Kushner goes wire to wire in Mass. Junior

With a closing effort of 1-over-par 73, Bradley Kushner completed an impressive wire-to-wire performance yesterday to breeze to a four-stroke victory in the Mass. Golf Association Junior Championship at Brae Burn in Newton.

A New Jersey resident who plays out of the Country Club of New Seabury in Mashpee, Kushner opened with a 71 Monday to forge a lead he never surrendered. He finished 54 holes at 3-over 219.

Dan McQueen of Bellevue in Melrose came home in 74 -223 to finish second in the competition featuring players 16-17 years old.

WGAM - Posting a solid round of 77, Victoria MacKay of Southers Marsh in Plymouth squeezed out a one-stroke victory in the Class A Senior Championship. Annette Gaiotti of Olde Barnstable finished second. In Class B, Barbara Ann Charles of the host club, Segregansett in Taunton, shot 85 to edge another competitor out of Olde Barnstable, Patricia Eastman, by a stroke.

Ouimet Memorial - Zack Bennardo of Norwich, Conn., went out bright and early and shot 1-over 73, Hunter Stone of Crumpin-Fox went out in the final group and eclipsed him with a 72, and in-between an array of notable names shot 74 to highlight the opening round at Wollaston in Milton. Four-time champ Frank Vana Jr., Steve Tasho, Mike Calef, Michael Gunderson, Andrew Mason, and Keith Stone recorded 74s to sit two off the pace as the tournament shifts to Framingham today.

Rhode Island Open - Having won the opens of Massachusetts and Vermont, Jim Renner got off to a splendid start in his bid to add another to his list. With a 7-under 62, Renner sits one ahead of Tom Johnson, with Michael Carbone of Brewster third after a 65 at Pawtucket.

JIM McCABE