Hale Irwin meets the young golfers during the Tuesday practice round at Salem Country Club.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
The U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club this summer was by all accounts a resounding success. While 2017 champion Kenny Perry, who shot a record-setting 16-under 264, and runner up Kirk Triplett were battling it down the stretch, there were many stories behind the scenes that made the week memorable.
By BOB ALBRIGHT
Of all the possible ceremonies discussed as part of Winthrop Golf Club’s 100th anniversary this summer, there was one that proved to be a no-brainer for the centennial committee: rename the club championship trophy for the guy who has won 20 percent of the titles in the club’s 100-year history.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
When it comes to having a good day, it just doesn’t get any better than the one 20-year-old Hannah Ghelfi of East Falmouth had at Myopia Hunt Club. On August 3, the University of Michigan rising sophomore won the 114th Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship at the historic South Hamilton course.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
The 99th Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship, held July 31- Aug. 2 at The Orchards Golf Club on the campus of Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, came down to a battle featuring four talented Division 1-bound golfers, including 2017 St. John’s Prep graduate Mark Turner of Gloucester.
PHOTO BY DAVID COLT
Matt Parziale, shown putting in the Mass Four-Ball Championship earlier this year.
NEWTON — Matt Parziale ended the championship dreams of two North Shore golfers today in the 109th Massachusetts Amateur tourney at Charles River Country Club. The Thorny Lea member ousted Charlie May (Ferncroft CC) 4&3 in the morning, a continuation of Wednesday’s Round of 16 match halted by bad weather. In today’s early Round of 8 match, Parziale eliminated Mark Turner (Bass Rocks GC), 1-up. Turner had beaten Kevin Gately of Harmon GC 1-up earlier today, in their Round of 16 match.
Nick Maccario (Bradford CC), who had beaten Herbie Aikens (Pinehills CC) 2&1 this morning, was ousted by Jackson Lang (Nashawtuc CC) in their Round of 8 match.
Swampscott’s Steven DiLisio (Salem CC) lost to Cody Booska (CC of Greenfield) 1-up in the continuation of their Round of 16 match today.
There are four golfers still alive in the championship. Parziale and Lang are going head-to-head now, with Parziale 3-up through nine holes. Billy Walthouse (Longmeadow GC) and Matt Cowgill (Wayland CC) are in the other semi-final match; Cowgill was 1-up after 11 holes at 3:45 p.m. today.
The winners of those two matches will meet in the 36-hole final tomorrow.
PHOTO BY DAVID COLT
Nick Maccario of Bradford Country Club
NEWTON — Swampscott’s Steven DiLisio‘s dream of winning the 109th Massachusetts Amateur Championship ended this morning. The 19-year-old golfer, who plays out of Salem Country Club, was ousted by Cody Booska (CC of Greenfield) 1-up. The Round of 16 match, which began yesterday at Charles River Country Club, was delayed by bad weather and completed this morning.
In fact, Mother Nature was not kind yesterday as four separate suspensions of play wreaked havoc on the third day of competition. The day called for the completion of the round of 32 and the round of 16. However, after delays that totaled two hours and 40 minutes – the first of which came just before 10:57 a.m. – only the round of 32 was completed. Only one round of 16 match was completed when the final suspension of play horn sounded at 6:16 p.m.
Play resumed at 7:45 a.m. today. All rounds started from the spot where they left off on Wednesday evening. Several North Shore golfers are still in the running. As of 8:30 this morning, Nick Maccario (Bradford CC) led Herbie Aikens (Pinehills CC) 3-up after 12 holes, Charlie May (Ferncroft CC) was 2-down to Matt Parziale (Thorny Lea) after seven holes, and Mark Turner (Bass Rocks GC) was 2-up on Kevin Gately (Harmon CC) after seven holes.
Check back here for updates throughout the day.
Here’s a roundup of yesterday’s Round of 32 matches of North Shore players:.
Steven DiLisio (Salem CC) def. Stephen Demare (George Wright GC), 2 up
Despite a hole in one by Demare on the 4th hole, stroke-play medalist DiLisio battled back from a 2-down deficit thanks in part to three straight birdies made on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes. The birdie stretch was much needed after DiLisio, who had made just six bogies through his first 36 holes, carded five bogies through eight holes. Demare, playing in what is his first ever MGA Championship Proper, carded bogey on the last two holes.
Cody Booska (CC of Greenfield) def. Chris Francoeur(Amesbury G & CC), 5 and 4
Days after winning the CC of Greenfield club championship by 11 strokes, Booska needed just 14 holes to defeat Francoeur. Following a bogie-birdie start, Booska took advantage of a stretch of holes where Francoeur made five straight bogies to break out to a 5-up lead through nine holes. Although Francoeur made birdie on the 10th hole, it was not enough as Booska closed out the match with a win on the 14th hole with a par.
Nick Maccario (Bradford CC) def. Brian Bassett (Oyster Harbors), 4 and 3
Maccario made his first birdie of the day on the 6th hole to take an early 1-up lead over Basset. The lead grew to 2 up for Maccario after Basset suffered bogies on the 10th and 11th holes. Maccario then made his final move of the match by making birdie on the 12th, 14th and 15th holes to earn victory in 15 holes.
Mark Turner (Bass Rocks GC) def. Doug Clapp (Old Sandwich GC), 20 holes
The match was all square through nine holes before Turner made two bogies – on the 10th and 11th holes – to give Clapp a 2-up advantage. It was a lead that Clapp would hold through 14 holes when he carded a bogey on the 482-yard, par 5 15th hole. Turner made birdie on the next hole to even the match and then he took a 1-up lead when Clapp made bogey on the 17th hole. On the 18th hole, Clapp evened the score with a par to force extra holes. The players both made par on the first extra hole before Turner was able to execute and make birdie on the second playoff hole for the victory.
Charlie May (Ferncroft CC) def. Michael Souliotis (Haverhill CC), 4 and 3
Following a roller-coaster first six holes where he made two birdies, one bogey and one double bogey, May managed to right the ship and played his next five holes at even par. Souliotis managed one birdie – on the 4th hole – but bogies carded on the 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th holes proved to be costly as he was 4-down through 11 holes. He managed to get one back after a May bogie n the 12th hole, but May closed out the match with three straight pars.
