Wanner goes out like a pro, taking R.I. Open crown

Aug 1, 2007

 
01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 1, 2007

BY PAUL KENYON

Journal Sports Writer

PORTSMOUTH — This is a first for Rhode Island and perhaps the entire country. Actually, it is hard to imagine it happening anywhere in the golf world.

A young pro, 25 years old with a ton of talent, won a State Open championship yesterday, beating all of the best players in the area. And then he promptly announced that he has giving up the pro life. If all goes as planned, he soon will renounce pro golf and return to playing as an amateur.

Brent Wanner is the guy doing it, and if it sounds as if he is a bit different than the typical pro athlete, that’s because he is.

Wanner, who grew up and still lives on Cape Cod, obviously has the ability to play golf at a very high level. He closed with rounds of 70-66 yesterday at Green Valley for a total of 8-under-par 205 to win the Amica Insurance Rhode Island Open by three shots. When it was over, he said it will be one of his last rounds as a pro.

“Golf is something I’ve loved since I started playing when I was 10,” he said. “Sometimes it’s the cause of stress, and it can be the release for stress. It’s trying to figure out which role I would rather golf be. The last four years (as a pro), it’s been the source of stress.

“I’ve just decided that I really don’t want it that way,” he added. “The way I look at it is there are so few things in life that you really love, that you have a passion for. Golf is one of those things for me. I feel like by playing professionally I’ve lost some of that.”

The move coincides with his decision to go back to school. Wanner is a Wake Forest grad. He went there on a combined golf and academic scholarship. On the golf course, he won three tournaments for the Demon Deacons, was a four-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection and a two-time honorable-mention All-American. In the classroom, he compiled a grade-point average a shade under 3.8.

“It’s always been a kind of balance for me with academics as well as golf,” he said. “I bounced back and forth. When I graduated, I wasn’t sure which career path I was going to take.”

He opted to give pro golf a try, and has had mixed success. His only other victory was in the Vermont Open last year.

“It just hasn’t been quite what I was hoping for,” he said of life as a pro. “I’m going to try the other way, try a normal career and play golf for fun. I plan on going back to being an amateur.”

He will apply to regain his status when he leaves for graduate school in two weeks. He is going to Duke, to the Nicholas School, to study for a master’s degree in environmental management. He plans to work in the field of alternative power sources and alternative fuels.

Golf might have given him stress at other times, but he did not have a lot of it at Green Valley. He began the day three off the lead. His morning 70 put him in good position since conditions became more challenging. Course superintendent Joe Oliveira got the greens, which had been soft in the opening round from the rain and humidity, much firmer.

Veteran John Elliott, a long-time player on the PGA and Nationwide tours, led at 137 after two rounds but fell back with a closing 73 and tied for third at 210 along with Jim Renner (Plainville, Mass.) and Holy Cross grad Frank Dully.

The one player able to challenge Wanner to the finish was Point Judith’s Jeff Martin. He went out in 32 in the final round to take the lead as the players headed into the final nine. Wanner made birdies to pass him.

Wanner nearly eagled the par-5 10th, narrowly missing a 10-footer, and birdied 13 and 15, as well, to overtake Martin. Martin pulled even with a birdie on 15.

Wanner birdied the par-5 17th to regain the advantage. Martin, playing in the group behind Wanner, saw the birdie. He knew he needed a birdie to get back even, so he tried to get home in two on the 548-yard hole. Or at least get close.

“I figured I had to squeeze one up there, get one close,” he said. “I was just trying to hit it at the bunker (that guards the front right of the green). I held on to it a little too long.”

The shot sailed wide right and made much noise as it rippled through the trees — and kept going out of bounds.

“That’s the way it goes. I’d do the same thing all over again,” Martin said.

He double-bogeyed the hole and Renner had the victory.

“It’s an early birthday present,” he said. He turns 26 on Friday. Bob Ward, the RIGA director, and officials from the sponsoring Amica company gave him the present — a check for $6,500 to help him through graduate school, perhaps his final payoff as a pro golfer.

Martin now has had two seconds and a third in this event.

“I played great. I hit a lot of good golf shots,” he said. “This is as good as I’ve played all summer.”

Wannamoisett’s Charlie Blanchard continued his outstanding summer, taking low amateur at 214.

There was a bit of a scare earlier in the day. Former Bryant star Jim Hallet, another Cape Cod guy, felt chest pains as he played the morning round. He told officials, who then called the Portsmouth rescue. An ambulance arrived at the course and gave Hallet tests during the break between the morning and afternoon rounds.

“They said my blood pressure is high, which is not like me, but my heart was fine,” Hallet said. They offered to take him for more tests, but Hallet said he wanted to finish the tournament.

