Coming from behind with a round of 67 -136, Steve Alminas of
East Longmeadow secured his first winner's check as a professional by
squeezing out a two-stroke victory in a Golfers' Warehouse Tour
tournament at New England CC in Bellingham. Jim Renner of Plainville and Michael Welch of Quincy both had second-round 70s to finish tied for second. First-round leader Michael Carbone of
Brewster backed up his 65 with a 76 -141 that left him joint seventh.
Alminas, who trailed by four to start the day, earned $5,750.
In a dominating performance, Jeff Curl turned
the Portland Open into his personal showcase. Firing rounds of 62-64-68
-194 at Riverside GC, the son of former PGA Tour winner Rod Curl beat the previous scoring record by three strokes in storming to a five-shot victory. Kyle Gallo, also of Connecticut, finished second, while Renner, who held the previous record, closed with a 66 to finish joint third with Dustin Cone, both six back.
Marc Spencer of
the Atkinson Resort & CC shot 3-under 68 at Shaker Hills GC in
Harvard to win low pro honors in the NEPGA Pro-Senior Championship. Chip Johnson of Hatherly CC finished one stroke back, while Paul Parajeckas of Pleasant Valley CC shot 70 to finish third. Johnson anchored the winning team with a sizzling 64, while Mike Wortis of Leo J. Martin led a team that shot 59 to take low net honors.
Matthew Baran of the Oyster Harbors Club and Eric Barlow of
Wollaston Golf Club fired 2-under 70s to share first place in the NEPGA
Assistants Stroke Play Championship at Segregansett. Four players
shared third with 72s - Brent Amaral of Fall River, Ryan Fountaine of Old Sandwich, Matt Arvanitis of Manchester CC, and Daniel Dwyer of Bass Rocks GC.
Amateurs
She sets standard
She made news in May by becoming the first girl to win the Rhode Island Interscholastic League individual title and now Juliet Vongphoumy is
on the verge of setting a new standard. When she tees it up Monday,
Vongphoumy will become the first female to play in the Rhode Island
State Amateur. "We give an exemption to the Interscholastic League
champion," said Robert Ward, executive director of
the Rhode Island Golf Association. "She's the champion, so she's earned
the exemption. I think it's a fantastic thing for golf." The
championship will be held at Agawam Hunt.
Ravi Patel of Naperville, Ill., and David Sampson of
Warren, R.I., each shot 143 in a 36-hole qualifier at George Wright GC
to earn spots in the US Amateur Public Links Championship (July 14-19)
in Aurora, Colo. Ricky Jones shot 137 to earn the spot that was available at a qualifier at Nonesuch River GC in Scarborough, Maine.
Gerry Dickhaut shot 81 to win by three in a Tour of Greater Boston tournament at Hickory Ridge in Amherst. At the Orchards in South Hadley, Steve Birnbaum's 75 afforded him a one-stroke triumph.
Tom Randele of
Lynnfield shot 71 to take a three-stroke win in a Boston Amateur Golf
Society tournament at Scottish Highlands in Salem, N.H. At River Bend
in West Bridgewater, Mark Dwyer of Marshfield and Jay Leonard of Holliston tied for low honors with 73s.
Gales storm to win
Mary and Dan Gale shot 74 to squeeze out a one-stroke victory in the annual WGAM Mother-Son Tournament at Fall River CC. JoAnn Squillante and Brad Dean shared second with Roberta and Bob Hunt, while Joanne and Jake Catlin shot 76 to finish fourth. In Division 2, Kathy and Michael Kasper shot 76 to win by three over Mary Jane and Stephen Wagner. Kathleen Natale did double duty to sweep the top two spots in the 12-and-under nine-hole division, shooting 46 with Colin and 48 with Aidan.
In the WGAM's Mother-Daughter tournament, Bata and Lauren Milosh shot 81 to edge Lucy Kennedy and Meara Kennedy-Golden by three at Olde Scotland Links in Bridgewater. Amy and Emily Coombs won Division 2, while Maureen and Anna Haynes prevailed in Division 3.
The CIGNA
Golf Classic at Gillette Ridge GC in Bloomfield, Conn., July 11-13 will
mark the first of four tournaments in the Northeast for the Futures
Tour. The following week, the tour will move up to Syracuse, N.Y., then
swing down to Concord, N.H., July 25-27. It comes back to Albany, N.Y.,
in September.
Juniors
N.E. girls qualify
Marisa Kamelgarn of
Mahopac, N.Y., shot 72 at Winchester CC to secure medalist honors in a
qualifier for the US Girls' Junior. The other qualifiers were four New
Englanders - Brittany Altomare of Shrewsbury (74), Brittany Weddell of Buzzard's Bay (76), Isabel Southard of Sharon (76), and Kristen Garabedian of Poultney, Vt. (77).
The Norfolk County Junior Classics will be held July 30 (girls) and
Aug. 1 (boys) at Presidents GC in Quincy. Players ages 12-20 are
eligible, with the boys split into three divisions - 12-14, 15-17, and
18-20. The entry frees are $30 for girls, $35 for boys and the deadline
is Monday, July 28. Entry forms are available in the pro shop and tee
times will be on the website presidentsgc.com.
James Pleat of
Nashua, N.H., shot 73-72 -145 to lead the list of golfers who got
through a qualifier at Dedham Country & Polo Club and secured
berths in the US Junior Amateur. Nicholas Erlichman of Shrewsbury and Richard Werenski of South Hadley shared second at 146, while Brad Cadigan of South Weymouth had 147 to secure the fourth and final spot.
Jackie McMenimon of the Rockland Golf Course and Rachel Sederberg of
the host club shot 72 to storm to an 11-stroke win in the WGAM's
Member-Junior Championship at Olde Scotland Links in Bridgewater. In
Division B, Marcia Veale and Julia Derendale of Wenham CC shot 39 to win the nine-hole event.
Once again, the New England PGA Titleist Junior Tour is offering a
series of tournaments for youngsters ages 8-18 (as of Sept. 1, 2008).
New memberships are being accepted. The age divisions are as follows:
boys' 16-18, 14-15, 12-13, and 11-and-under for nine holes; and girls'
14-18 and 13-and-under for nine holes. A membership is $125, which
includes a gift pack from Titleist and access to a website to sign up
for tournaments. Call Bryan Leskowitz at 508-869-0000, Ext. 204, or e-mail [email protected].
Miscellany
Birdies for Brave
TPC
Boston officials continue to work overtime for charities devoted to
helping US troops and their families. The club's annual Birdies for the
Brave event will be held Monday and there are a number of ways to help.
Sponsorships are available, as are spots in the field, or you can
donate auction items. For information, contact Amy Sullivan at 508-285-3200 or [email protected]. Compiled by Jim McCabe
