News Release

For Immediate Release: June 21, 2005

Headline: Rodney Butcher Leads By 1 Heading Into Final Round of State Open Championship

Tyngsboro, MA – Veteran mini-tour player Rodney Butcher (New Port Richey, FL) is making good use of his time back here in New England as he leads the field by one stroke following the second round of the Massachusetts Open Championship, which is being held this week at Vesper Country Club in Tyngsboro. Butcher heads into the third and final round with a two-day total of 7-under par 137 and a one-shot lead over Eric Egloff (Sandy Spring, MD) and Jim Salinetti (Lee, MA).

Butcher, who won this event in 1998, fired a 3-under par 69 on Monday yet managed to better that score today by one stroke. On the day, Butcher registered five birdies – three on the front and two on the back nine – and only one bogey. While Egloff continued his consistent ways with his second straight 3-under par 69, Salinetti bolted up the leaderboard and into second place with a second-round score of 5-under par 67. Earlier this summer, Salinetti celebrated his first victory of the season at the 2005 Cape Cod Open.

In the battle for low amateur honors, first-round leader Steven Alminas (Elmcrest CC) couldn’t match his Day 1 low score of 5-under par 67 as he posted a second-day score of 2-over par 74. Alminas’ two-day total of 3-under par 141 puts him in a tie with Tim Acquaviva (Andover CC) in the battle for low amateur. Acquaviva rebounded from a first-round score of 1-over par 73 with a 4-under par 68.

Following the second round of play, the field was cut to low 40 scorers and ties. Those 43 players will return to Vesper Country Club on Wednesday to compete in a third and final round. This year’s cut was set at 3-over par 147. The lead group of Butcher and Egloff will tee off on the first tee at 10:30 a.m.

Day 2 Notes & Highlights:
-- Making the boldest move up the scoreboard on Day 2 was former champion of this event Jim Hallet (Bass River GC), who posted a day-low score of 5-under par 67. Hallet, who was victorious at the State Open in 1985, bettered his first round score by ten strokes to finish at even par 144 for the tournament.
-- Capping off his memorable return to the Massachusetts Open Championship with a final score of 18-over par 162 was Bob Toski (Boca Raton, FL). Toski, 78, was paired with fellow former State Open champions Paul Barkhouse (1976) and Charlie Volpone (1971-72) for the first two rounds and drew the championship’s biggest galleries.
-- The Massachusetts Open Championship debuted in 1905 when Donald Ross captured the inaugural title. This year marks the 100 th year and the 96 th playing of the State Open Championship. In addition to Toski, other great golfers to claim this prestigious title include Walter Hagen, Jesse Guilford, Francis Ouimet, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson and Paul Harney.