Journeyman enjoys journey

Kalinowski making most of summer stay

Golf well played remains a delight to observe, a thought that was reinforced not in the glare of a major championship in front of tens of thousands but in the serenity of the New Hampshire mountains with perhaps a few dozen people watching.

No million-dollar purse was up for grabs, nor was there a green jacket or claret jug on the line. Instead, the New England Open was as low key as you can get - which doesn't mean it was any less rewarding to witness. The final round featured that time-honored recipe for tournament drama - a backup by the leaders, splendid play from those charging from behind - and when the day culminated with a nine-hole playoff, it was hard not to smile.

If you embrace the game with an unyielding passion, that is, which not everyone does. That's OK and, in fact, it's what many of us find to be at the heart of golf's charm. There's a greater sense of ownership that way. While a handful of times a year the non-golf fans will charge without hesitation to the game - most likely for the final round of the Masters, perhaps, or certainly for the Ryder Cup - for 365 days golf is a relentless joy to so many of us. That's why we play even when it rains or approaches freezing level, it's why we so often travel or stop in the middle of the day to take an imaginary swing, and certainly it explains why there was pleasure found in the competition that unfolded between Bob Kalinowski and Michael Welch last Friday.

Kalinowski and Welch both began the day at Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club three strokes off the lead, only to fire 67s and share first place, at 12-under 204. Their playoff would be a three-hole aggregate, during which time we had the chance to ask ourselves: Just who is this Bob Kalinowski? Welch has authored a bit of a local reputation, a two-time winner of the New England Amateur and triumphs in a spattering of pro events. The North Quincy product honed his game at Furnace Brook GC and Presidents GC in his hometown, so his presence had some reference points.

But Kalinowski? Well, the entry line said Lynnfield, Mass., but that's only where he's laying down his clubs this summer. In truth, Kalinowski is a 36-year-old who could be called a journeyman and he wouldn't take offense. When touring professionals harken back to a high school state championship (Colorado, 1990), some collegiate victories (University of Colorado), and the most recent win came on the Gateway Tour, well . . . OK, journeyman fits.

"Played two years on the Nationwide Tour, seven in Canada, I've won in Asia, been on the Australasia Tour . . . I've played everywhere," said Kalinowski, Colorado born and bred. The decision to spend this summer in Massachusetts could be traced to his wife, a native of Manchester-by-the-Sea, and it would afford Kalinowski the chance to play in some regional tournaments while he waits for yet another chance at the annual pilgrimage to Q School.

Oh, he is going, too. His New England Open performance decided that.

"I told myself, 'This week, if I don't have something like a top 19, I don't deserve to go [to Q School],' " said Kalinowski, who did far better than a top 19. He won the $25,000 top prize.

It was not one that fell into his hands by happenstance, either. No, Kalinowski went out and got it the old-fashioned way. That is, he earned it, first by chasing in from behind with a six-birdie, one-bogey effort, then by playing beautifully in the three-hole playoff and the subsequent six sudden-death holes. Welch, of course, was just as stellar, and while they were guilty of turning what had been expected to be a short day into a long one, they can be excused for the great theater they produced.

Needing but 12 strokes each to play the par-4 16th, 17th, and 18th holes, Kalinowski and Welch proceeded to play the 350-yard, uphill, dogleg right 18th six more times until a winner was decided. If it were Olympic skating or diving - meaning judges and style points - Kalinowski may have won in one or two trips, for he clearly had the edge with birdie putts that somehow dodged the hole from 6, 8, and 12 feet. Welch, meanwhile, barely said hello to a birdie putt; instead, he nearly pitched in from behind the green to win, then he needed to open up another sand wedge and blade a shot since his ball had come to rest up against a collar of grass. From 22 feet he nearly knocked that in, too. Oh, and the drive that lodged him behind a tree down the left fairway? Welch carved an approach right-to-left, whipped it around the tree, and left himself a 25-footer for birdie.

Good stuff and when the two of them made 4s on the fifth sudden-death hole, they had matched each other shot-for-shot in a head-to-head setting since the 13th hole of regulation, a stretch of 14 holes. What led to the eventual 12-foot birdie putt and the sudden end to the festivities was yet another Kalinowski drive into the gut of the 18th hole, one that was aided by a red car in the parking lot, "because I kept aiming at it and it was a perfect line for my fade," he said.

It was Kalinowski's eighth drive of the day off that 18th hole, but still, that red car offered a friendly view, even as twilight approached and his day had inched closer to seven hours since the opening tee ball.

"I'm glad they stayed," said Kalinowski. "Obviously, an employee."

Then again, it may have simply been a great fan of the game. We may not match the numbers that football and baseball lay claim to, but our passion is unmatched.

He wants to come out looking good

Obviously, the PGA of America didn't confer with Boo Weekley when it came to planning all the sideshows that are part of the Ryder Cup. It's hard to envision that the 35-year-old country boy from the Florida Panhandle would have opted for an evening affair that requires tuxedos - which last night's gala did.

"I'm going to feel like I'm all up in a straitjacket, I reckon," Weekley said Tuesday. "I don't wear them much. Not at all, actually, to tell you the truth."

Weekley needn't go to the extremes of a tuxedo to get a feel for how different this Ryder Cup business is. Just the fact that he's wearing team-issued stuff that cost the PGA of America thousands of dollars is enough.

"I can tell you right now these pants I've got on are probably the most expensive thing I've ever owned. These things, they felt like a pair of silk underwear when you're getting ready to go hunting. They're unreal," said Weekley, who was introduced to the golf world at PGA Tour Q School in 2001 when he wore rain pants and sneakers - because he felt comfortable in them.