He went out in the afternoon, shot a 1-under 70 and finished 14th at 215.

“I’m still having them,” Hallet said of the chest pains after he finished the final round. “I’m going to the doctor (today).”

He was asked why he did not stop.

“It’s not my mentality to do that,” he said.

Also, John Hickson of Maine, the 1999 champion in this tournament, hit an 8-iron into the hole for an ace on the 150-yard 12th hole in the final round. It was his third career ace. He tied for sixth at 211.

Final Results

 1, Brent Wanner, Orleans, Mass., 69-70-66—205; 2, Jeff Martin, Point Judith CC, 69-69-70—208; T3, Frank Dully, Kernwood CC, 70-69-71—210; T3, John Elliott, Westerly, 67-70-73—210; T3, Jim Renner, Plainville, Mass., 70-70-70—210; T6, John Hickson, Topsham, Maine, 71-70-70—211; T6, Chip Johnson, Hatherly CC, 69-72-70—211; T8, Brian Medley, Portsmouth, 70-71-71—212; T8, David Spitz, The Harmon Club, 66-71-75—212; T8, Rodney Butcher, New Port Richey, Fla., 66-72-74—212.

 11, Allan Menne, Hyannis GC, 71-70-72—213; T12, Jim Salinetti, Stockbridge GC, 69-72-73—214; T12, Charlie Blanchard, Wannamoisett, 70-73-71—214; 14, Jim Hallet, Marsh Landing GC, 71-74-70—215; T15, Scott Spence, Carnegie Abbey, 72-73-71—216; T15, Shane Rice, Valley CC, 72-69-75—216; T15, Brian Owens, North Kingstown, 70-73-73—216; T15, George Donnell, Quidnessett, 72-71-73—216; T19, Bob Tramonti, Quidnessett, 73-74-70—217; T19, Stephen Diemoz, Montaup CC, 71-74-72—217; T19, Ed Kirby, Alpine, 73-69-75—217.

 T22, Troy Pare, Wannamoisett, 74-71-73—218; T22, Joey Iaciofano, Louisquisset, 70-73-75—218; T24, Greg Yeomans, The Bay Club, 72-74-73—219; T24, Mike Ryan, Triggs, 72-71-76—219; T24, Joe Cordani Jr., New Bedford CC, 73-73-73—219; T24, Jeffrey Dantas, Seekonk, 72-70-77—219; T28, William Maguire, Kingston, 74-70-76—220; T28, Al Vallante, Atlantic Golf, 70-73-77—220; T28, Jonathan Pannone, Potowomut, 74-72-74—220; T28, Keith Allcock, Firefly, 71-73-76—220; T28, John Drohen, Alpine, 69-73-78—220.

 T33, Brent Amaral, Fall River CC, 73-74-74—221; T33, Tom Goryl, Wannamoisett, 72-74-75—221; T33, Bob Giusti, Halifax CC, 70-75-76—221; T36, Tom Johnson, East Greenwich, 74-72-76—222; T36, Jay Barrow, Exeter CC, 71-75-76—222; T36, James Farrea, Newport National, 74-72-76—222; T36, Dave Marino, Kirkbrae, 72-78-72—222; T36, David Sampson, Crestwood, 74-71-77—222.

 T41, George Pirie, Valley, 70-77-76—223; T41, Tom McCormick, Kirkbrae, 73-72-78—223; T41, Michael Folan, Ponkapoag, 71-76-76—223; T41, Jesse Larson, Mendon, Vt., 69-77-77—223; T41, Webb Heintzelman, Turner Hill, 73-72-78—223; T46, Drew Harker, Rhode Island CC, 73-74-77—224; T46, Greg Sampson, Crestwood, 72-79-73—224; T46, Daniel Lockhart, Sakonnet, 71-77-76—224; T49, Tom Wecal, Wannamoisett, 74-74-77—225; T49, Conor McMahon, Green Valley, 73-75-77—225.

 T51, Randall Thibault, Ridgewood, 71-76-79—226; T51, Shawn Warren, Windham, Maine, 74-73-79—226; 53, Mike Soucy, Metacomet, 74-79-74—227; T54, Dennis Sales, Ledgemont, 70-82-76—228; T54, Frank Szymkowicz, Warwick, 73-81-74—228; T56, Tom Tobey, Bay Pointe, 74-75-80—229; T56, Brian DiSalvo, Agawam Hunt, 73-79-77—229; 58, Bill Forcier, Valley, 72-76-82—230; 59, David Apuzzo, Wannamoisett, 73-78-80—231.

[email protected]