Keeping score around New England

July 2, 2009

Jeff Martin of Point Judith Country Club lost in a playoff at the PGA Professional National Championship yesterday, costing him a spot in this year’s PGA Championship. Martin shot a final-round 68 at Twin Warriors Golf Course in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., and was in an eight-man playoff for the final five spots (20 players advance to the year’s fourth major). Four other locals made the 72-hole cut: Chip Johnson of Hatherly (tied for 29th), John Hickson from Dick’s Sporting Goods (tied for 34th), Ron Philo of Sugarbush (tied for 50th), and Eric Barlow of Worcester (tied for 59th). Other players from the New England section who competed and missed the cut include J.J. Weaver and Boomer Erick (Boston Golf Club), Frank Dully (Kernwood), Daniel Dwyer (Bass Rock), George Goich (Turner Hill), Bret Gracey (Concord), Adam Hemeon (Weston), Cory Mansfield (Fore U Golf Center), Mark Heartfield (Sankaty Head), Scott Spence (Carnegie Abbey), Brian Spitz (Black Rock), Thomas Tobey (Bay Pointe), Jay Wick (Old Sandwich), Greg Yeomans (Bay Club), and James Antonelli (Marshfield) . . . The team of Dennis McCleary and Paul Dechambeau had a 68 to win the inaugural Braintree Men’s Open, held last weekend at Braintree Municipal Golf Course. Their 4-under total in the best-ball format was two strokes better than Dave Cevolani and Anthony Bissanti to win the A flight gross division. They also won the net competition with a 62. In the B flight, Joe Buonopane and Eddie Murphy shot a 77 to win low gross by three shots over Tobey Johnson and Paul Scarnici.

The LPGA Golf Clinics for Women and the Legends Tour will conduct two clinics at Spring Valley Country Club in Sharon July 13 and 20. The clinics will focus on women’s initiatives and using golf as an outlet for business development and client entertainment. For information, call 617-997-6194.

The Jason Varitek Celebrity Putt-Putt fund-raiser is scheduled for today at Ferncroft Country Club in Middleton. Other members of the Red Sox and local celebrities are scheduled to participate in the event, which raises money for Saints Medical Center and the Celebrities for Charity Foundation. The tournament, played over an 18-hole, custom-built putt-putt course, begins at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.varitekputtputt.org . . . Those who love golf never need a reason to play, but here’s one. A tournament at Plausawa Valley Country Club in Pembroke, N.H., to benefit the Timothy Morris Rehabilitation Fund is set for July 29. You might not know Tim, but you know people like him: dedicated, selfless, passionate about Boston’s professional sports teams. Tim injured his spinal cord in an automobile accident two years ago, and has shown remarkable progress since in his goal to walk again. The tournament - which includes lunch - will help with his therapy and treatment. For information, call 508-294-0146 or 339-227-7171.

Anyone wishing to participate in the Massachusetts Golf Association’s Father-Son Championship needs to get their applications in by 5 p.m. today. The tournament is limited to 120 teams and will be played Aug. 4-5 at Segregansett Country Club in Taunton. Entry fee is $125. For an application, visit www.mgalinks.org . . . Entries for US Amateur qualifying are due by Wednesday, with local qualifying scheduled at four sites: Cranston (R.I.) Country Club (July 27), Maplegate Country Club in Bellingham and The Ledges Golf Club in York, Maine, (July 28), and Wahconah Country Club in Dalton (Aug. 3). The US Amateur, which is Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., has a GHIN handicap index of 2.4.

The two-week window to purchase tickets for the Deutsche Bank Championship concludes tomorrow. All ticket options are available online at www.dbchampionship.com, by calling 877-TIX-4DBC, or at any Stop & Shop. The Deutsche Bank Championship, the second of four PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff events, is Sept. 3-7 at TPC Boston in Norton.