Sorry, couldn't help myself withthat title. I have been at the U.S. Senior Open since Tuesday. Serving on the Rules Committee. It's been a hectic but enjoyable week. Walked the golf course Tuesday and Wednesday to get familiar with it, attended Rules meeting on Wednesday night and we were off and running on Thursday.
Inverness is a great course and the conditioning is perfect. Small greens, rough is thick but not overly long. If you've beenfollowing then you know exactly how good the scoring has been. There was a lot of rain the week prior to the championship which softened the greens somewhat. Combined with the heat and high humidity, it was just going to be difficult for the USGA to get them firm. And then we had some drenching rains in the very early morning hours of Friday which delayed the start by more than two hours.
My first group that I walked with on Friday featured two amateurs, Mike Allen from Austin and Rick Cloninger from Fort Mill, SC. Both are very good players. Mike played well but had three bad holes, and Rick played extremely solid but three-putted the last to shoot one over. The third player in the group was club pro, Sonny Skinner, from Georgia. He got to two-under early but struggled late. We had a few rulings, but all were minor (thankfully). There was a ball against a TV tower on one hole, ball in a lateral hazard and a question whether a ball was actually on the putting green. It was the 18th hole and it was Rick Cloninger. I was fairly certain but had some doubt so I called in a Rover to verify. The fact that it was on the 18th hole in front of the gallery made it doubly inportant to get it 100% right.
It was brutally hot out there on Thursday, about 100 degrees with high humidity. everybody was soaked. We didn't tee off until 2:25 so we were in the real heat of the day. I drank 8 bottles of water and 2 Gatorades during the round and never once had to seek out the port-o-let. OK, that's probably too much info, but that's how hot it was. Nice to get in the AC afterwards.
I was scheduled to go off at 8:40 on Friday with first round leader Olin Browne. Also in the group were Dan Forsman and Mark McNulty. Because of the weather delay we ended up not teeing off until 11:25. Another hot day, but slighty less so compared to Thursday. All three players are nice guys and fortunately never needed my help al day. Olin continued to play well, a very tiday round of two-under with one blemish on #7 where he made double after a poor drive left into the trees.
I was tired, but on Friday night I was invited to a Toledo Mudhens game, the AAA baseball team made famouse by Jamie Farr's constant references back inthe M.A.S.H. days on TV. Great stadium, great game. Voted best minor league stadium for several years running, and right neart the hotel, too. Not too much other sight seeing. Pretty much been golf course and hotel.
Saturday I was an Observer with the Loren Roberts and Willie Wood group. I was out fron to assist the referee. Much less pressure than being a referee. Warm day, but the hunidity was down. Both players played well and didn't need any rules asistance, so it was a walk in the park. I watched the rest of the TV telecast from the USGA hospitality room in the clubhouse. Too tired to do anything, but grab a quick bite at the hotel with Dave Miller and Dr. Bob Ruby. Dave is onthe USGA Senior Am Committee and a member at Charles River who officiates many MGA and NEGA events. Bob is a dentist from CT who is also onthe USGA Senior Am Committee and very accomplished player. He is one of the best Rules guys I know. The three of us have had a nice time this week and have also met some new people along the way.
Final round today and I am going with Phil Blackmar and Steve Lowery at 12:06. They're both former winners on the regular tour and pretty low-key guys, so hopefully it will be a good day out there.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A Busy July
The heart of the championship season is here, and so far we've had a great July. The 103rd Mass Amateur at Wyantenuck CC could not have gone any better. It was a wonderful week inthe Berkshires and everyone at Wyantenuck treated all the players, officials and MGA staff like family. We only had one weather problem with a brief suspension of play on Wednesday, first day of match play. Other than that it was a perfect week to run a golf tournament.
I think some people were wondering just how the golf course would hold up especially in stroke play. Any doubts were elimated when the players arrived. The course was in pristine condition and played beautifully. Colin Brennan played great golf to earn medalist honors, but nobody ate the place up. The greens and fairways were as perfect as they could be, just outstanding. Peter Bacon, the golf course superintendent, and his crew have been prepping for three years for the Amateur and it showed.
We knew that the golf course would be great for match play and it was. There were many exciting matches and two top players, Ryan Riley and Frank Vana, making the finals. Frank dug himself a hole early y being several down, but hats off to Ryan for his great play and mking 10 birdies in 33 holes in the final in winning his first Amateur.
