Keeping score around New England

April 17, 2008

It wouldn't be the Seagulls Fourball Championship if it didn't involve weather woes, but even for that determined event, Saturday offered some new obstacles. How about lightning in April? Not once, not twice, but four times, and thus did the competitors at the Hyannisport Club face three hours of delays that pushed qualifying into Sunday morning. When that portion of the competition was completed, the co-medalists at 66 were Ricky Rainville and Ed Kangas, and Sean O'Connor and Junior Ferro, and both those teams continued their fine play with a victory in the first round of match play. Perhaps the most compelling first-round match involved defending champs Joe Keller and Mike Boden, who caught Whitney Trimble and Brian Higgins with a birdie at the 17th hole, then won on the 22d hole. The other teams that moved into Saturday's quarterfinals were John Shields and Rob Mangelson, Jim Horvath and Carter Fasick, Joe Walker and Kevin Carey, Scott Nickerson and Gary Smith, and Mike Berube and Joe McDonald.

Colby Moore fired consecutive rounds of 70 to finish at 4 under and take medalist honors in the New England Division 1 Championship at Triggs Memorial in Providence. He helped Yale squeeze out a four-stroke victory over Binghamton for the team title. Ben Wescoe of Yale (72-71) and Patrick Fillian of Sacred Heart (68-75) shared second.

Keegan Bradley, the former standout at Hopkinton High, continued his stellar play for St. John's by shooting 70-66-75 -211 to share low honors in the Princeton Invitational and help his team to victory. Two other locals - Kevin Velardo of Wilmington and George Zolotas of Peabody - finished T-27 and T-32, respectively. For Princeton, freshman Evan Harmeling of North Reading shot 71-72-74 -217 to share 11th.

UMass-Dartmouth won its own Hampton Inn Collegiate Invitational at Allendale CC in North Dartmouth, edging Nichols by two strokes. Neil Daigneault of Ludlow and Elms College shot 72 to secure medalist honors, while Marc Francis of UMass-Dartmouth (73) and Reid Longley of Trinity (75) were second and third, respectively.

Emily Balmert had the low score of the third round, a 71, and finished fifth to help her Harvard Crimson finish second in the Roar-ee Invitational in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Georgetown got a seventh-place finish from Chelsea Curtis of Mashpee. Harvard freshman Claire Sheldon of Milton was tied for 10th.

Nick Caccia of Riverside, R.I., a senior at Bryant University, closed with a 69 -144 to take medalist honors at the Le Moyne College Spring Invitational in Marcellus, N.Y. Garrett Beyor of AIC (72-73) was second, while Anthony Gallardo of Methuen and UMass-Lowell (72-75) was sixth. St. Thomas Aquinas got a ninth-place finish from freshman Nick Zolotas of Peabody (77-74) to help earn a four-stroke win over Bryant for the team title.

At the Marshall Invitational in Huntington, W.Va., Brad Valois opened with a 69 and finished ninth to help the University of Rhode Island finish fifth of 17 teams.

Brian Owens of North Kingstown GC in Rhode Island shot 1-under 70 to record a two-stroke win in a NEPGA pro-am at Potowomut GC in East Greenwich, R.I. Another Rhode Islander, Jeff Martin of Point Judith CC, was second. Al Vallante of Atlantic Golf Center in Attleboro anchored the winning team score, at 6 under.

At an NEPGA's assistants' pro-pro scramble, the Oakley CC entry of Jeff Barnes and Dana Smith shot 7-under 64 at Olde Barnstable GC to edge a trio of teams - including Owens and Martin - by one stroke. Daniel Dwyer of Bass Rocks and Todd Cook of Tedesco also shot 66, as did Tom Giles and Adam Riggs of Stow Acres.

Entry deadlines are fast approaching for the US Open (April 23) and the Massachusetts Open (April 24). You can get information from mgalinks.org.

In an effort to fill a membership gap that plagues many golf clubs, Granite Links GC in Quincy has established a category for those between the ages of 21 and 30. Called the "Young Adult Membership" program, it will defer and reduce certain costs. For information, call marketing director Diane Brickley at 781-740-4231.

Proceeds from the Bill Mecca Roundball Golf Open will benefit Quinnipiac University's student-athletes. The tournament will be held May 15 at Laurel View CC in Hamden, Conn. For information, contact Chuck Menke at Quinnipiac, 203-582-3730, or via e-mail at charles.menke@quinnipiac.edu.

Compiled by Jim McCabe