Headline: Devin Bibeau Fires Course Record 5-under par 30 on the Front Nine to Lead Following Day 1 of Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship
For Immediate Release: August 10, 2010
Mashpee, MA – What is the key to winning the 2010 Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship? If you ask first-round leader Devin Bibeau (Highfields G&CC), he'll recommend a trip to Pinehurst.
Days after returning home from the famed North Carolina golf resort, Bibeau came out firing on Tuesday at Quashnet Valley Country Club as he carded a course record score of 5-under par 30 on the front nine en route to a day-low score of 5-under par 67.
"I was down in North Carolina playing at Pinehurst last week working on my putting and that helped me a lot," said Bibeau, who one putted his first five holes and made just 10 putts on the front nine. "I birdied my first four holes which is always helpful. I also had my drive on the first hole bounce in and out of the hazard and that really got my heart beating early in the round."
Fortuitous bounces, solid iron shots and red-hot putting culminated in that record front nine score and also led to a final score that has been bested only one other time in history... back in 2003 when Ed Fletcher (click here for more on Fletcher's MGA career) carded a 7-under par 65 during a club championship victory. Interestingly, months after posting that course-record score in Mashpee, Fletcher went on to capture his first and only Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship.
On this day, Bibeau – who is coming off a redshirt freshman campaign at Temple University – made six birdies and one bogey through his first eight holes and maintained his composure down the stretch by posting eight pars, one birdie and one bogey to cap off a memorable day.
"I was hitting it well out there," said Bibeau, a four-time all-Dual Valley Conference selection while at Nipmuc Regional High School. "You have to hit over more trouble on the back nine to make it into the fairways so tee placement on the back nine is a little tougher especially considering where some of the pins were."
His six birdies on the front nine certainly helped the 20 year old from Upton navigate a back nine that was playing more than a stroke harder than the front nine. While a few iron shots dropped within four feet of the hole, Bibeau noted that the majority of his birdie putts were well over 15 feet.
"I hit a couple of irons close, but it was all about the putting today," said Bibeau. "I was really putting well, so I guess you should go to Pinehurst and you'll putt better."
Today's round was especially gratifying for Bibeau who has been tweaking his swing over the past few months. Although improvements have been made on his club face position (something that he realized during his freshman year with the Owls), he has been consistently coming one or two shots from breaking through during qualifying for these major competitions.
"It has been hit or miss all season," said Bibeau, who is looking forward to entering tomorrow's final round as the lone leader. "I'm not going to do anything different. If you start thinking too much, you run into trouble. I am going to treat it like another round with friends."
Joining Bibeau in the final group is Dan Falcucci (Cyprian Keyes GC), who posted a score of 2-under par 70 despite making a double bogey on the 545-yard, par 5 13th hole. Two years ago, Falcucci finished T2 at this event and lost out in a playoff to Todd Ezold (Westover GC). Earlier this season, Falcucci qualified for and competed in the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
Also finishing in the red with scores of 1-under par 71 were two-time Christopher Cutler Rich MGA Junior Player of the Year and current Harvard University standout Antonio Grillo (Farm Neck GC) and Daniel Morgan (Hickory Ridge CC).
Following today's round, the entire field was re-paired according to score. All competitors will return to Quashnet Valley Country Club on Wednesday to compete in a third and final round of play. Following 36 holes, any tie for first place will be decided immediately by a hole-by-hole playoff.
An MGA Legend - Remembering the Play of Ed Fletcher
The 99-player field is enjoying a challenging layout at Quashnet Valley Country Club, which was developed around 330 acres of Cape Cod cranberry bogs and the Quashnet River. From tree-lined fairways and panoramic elevated tees to tranquil ponds and manicured greens, the competitors had to bring their best in order to tame this 6,601-yard layout.
The course record of 7-under par 65 was set in 2003 by Ed Fletcher, a name very familiar to local golf enthusiasts. A long-time member of Quashnet Valley Country Club, Fletcher was one of the most dominating players in MGA history, especially on the senior amateur circuit where he captured five straight George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year awards from 1998 to 2002 (the most recorded to date).
He also – over the course of his celebrated career – won this event (in 2003), captured three Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championships (1998, 2000-2002), four Massachusetts Senior Four-Ball Championships (1997-98, 2001-02) and the 1998 Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship.
Perhaps most notable, however, was Fletcher’s incredible Massachusetts Amateur Championship victory in 1995 at Concord Country Club. At the age of 53, Fletcher was (and still stands today) as the oldest competitor ever to win that prestigious championship. Following the 2003 season, Fletcher and his wife relocated to Florida to enjoy retirement.
In addition to this week’s Championship Proper here at Quashnet Valley Country Club, a handful of clubs opened their doors earlier this year to host important 18-hole qualifiers. This year’s qualifying sites include – The Brookside Club, Pine Ridge Country Club, Robert T. Lynch Memorial Golf Course at Putterham, Southampton Country Club, Blissful Meadows Golf Course, Pembroke Country Club and Glen Ellen Country Club.
