Headline: Weather Can't Stop State Amateur Qualifying; Tekoa Country Club Steps Up to Host Qualifier In a Pinch
For Immediate Release: June 9, 2009
Norton, MA — It was not exactly the way the tournament organizers had planned, but at the end of the day the Massachusetts Golf Association successfully completed two rounds of qualifying for the 2009 Massachusetts Amateur Championship today.
The objective of the day was to determine the 16 qualifiers from two sites – Dennis Pines Golf Course and The Blandford Club – who would advance to Championship Proper next month.
While play went on as planned on Cape Cod where a field of 66 players vied for 11 qualifying spots, the situation was much different in the western part of the state.
The 40 players who traveled from all over the Bay State to compete at The Blandford Club were met with a dense fog that would simply not let up. Located in the town Blandford which is approximately 20 miles west of Springfield, the grim forecast did not change throughout the morning hours and play remained suspended.
Committed to completing the qualifier, the tournament organizers acted swiftly and called another Member Club – Tekoa Country Club – located just 10 miles away. Surprisingly and very typical New England, the weather there was clear and the course was opportunistically open. The new ownership at Tekoa has been busily preparing the course for the season and was gracious enough to open the course to all of the MGA qualifiers.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to the ownership of Tekoa for opening up its golf course on such short notice," said Jesse Menachem, the MGA's director of rules & competition who was on site at Blandford and then at Tekoa. "This has been an unprecedented day for our staff, volunteer officials and players and it would not have been possible without the support of all involved. Our goal was to complete a qualifier and we were determined to do whatever necessary to make that happen."
When the announcement was made to the field, only one player withdrew. All other competitors jumped into their cars and raced to Westfield to take part in the qualifier. It was unlike any qualifier in recent MGA memory. The players did not enjoy the many championship luxuries they have become accustomed to over the years. There were no local rules sheets or hole location sheets. Practice rounds completed at The Blandford Club over the past few weeks were suddenly rendered useless as the players were given Tekoa Country Club scorecards and asked to play an 18-hole layout foreign to most of them.
"I couldn't believe that of all things on a day in early June that we would have play suspended because of fog," said Del Kinney (Wyantenuck CC), a long-time MGA competitor who is used to the unpredictable weather of the Berkshires. "The last thing I wanted to do was to have to pull my long johns out of the closet."
Kinney is one of many golfers competing with a special story as this year's qualifying attempt comes close to 50 years after his first try when he was only 18 years old. Although his score of 10-over par 81 was not good enough to make the cut this year, Kinney will always have fond memories of his last Massachusetts Amateur Championship experience which was in 2003 at – of all places – The Country Club, host of this year's Championship Proper.
Kinney's light-hearted demeanor was not an anomaly as jokes were flowing more than complaints as the players were happy for the chance to play and compete for the five qualifying spots available.
"We were so thankful for the response of the players who did not miss a beat and allowed us to get through the day," said Menachem, who earlier this season made the difficult decision to cancel the second day of play at the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship held earlier this season due to fierce rainstorms. "Weather is always the question mark and you simply have to work with what you are given each and every day. It makes you flexible and resilient for sure."
At the end of the day, Ralph Strollis (The Orchards GC) prevailed with a score of 1-over par 72. It was – as he admits – one of the hardest-earned scores he has posted in some time.
"We had been sitting around and waiting all morning and I was actually going to leave," said Strollis, a self-employed carpenter who had appointments lined up for the afternoon. "I never expected them to set something up to play but everyone was happy with it."
Despite the many distractions, Strollis maintained his composure throughout the round, finishing with 15 pars, two bogies and a birdie on the 223-yard, par 3 18th hole that earned him medalist honors.
"I missed a few greens and in all but one I was able to get up and down," explained Strollis, who will be making his third appearance at Championship Proper. "The last time [The Country Club played host] I missed by a couple of shots, but some friends convinced me to give it try. I guess the planets were all lined up for me."
Brendan Meagher (Woodland GC), Allen Parker (The Blandford Club), Brian Cawley (The Georgetown Club) and Chris Burke (Wyckoff CC) also qualified today. Cawley was the journeyman of the day as the Amesbury resident trekked a round trip of 260 miles to compete in qualifying in today.
Meanwhile in Dennis, Dave Tasho (Thorny Lea GC) led all qualifiers by firing a score of 3-over par 75 at Dennis Pines Golf Course. His medalist round included four bogies and one birdie – on the 530-yard, par 5 12th hole. Tasho is having a strong start to the season as he finished in a tie for third place at the 45th Hornblower Memorial golf tournament. One year ago, Tasho qualified for but missed the cut at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
Paul Bisgounis (Dennis Pines GC) displayed his home course knowledge as he finished in a tie for second place with Michael Hinojosa (The Meadow at Peabody GC) after posting scores of 5-over par 77. The Dennis course played tough and scores were bunched. Nine players were forced to compete in a playoff to determine the final eight qualifiers and two alternate spots.
2009 Massachusetts Amateur Qualifying
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Dennis Pines Golf Course (Dennis, MA)
Par 72 (36-36)
Qualifiers
1) Dave Tasho (Thorny Lea GC) 38-37--75
T2) Paul Bisgounis (Dennis Pines GC) 39-38--77
T2) Michael Hinojosa (The Meadow at Peabody GC) 37-40--77
T4) William Taylor (Segregansett CC) 38-40--78
T4) Jed Moller (Ponkapoag GC) 37-41--78
T4) Michael Chizauskas (The Harmon Club) 38-40--78
T4) William Schmedes (Dennis Pines GC) 42-36--78
T4) Mark Gibbons (Dennis Pines GC) 37-41--78
T4) Nicholas Alfano (Mount Hood GC) 41-37--78
T4) Jim Hosey (The Orchards GC) 39-39--78
T4) Scott Barnicle (Ponkapoag GC) 40-38--78
Alternates
1st) Pat Hurrie (Falmouth CC) 36-42--78
2nd) Christopher Hawley (Ponkapoag GC) 39-40--79
2009 Massachusetts Amateur Qualifying
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tekoa Country Club (Westfield, MA)
Par 71 (36-35)
Qualifiers
1) Ralph Strolis (The Orchards GC) 36-36--72
T2) Brendan Meagher (Woodland GC) 37-36--73
T2) Allen Parker (The Blandford Club) 36-37--73
4) Brian Cawley (The Georgetown Club) 35-39--74
5) Chris Burke (Wyckoff CC) 39-36--75
Alternates
1st) John Mazzocca (Walpole CC) 40-36--76
2nd) Scott Gannon (Brae Burn CC) 38-38--76
