Arlington resident Paul Murphy recently won the Massachusetts Senior Amateur title.(David Colt
)
Globe West Sports Notebook
Arlington’s Paul Murphy takes Mass. Senior Amateur golf title
Arlington resident Paul Murphy recently won the Massachusetts Senior Amateur title.(David Colt
)
When Arlington resident Paul Murphy knocked in a 1 1/2-foot downhill par putt on the 18th hole at Salem Country Club last week, it gave the longtime Charles River Country Club member a one-shot victory in the Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship - his first Massachusetts Golf Association title in 21 years.
“It was a wonderful way to end the season and it’s going to make the winter a little easier to take,’’ said the 58-year-old Murphy, who had a great run last year in his first US Senior Amateur, advancing to the quarterfinals of match play at Shady Oaks CC in Fort Worth.
“On that final hole at Salem, I had a 35-foot putt and had to get down in two for par, and I hit a pretty nice approach putt just above the hole.’’
A 13-time club champion at Newton’s Charles River, Murphy fired a 2-over 146 at Salem for his first major amateur win since the 2006 New England Seniors. His last MGA victory was at the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur in 1988.
“Winning the Charles River championships is my greatest achievement in golf because of the number of times and the quality of the players there,’’ Murphy said.
A qualifier in nearly 30 state championship competitions, Murphy registered his best finish at the Mass. Amateur in 1982, when he bested Mike Wedge in the semifinals on the first playoff hole, before bowing to Jim Hallett.
A proponent of the practice-makes-perfect theory, the former Newton North High golf captain and Providence College star says he plays or practices four to five times a week after work.
“I’ve been with the Purecoat North metal-finishing company in Belmont for 33 years and they’ve been great in giving me time to play,’’ said Murphy, who also lauded the support of his wife, Donna, and 12-year-old daughter, Alicia.
A third- and fourth-place finisher, respectively, at the 2006 and 2007 Mass. Senior Amateur, Murphy led Newton North to the state team championship in 1968 and 1969. In addition to his state Mid-Amateur win, Murphy has been victorious at the Ouimet Memorial, the Southeast Amateur, and Norfolk County Classic. He is also a two-time Boston Globe Tournament of Club Champions winner.
“I grew up learning the game from my dad and as a caddie at Woodland Golf Club in Newton,’’ said Murphy, who joined Charles River in 1969. His father was the club president at Charles River from 1981 to ’83, and both of his parents, Tom and Rita Murphy of West Newton, are honorary members.
Murphy, who has played in two British Amateurs and one Irish Amateur, has qualified for four US Amateurs and nine US Mid-Amateurs.
He has also been selected to 15 Massachusetts teams for Tri-State competition against Connecticut and Rhode Island. This year’s matches will be held today and tomorrow at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton. Murphy will be joined on the 12-man squad by captain Frank Vana Jr. of Marlborough CC and Brian Higgins of Franklin CC in a quest for a record sixth consecutive Tri-State title.
Bellomo hits stride for Holy Cross team
Former Holliston High football standout Matt Bellomo, the state’s player of the year in 2007, is having a breakout sophomore season as starting tailback for unbeaten Holy Cross (4-0).“He’s a complete back and a dynamic player who always goes full speed in games and at practice,’’ said the Crusaders’ running backs coach, Bill McCarthy.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Bellomo was the team’s leading rusher (162 yards on 37 carries, 4.4 average) and was tied for the team lead with three rushing TDs. He also ranked second in pass receptions (16) and receiving yards (136), and, according to McCarthy, has also done an excellent job protecting the passer.
Bellomo was a Globe All-Scholastic and Tri-Valley League Player of the Year while at Holliston, where he scored 37 TDs and ran for a school-record 3,335 career yards.
Boole takes over Hamilton’s goal
Eric Boole, a team captain and Tri-Valley League all-star last fall for Medfield High’s soccer team, has garnered Liberty League Defensive Performer of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors this season as a freshman goalkeeper at Hamilton College in upstate New York.
Boole, who had three shutouts and ranked second in the league with an 0.43 goals-against average, had registered a .919 save percentage for Hamilton, 4-3-1 overall after its 5-1 victory Sunday against SUNY Institute of Technology.
“After watching our first game from the sidelines Eric got his chance to show his stuff as a starting keeper and never went back to the bench,’’ said Hamilton’s head coach, Perry Nizzi. “He started his college career by registering shutouts in his first two games, and he’s sure made our coaching staff look like we know what we’re doing.’’
Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com. 
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