PAWTUCKET _ For Ryan Pelletier, earning a chance to play in the U.S. Amateur has been, as he describes it, ``like my great white whale. I’ve been after it so long. I’ve been so close, so often, but I’ve never made it.’’ On Thursday, helped by playing on his home course, Pelletier finally harpooned his target. The Pawtucket Country Club star posted rounds of 67-68 for a 3-under 135 total at Pawtucket Country Club to earn one of the three available spots in this year’s U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields in Illinois. He took the third and final available spot. Bryant’s McKinley Slade and 15-year-old high school sophomore Nick Cummings of Weston, Mass., tied for the medal at 134. Cummings had the lowest score of his life, a 65 in the morning, then posted an even-par 69 in the afternoon while Slade had back-to-back 67s. No one had a wider smile when play was over than Pelletier. Earning a berth in the Amateur obviously meant much to him. ``It’s been my nemesis the last four years. Last year, I was leading, then made two late bogeys and missed. I’ve played well every time and been within three or four shots every time, but I couldn’t get in.’’ Pelletier competed in one USGA event, the Mid-Amateur, several years ago. It made him want to get as many chances as possible to do it again. ``It’s so good. It’s such a great experience,’’ he said. ``It almost makes you like an addict. You want to do it again so badly.’’ Thursday he earned his spot with steady play. He had three birds and one bogey in his morning 67, then used two late birdies (on his 15th and 16th holes) to claim his spot. Cummings was a surprise medalist thanks to the best round of the day in the morning, then a strong finish in the afternoon. He was 4-under over the last 10 holes for his 65, began the afternoon round birdie-birdie to get to 6-under, but then stalled. He was 4-over for his next 11 holes to drop back to 2-under. ``Before we started I was thinking 5-under would be the number,’’ he said. ``Then when I saw the scores after the first round I thought 4-under would do it.’’ He got back to 4-under with birds and 14 and 17, then had to wait about two hours for everyone else to finish before being able to claim his spot at Olympia Fields. Slade did not have to wait at all to find out he was in. He was in the last group off the tee and did not finish play until nearly 7 p.m. He came in off a solid year at Bryant, but one in which he did not play as well as he would have liked. The Saunderstown resident did not let the later starting time bother him. For about an hour, it looked as if Bobby Leopold and Brad Valois, the two players who have dominated Rhode Island golf over the past decade, would play off for the final spot after they tied at 136. However, even as officials were beginning to make arrangements for the playoffs, Slade finished birdie-par-birdie-birdie to surge past them and into the tie for first. ``I was a little bit tired out there,’’ Slade admitted, ``but I was able to keep it together and finish strong.’’ Before his big finish Slade had recorded 14 pars and one bogey in the second round. Leopold won the playoff with Valois and becomes the first alternate. Billy Walthouse, one of the leaders of the URI golf team, qualified earlier for Olympia Fields in an event held in Massachusetts.
