News Release

For Immediate Release: July 18, 2007

Headline: Play Suspended at Round 2 of New England Amateur Championship at The Quechee Club

Quechee, VT – Steady, moderate rainfall smothered the Upper Connecticut River Valley on Wednesday and forced the suspension of play during the second round of the New England Amateur Championship. The annual tournament, which brings together the best amateur golfers from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut, is being held this week at The Quechee Club.

The horn sounded at 3:05 p.m. when the course became unplayable. Tournament organizers suspended play for the day at 4:00 p.m. As a result, all competitors who had not finished play on Wednesday will return to The Quechee Club on Thursday to complete their second rounds beginning at 8:00 a.m.

Following the completion of the second round, the field will be reduced to the low 40 scorers and ties. Those players will then be sent back onto the course to compete in a final 18 holes of stroke play to determine the 2007 champion. When play was suspended, the entire morning group had finished their rounds and all of the afternoon groups had begun the second round.

While most of the first-round leaders did not have a chance to finish the second round of play, several players from the morning groups did make a move up the leaderboard. Evan Beirne (New Haven CC - CT) scored the low score of the day – a 3-under par 69. Entering the second round three strokes back of the leader, Beirne had it rolling during the morning hours as he made the turn at 3-under par 32. He kept it going and was 6-under par for his round through 15 holes. Two hiccups – on the 17th and 18th holes – dropped him to even par on that challenging back nine and 5-under par 139 for the tournament.

Also in good position at 4-under par 140 are C.J. Denmark (Longmeadow CC - MA) and Eric Higgins (Cape Arundel GC - ME). Denmark fired a 2-under par 70, while Higgins had a 1-under par 71 on Wednesday.