With a British press that has become enamored with Weekley hanging on his every word, the Ryder Cup rookie strung together one pearl after another.

On getting to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville last Saturday, Weekley explained: "I came out early so I could ride in a golf cart. I'm too fat to walk that many holes all the time."

On whether he felt some love from the Kentucky folks in Tuesday's practice round: "Oh, I did. My finger feels it, too. I've got a blister on it from where I signed so many autographs today."

On his good nature possibly helping the US guys to loosen up: "A little. Yes, sir. It never hurts to laugh. You should always laugh, at least once or twice a day."

After which the interview session seemed to come back to the topic of tuxedos.

A reporter wondered whether Weekley had ever worn one. He said yes, because "obviously, I got married . . . probably around 2000." Another reporter questioned Weekley, seemingly bringing some doubt into the equation, but he stood his ground and said he had indeed worn one, and not just any tuxedo. "A black and white one," he reported.

Etc.

Looking to enhance their status
While the spotlight will be on the Ryder Cup festivities in Louisville, a little farther south on the PGA Tour the pressure will be on a number of veterans who are trying to maintain full-exempt status. It's a return to the tournament grind after a rare week off and the location will be Madison, Miss., for the Viking Classic, the first of seven fall series events. Chad Campbell will not be there to try and defend, but that's because he's got Ryder Cup duties. There are, however, some other notables, including Rich Beem, sitting 126th on the money list as he tries to get back inside the top 125. David Toms (120th) and Chris DiMarco (143d) are two others who are trying to run their stretches of consecutive years inside the top 125 to 13 and 10, respectively. Vaughn Taylor (124th) has been inside the top 125 four straight years, but is battling to make it five. James Driscoll of Brookline? He's sitting 128th and in need of a big push to regain full-exempt status, a situation that has come about because of five missed cuts in 10 starts dating to May, a stretch during which he hasn't finished better than joint 56th. Mark Calcavecchia (108th) and Brett Quigley (105th) are fairly safe on the money list, though both will tee it up, as will some others who desperately need to start making moves if they want to somehow get inside the top 125. Billy Andrade (183d), David Duval (230d), and John Daly (230th), for examples. Duval is playing on a major medical exemption, but has just $46,287 in 15 tournaments, while Daly has earned but $41,977 in his 15 starts.

Lewis shooting for some more attention
Though most of the attention will be dominated by Michelle Wie's attempt, there's another prominent name who is involved in this week's first stage of LPGA Tour qualifying at Mission Hills CC in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Stacy Lewis, who gathered attention with her efforts at the US Women's Open just weeks after turning pro, is among those trying to make it to the final stage. Wie has opened 70-65 to sit second, three shots behind Sun-Ju Ahn, while Lewis shot 70-71, another five behind Wie. Local players include Briana Vega of Andover (71-69, T-6), Alison Walshe of Westford (71-74), Libby Smith of Vermont (75-75), and Kim Augusta of Rhode Island (77-72). Lynn Valentine of Connecticut shot 79-77 and failed to survive the cut . . . On the LPGA Tour, Lorena Ochoa's winless skid has hit seven tournaments, her longest drought since 2005-06 when she went 17.

Ryder Cup was kid stuff for them

Fairway news: The US overwhelms Europe to win its first Junior Ryder Cup since 1997.

Clubhouse view: Instead of a black-tie gala, suit coats and ties were required for chili dogs and sundaes at Dairy Queen.

They aim to be qualified successes
With the summer minitours coming to a close, it can mean only one thing. It's back to school for aspiring PGA Tour members - Q School, that is. In the past, that has meant the dreaded three stages, but guess what? It's now four. That's right, the PGA Tour has filled its Q School with so many applicants that for those without much status, you now have to enter a prequalifier just to get into first stage. Prequalifiers began Tuesday at three sites and one of them - at Jennings Mill in Bogart, Ga. - features Jason Parajeckas of Woburn; Keegan Bradley, the onetime Hopkinton High School star; Adam Rainaud of South Hadley and the University of Louisville; and George Zolotas of Peabody. Another entrant into that field will be Jay Haas Jr. Out in Roseville, Calif., the prequalifier field includes Andrew Giuliani, the son of the former New York City mayor who has recently become embroiled in controversy by threatening to sue after being dismissed from the golf team at Duke.

Doherty's death leaves a void
Ernie Doherty, a former state amateur champion and passionate golfer who helped make the game a joy for so many throughout the decades, died at the age of 88. He learned the game at Woburn CC, where he later became a club professional before moving on to Cape Cod Country Club, which he owned for years. Doherty, whose fulfilling life will be celebrated with a funeral Mass this morning, is the second New England golf champ from the game's heyday to die in recent month. Former Mass. Amateur champ Warren Tibbetts died in July, leaving us with two fewer connections to a golden age in the game.

Lee ready to build on Amateur win
Having become the youngest winner of the US Amateur with his stirring victory more than a month ago, 18-year-old Danny Lee will probably field a lot of sponsor's exemptions, but the first acceptance went to the Turning Stone Resort Championship. That tournament will be held Sept. Oct. 2-5 at the Atunyote Golf Club in Vernon, N.Y. Born in South Korea, but raised in New Zealand, Lee has created a buzz within the golf world, particularly with those who follow the amateur scene, which he has dominated this summer.

Goalby awarded some recognition
The Champions Tour Tournament Association announced that its winner of the 2008 Bruno Award is Bob Goalby, the onetime Masters champion who also won the inaugural Champions Tour stop in our area, when it was held in 1981 and called the Marlboro Open. (It was held at Marlboro CC those first two years, but has been at Nashawtuc CC in Concord ever since.) Goalby was instrumental in forming the Champions Tour.