The New England Amateur last week at Metacomet CC in RI was another good tournament. It's a great old Donald Ross golf course that holds a special place in my heart because it's where I played my high school golf while playing for East Providence High. We used to play 18 hole matches in those days back in the 1970's which was fun. We had great battles with Barrington High who always had a great team which featured one Brad Faxon. I never played Brad head to head but played in the same group several times. Needless to say, EP had a tough time against Barrington in those days, but it was always close. I also played my final RI Junior Amateur at Metacomet in 1979 when I was 17. Faxon actually got beat in the finals that year after having won the previous three years.
The biggest surprise about the New England Amateur this year was that we actually managed to get in 72 holes for the first time in about six years. We've had more weather disasters than I care to remember at that tournament, but this year while hot, we at least got it in. Jeff Heddon from CT played crazy good and shot 13 under par to win by 5.
I think some people were wondering just how the golf course would hold up especially in stroke play. Any doubts were elimated when the players arrived. The course was in pristine condition and played beautifully. Colin Brennan played great golf to earn medalist honors, but nobody ate the place up. The greens and fairways were as perfect as they could be, just outstanding. Peter Bacon, the golf course superintendent, and his crew have been prepping for three years for the Amateur and it showed.
We knew that the golf course would be great for match play and it was. There were many exciting matches and two top players, Ryan Riley and Frank Vana, making the finals. Frank dug himself a hole early y being several down, but hats off to Ryan for his great play and mking 10 birdies in 33 holes in the final in winning his first Amateur.
The New England Amateur last week at Metacomet CC in RI was another good tournament. It's a great old Donald Ross golf course that holds a special place in my heart because it's where I played my high school golf while playing for East Providence High. We used to play 18 hole matches in those days back in the 1970's which was fun. We had great battles with Barrington High who always had a great team which featured one Brad Faxon. I never played Brad head to head but played in the same group several times. Needless to say, EP had a tough time against Barrington in those days, but it was always close. I also played my final RI Junior Amateur at Metacomet in 1979 when I was 17. Faxon actually got beat in the finals that year after having won the previous three years.
The biggest surprise about the New England Amateur this year was that we actually managed to get in 72 holes for the first time in about six years. We've had more weather disasters than I care to remember at that tournament, but this year while hot, we at least got it in. Jeff Heddon from CT played crazy good and shot 13 under par to win by 5.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Gearing Up for the Amateur
The 103rd Mass Amateur is set to begin on Monday at Wyantenuck CC. After all the planning, work and anticipation it's almost time to get out of the way and let the players play. The club has been preparing for a few years for next week, and we MGA staff and officials who are attending are looking forward to the week in Great Barrington.
The only preparations left to do will be finalizing the course markings and hole locations on Sunday which will be overseen by Jesse Menachem, MGA Director of Rules & Competitions in concert with Wyantenuck member and MGA Official-In-Charge, Tom Berkel.
There is a great article in The Berkshire Eagle that describes all the preparations by course superintendent, Peter Bacon. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/localsports/ci_18437005
Peter's hard work along with the efforts of Tom Sullivan (head pro), Jennie Quenneville (club manager), Jack Dezieck (MGA President and longtime WCC member) and others will be on full display next week.
And by Friday afternoon there will be one extremely happy golfer hoisting a very big silver trophy.
The only preparations left to do will be finalizing the course markings and hole locations on Sunday which will be overseen by Jesse Menachem, MGA Director of Rules & Competitions in concert with Wyantenuck member and MGA Official-In-Charge, Tom Berkel.
There is a great article in The Berkshire Eagle that describes all the preparations by course superintendent, Peter Bacon. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/localsports/ci_18437005
Peter's hard work along with the efforts of Tom Sullivan (head pro), Jennie Quenneville (club manager), Jack Dezieck (MGA President and longtime WCC member) and others will be on full display next week.
