Champions Dean Parziale and Eugene DiSarro
(RIGA Photo)
PORTSMOUTH, NH (May 31, 2017) - Dean Parziale chipped in for birdie on the second playoff hole to give him and his partner, Eugene DiSarro, the title in the 24th RIGA Senior Four-Ball at Green Valley CC.
Parziale’s shot capped one of the wilder days in RIGA history. It came more than 12 hours after play began. The day included a 2:45 minute rain delay, fog and chilly temperatures toward the end and a scramble at the top of the standings that saw a dozen teams pull within two strokes of the lead.
In the end it came down to Parziale and DiSarro in a playoff with the oldest team in the event, Paul Quigley and Mike Soucy.
DiSarro, a rookie who just became eligible when he turned 55, combined with Parziale to post a 5-under 66, the best round of the tournament. That had the team alone at the top for a while until multi-time champions Quigley and Soucy came in with a 67 to match Parziale and DiSarro at 5-under 137.
At the time no other team on the course was better than 5-under, although Norm Levesque and Don Wright and the team of Chris Hurd and Allen Sayles also were at that number. Three other teams still on the course were one behind and two others two behind.
Five teams finshed at 4-under, one stroke out of the playoff. They were Hurd-Sayles, Levesque and Wright, Joe Dias and Brad Edgerton, Paul Couture and Gary Palmer and Eric Ahlborg and Ron Amado.
The four-time defending champions, George Pirie and Tom Acciardo, were still very much alive at 3-under, two off the lead at the turn. But their bid to become the first players ever in any RIGA competition to win five straight failed because of two late bogeys.
The finish capped a log and at times frustrating day for everyone.
While the northern part of the state received little, if any, rain the East Bay was hit hard with at least a half inch of rain. Play had to be halted at 11:45 a.m. before the leaders had even begun play. Play did not resume until 2:30, meaning it was 12 hours by the time the event finished.
View results for Rhode Island Senior Four-Ball
ABOUT THE Rhode Island Senior Four-Ball
36-hole stroke play championship. Eligibility: Age 55
& over. Combined team index of 20.0 or less. Member
of RIGA member club.
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