Hadges is the leading man in this motion picture
MARION - Flags were still, trees stood motionless, and the ocean winds had quieted, if but for a day, so golfers had a much better shot at decent scores.
Though the numbers improved dramatically during yesterday's second round of the Massachusetts Amateur at the Kittansett Club, the level of play didn't.
"I didn't hit the ball much better [Monday] than [yesterday] and my score is eight shots lower," said last year's champion, Burgess Houston, who finished with a 2-over-par 72 after an 80 Monday and at 152 missed the cut by a stroke.
The difference was the wind, and for many golfers, Monday's harsh conditions affected scores so much that yesterday's final round of stroke play was a desperate effort to advance to the 32-player match-play portion, which begins today.
As the final groups neared the end of their rounds, golfers, officials, caddies, family members, and others gathered in the scorer's tent to see if the frantic efforts had paid off. At that point, the cut was undetermined, but it would be either 151 or 152.
"This is tenuous, isn't it?" said David Pierce of Halifax, who waited with the others as the final scores were tallied. He ended up making the cut with a 150 after shooting a 72.
Hunter Stone of Crumpin-Fox began the day tied for second after a 71 and seemed all but certain to make the cut.
He was even on the front nine but fell to 5 over after a bogey on No. 10 and a quadruple bogey on 11. Stone made par on the next five holes, but it all fell apart on Nos. 17 and 18.
Stone had a double bogey on 17, and his tee shot at 18 sailed out of bounds. After his next drive landed in the middle of the fairway, his approach wound up far left, about 15 feet in front of the clubhouse patio. The 19-year-old, who will attend Rollins College this fall, needed four more shots to finish the hole, making another quadruple bogey.
Stone's 81 put him at 152 and he did not make the grade.
Brian Higgins of Franklin fired a 71 after a 77 Monday and hoped it would be good enough.
"I figured if the wind was calm, I needed 70, 71 to have a chance," Higgins said. "If the wind is blowing, I figured 73 or 74 might have a chance to get in. I had a number in mind, but I tried not to think about it, play shot by shot."
Higgins's 148 easily got him into match play.
John Hadges of Thorny Lea led after the first round with an even-par 70 and shot 72 yesterday, earning medalist honors at 142. He said his game didn't change much even though the weather did.
"I changed a couple of [tee shots] only because of the wind, or lack thereof," said Hadges.
As the large group awaited the final results, Pierce had remained jovial, though he said he had played poorly.
The 47-year-old has spent the last 10 years working as an instructor at a driving range in Bellingham and the 10 before that as head pro at Norfolk in Westwood.
When notified that he had indeed made the cut in his first amateur event, though barely, Pierce smiled and seemed relieved.
"I like match play and we'll find out how good I am at that," he said. "I'm thrilled, just thrilled."