And by Friday afternoon there will be one extremely happy golfer hoisting a very big silver trophy.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Good Players Shooting Good Scores
There's been a lot of good scoring recently at the tournaments I've been at. I was fortunate to spend one full day (Friday) at Congressional during the U.S. Open. I wallked the golf course and it was an absolute beast - just long and extremely demanding. But you give the best players in the world soft conditions and they will shoot good scores. Rory McIlroy was off the charts, but many other players were well under par as well. You can't build courses long enough for these top players. The many challege is to get the course playing firm and fast and hope that Mother Nature conjurs some wind. I think top players would rather play in the rain than deal with constant and gusty wind. Absent those conditions and they will go low. All in all it was an exciting championship. Even though it was Rory in a runaway, he is someone good for the game and easy to root for.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>I think any criticism levied against the USGA for this year's Open set-up is somewhat unfair. Mike Davis had no control over the weather. It was over 100 degrees the week before the Open for a few days and then of course the rain came. If Mike is going to err, he's going to err on the side of the player. I know that he and everyone else at the USGA never wants a repeat of what happened at Shinnecock. And speaking of that Long Island gem, it's nice to see that the fences have been mended and Shinnecock was announced as the site of the 2018 Open.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>The week after the Open I was involved in the administration of the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett CC in RI. Long considered one of the top men's amateur tournaments in the world, the Northeast has a great list of past champions including Ben Crenshaw, John Cook, Luke Donald and Dustin Johnson to name a few. This year another "name" player won - Peter Uihlein, the regning U.S. Amateur champion and Mass native. He set the 72 hole scoring record with a 15 under par performance.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>Again Mother Nature had a hand in the low scoring as the rain leading up to and during the tournament rendered the 6,700 yard course (short for today's elite players), specifically the greens, defenseless. At Wannamoisett the greens need to be firm and fast to challenge players. The rain simply turned it into a dart throwing contest. Luke Guthrie of the Univ of Illinois set the course record with an 8 under par 61 in the first round. That was an omen of what was to come as more than 20 players finished the tournament under par. But it was still exciting golf to watch down the stretch and Peter is a great champion.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>Finally, to continue the trend this past week at the Mass Open featured a rain dampened Oak Hill CC course in Fitchburg. The potentially scary greens had a little bit of their teeth taken out with the soft conditions. Fortunately the weather cooperated during th tournament itself and Kyle Gallo of CT won his first Mass Open.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>We will see what the weather brings in another week or so to Wyantenuck and the Mass Amateur. Whatever the conditions, one happy golfer will be raising a beatiful trophy at week's end.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>I think any criticism levied against the USGA for this year's Open set-up is somewhat unfair. Mike Davis had no control over the weather. It was over 100 degrees the week before the Open for a few days and then of course the rain came. If Mike is going to err, he's going to err on the side of the player. I know that he and everyone else at the USGA never wants a repeat of what happened at Shinnecock. And speaking of that Long Island gem, it's nice to see that the fences have been mended and Shinnecock was announced as the site of the 2018 Open.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>The week after the Open I was involved in the administration of the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett CC in RI. Long considered one of the top men's amateur tournaments in the world, the Northeast has a great list of past champions including Ben Crenshaw, John Cook, Luke Donald and Dustin Johnson to name a few. This year another "name" player won - Peter Uihlein, the regning U.S. Amateur champion and Mass native. He set the 72 hole scoring record with a 15 under par performance.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>Again Mother Nature had a hand in the low scoring as the rain leading up to and during the tournament rendered the 6,700 yard course (short for today's elite players), specifically the greens, defenseless. At Wannamoisett the greens need to be firm and fast to challenge players. The rain simply turned it into a dart throwing contest. Luke Guthrie of the Univ of Illinois set the course record with an 8 under par 61 in the first round. That was an omen of what was to come as more than 20 players finished the tournament under par. But it was still exciting golf to watch down the stretch and Peter is a great champion.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>Finally, to continue the trend this past week at the Mass Open featured a rain dampened Oak Hill CC course in Fitchburg. The potentially scary greens had a little bit of their teeth taken out with the soft conditions. Fortunately the weather cooperated during th tournament itself and Kyle Gallo of CT won his first Mass Open.
<:AtomicElement>
<:AtomicElement>We will see what the weather brings in another week or so to Wyantenuck and the Mass Amateur. Whatever the conditions, one happy golfer will be raising a beatiful trophy at week's end.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tale of Two Four-Balls
Things are heating up at the MGA. We're in full swing in every department which obviously includes our championship department. Fortunately the weather has begun to cooperate at times. This was not the case early on in the spring during Mass Open qualifying, U.S. Open qualifying, Member Day events and, of course, the Four-Ball.
We moved the Four-Ball to the second week in May this year, a week later than traditional. As soon as that first Monday-Tuesday in May was sunny and 70+ degrees, I had a bad feeling about the next week. The long range forecast was good, but I've been around long enough not to worry about the weather until a couple of days before a tournament. Sure enough and true to form, the weather at Hatherly and Cohasset was just brutal - cold, windy and healthy doses of rain scattered in.
Despite the miserable weather there was still some very good golf played with Hernie Aikens and Ryan Riley winning another title in a play-off when Herbie drained a tricky 12 footer.
