2016 US Open Local Qualifying
| North Kingstown GC Monday May 9, 2016 | ||
| | Final Results Final Recap By Paul Kenyon NORTH KINGSTOWN _ Kevin Silva came within one shot of equaling the North Kingstown course record on Monday, but he could not have cared less. The reigning RIGA Amateur Champion was not concerned about breaking any records. All he wanted on this day was to finish in the top three among the 54 competitors taking part in local qualifying for this year’s U.S. Open. He did so easily. The Montaup member recorded a sparkling 6-under 64 at the municipal course to earn medalist honors by five strokes. Max Gilbert, a pro from Saint-Georges, Quebec, took second with a 69. Rob Corcoran, a pro from Melbourne, Fla., birdied the first hole of a playoff with Bob Bigonette to take the final spot. Corcoran and Bigonette, a former Bryant College star who now lives in Fairfield, Ct., both had posted even-par 70s. Silva did not know about the course record until after he was finished. When John Rainone, the club pro, told him that the record is 63 held by Ryan Porter, Silva smiled. ``Ryan’s a friend. I’m not surprised. He could really play when he was younger,’’ Silva said. Silva is back playing again the way he was as a teenager when he was one of the highest rated juniors in the country. He was a two-time Massachusetts junior champion, had a fine career at North Carolina then played professionally for seven years before deciding to return to amateur status. The 31-year-old now works as an engineer for a company that builds cell phone towers. He joined Montaup and competed in RIGA events last summer and put on a superb display on the way to winning the 110th Amateur at Metacomet. ``Last year something really clicked with my golf swing. All through the summer I felt really comfortable. At Metacomet everything was so comfortable,’’ he related. He did not play at all over the winter. ``Once I got back out this spring those same swing thoughts that helped me out last year are staying true,’’ he said. ``All it is now is building up those muscles again. I’m really looking forward to playing some golf this year.’’ Silva had not played North Kingstown competitively in more than a decade, since competing in Open qualifying while he was in college. He also advanced that day. The former pro loves playing in the Open. He has advanced to sectionals seven or eight times now by his count, and twice earned a berth in the Open, in 2008 at Torey Pines and 2009 at Bethpage. ``It’s exhilarating. I love the fans. I love the people around it. I love the big time atmosphere. There’s nothing like it,’’ Silva said of competing in an Open. ``I learned a lot by playing in them and I’m a better player for it.’’ Silva played solidly in both Opens both struggles late in the second round presented him from making the cut. Monday at North Kingstown, Silva birdied 3, 6, 7 and 9 to gout out in 32. ``I was really under control all day. I think that’s the biggest thing,’’ he said. ``Things got windy on the back nine and it was a little tougher.’’ If his round had a key it came at 13 and 14. At 13, he made an eight-footer to save par, a putt ``that really pumped me up,’’ he said. He stepped to the tee on the 210-ayrd 14th and drilled a 4-iron within three feet, then tapped in for bird. ``That felt so sweet,’’ is the way he described it. By then, he had pulled away from the field and he coasted in. Bigonette, a Lincoln native who now spends most of his time as a teaching pro, is the first alternate. RIGA Junior champion Patrick Welch birdied the first hole of a five-way playoff to become second alternate. Those players, who also included former RIGA champion Bobby Leopold, posted 71s.
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