rise - from top-five finishes at the BIG EAST Championship and MGA’s Ike to this clutch victory at Essex County - signals the emergence of one of New Jersey’s top amateur talents. Tune in to The DROP Podcast as we break down the final-round fireworks, explore Blake’s path to national competition, and celebrate the grit, family support, and homegrown skill that power the Garden State golf scene.
Follow and subscribe to The DROP - your front-row seat to Golfing in the Garden State.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.