Last week at Willowbend and The Golf Club of Cape Cod and Willowbend, the seniors had it a little nicer. The temperatures were well into the 80's and it actually felt (gasp) HOT out there. A little too hot too soon, but we were not complaining. There were several players who'd played in the regular Four-Ball and they were quick to point out the horrible weather from a month earlier. Like we needed reminding. Hats off to Kevin Carey and Ray Richard for a great win.
I hope that everyone is out playing a little more regularly now. Can't say that's the case with me, but that's par for the course this time of year. It's U.S. Open week, though. I've got XM radio in my car, the Golf Channel 'Live from the U.S. Open' on the tube at night and looking forward to the first round tomorrow. Enjoy the toughest test in golf this week!
We moved the Four-Ball to the second week in May this year, a week later than traditional. As soon as that first Monday-Tuesday in May was sunny and 70+ degrees, I had a bad feeling about the next week. The long range forecast was good, but I've been around long enough not to worry about the weather until a couple of days before a tournament. Sure enough and true to form, the weather at Hatherly and Cohasset was just brutal - cold, windy and healthy doses of rain scattered in.
Despite the miserable weather there was still some very good golf played with Hernie Aikens and Ryan Riley winning another title in a play-off when Herbie drained a tricky 12 footer.
Last week at Willowbend and The Golf Club of Cape Cod and Willowbend, the seniors had it a little nicer. The temperatures were well into the 80's and it actually felt (gasp) HOT out there. A little too hot too soon, but we were not complaining. There were several players who'd played in the regular Four-Ball and they were quick to point out the horrible weather from a month earlier. Like we needed reminding. Hats off to Kevin Carey and Ray Richard for a great win.
I hope that everyone is out playing a little more regularly now. Can't say that's the case with me, but that's par for the course this time of year. It's U.S. Open week, though. I've got XM radio in my car, the Golf Channel 'Live from the U.S. Open' on the tube at night and looking forward to the first round tomorrow. Enjoy the toughest test in golf this week!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Almost Game Time
Next week marks the start of the MGA tournament season with a Member Day event at Cohasse CC in Southbridge. We have a full-field for the tournament and we're just hoping for some nice weather ofr everyone. The weather hasn't exactly been perfectly suited for golf in this early part of the season. The following week we have the Four-Ball at Cohasset GC and Hatherly CC. We will be officially "off to the races" by then, and again we hope Mother Nature cooperates. She hasn't always taken a shine to the Four-Ball in recent years.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Masters Week
After the winter that we have just endured, the Masters has come just in time. The weather hasn't been too great around here, but just knowing that we'll be getting to watch Augusta National on TV in a couple of days while hearing the silky tones of Jim Nantz, it gives all us golfers hope that real spring weather will be here soon. It's been an active winter for us at the MGA. We're pretty well set for the tournament season which will - hard to belive - be here in a month. The New England Golf Summit was a successful day of education and networking last week at Andover CC http://www.negolfsummit.org/. We've had committee meetings, staff meetings, Rules workshops and various seminars. I think we're all ready to get onto the golf course. But this week is Masters week and I am as excited as any golfer. I love the U.S. Open, the Open Championship and the PGA, but the Masters just has that special aura. I will be hunkered down in my man cave all weekend and my wife and daughter know not to bother me. I'll watch the pre-game and post-game on Golf Channel, I'll be on masters.com, I'll be texting with a few buddies while the tournament is unfolding. And I know I'm just one of a cast of millions doing the same thing. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus' improbable victory at Augusta in 1986 at age 46. I'm older now than Jack was when he donned that sixth green jacket which gives me even more perspective. There aren't too many sporting events where I can remember exactly where I was when it occurred. I was a hockey crazed little kid when Bobby Orr scored the overtime goal and sailed through the air in 1970. I watched the Miracle on Ice in 1980 in total amazement in my basement at home. I was at the dinner table with my family when Doug Flutie threw his Hail Mary pass. And I was in suburban Philadelphia in 1986 when Jack made is Sunday charge. I was watching the telecast in the den at my girlfriend's apartment (she's my wife now so she's used to this stuff by now), and I was watching the Masters on a little 13 inch black and white TV. Yes, it's true. Lynda had no interest in golf and was watching a movie or something in the main room on the color TV. I told her I had to watch the Masters and I remember yelling and hooting and telling her that what an amazing thing is happening right here on live TV. After Jack's 5 iron almost went in the hole on 16 I started to get choked up. I'll never forget that day and neither will millions of other golfers. It's not likely that 2011 will produce the same drama as 1986, but you never know. Let's see, it's 4:45 P.M. on Tuesday. If I leave the office in a few minutes I'll be home in plenty of time to watch all of Live from the Masters.
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