BARRINGTON, R.I. (Sept. 22, 2014) — The more
things change, the more they seem to stay the
same for
tournament players in the Rhode Island Golf
Association.
The final major event of the season, the Mid-
Amateur, is a case in point. Change was one of
the day’s big
topics on Monday because of the site, Rhode
Island Country Club, not because of the
scoreboard.
The board reflected a typical RIGA event. So
many familiar names who are frequent
contenders are at it again.
Pawtucket’s Ryan Pelletier led the way, using a
chip-in eagle on the par-5 11th to boost himself
to a 4-under 67
and a two-stroke lead. Playing in the final group
in Tuesday’s second round will be familiar
territory for
Pelletier. He has been in the final group in four
of the five RIGA events in which he has
competed this year.
Jamie Lukowicz, the longtime West Warwick
member who now plays out of Metacomet, was
second with a 2-
under 69 that included six birdies. Another
Metacomet member, George Cidale, is third at
70, followed by
senior champion George Pirie at 72.
State Amateur winner Bobby Leopold, 2013
Senior champion Mike Schmidt, the baseball Hall
of Famer, and
Four-Ball titlist Kyle Hoffman lead a group at 73
that also includes E.J. Wholey and Michael
Petrarca.
It was beyond the scoreboard where the subject
of change came up.
Rhode Island Country Club long has been one of
the state’s most popular clubs. Any event at the
bayside
course designed by the great Donald Ross draws
a big field. That was true this year, more than
ever.
The event, for players aged 25 and older, is the
first RIGA competition since the course
underwent dramatic
renovation last year that gave it a very different
look.
"They removed 770 trees,’’ pointed out Bob
Ward, the RIGA’s executive director. "It’s a very
different course
now.’’
The course always has had a European feel. The
removal of the trees makes that more obvious
than ever.
Sight lines are now wide open, allowing
someone to be on one side of the course and see
all the way across to
the other side. The wind, always a factor along
the water, now is a bigger factor than ever,
especially when it
is blowing as strongly as it was on Monday.
Figuring out the wind is more difficult than ever.
"I was just over on the other side of the course
(behind the clubhouse, away from the water)
and I swear the
wind was blowing this way,’’ said George Fowler,
one of the RIGA officials helping run the event.
Fowler pointed
straight at the water.
"But you go across the road and the wind is
blowing this way,’’ Fowler said, pointing parallel
to the water. "It’s
not that far away, but it’s blowing in two
different directions.’’
The Mid-Am has not needed a qualifier in recent
years because the field has not been that large.
This year the
entries climbed over 130 before RIGA officials
realized what was happening, forcing play to be
held in
foursomes, something the association tries to
avoid.
"It’s strictly because of the venue,’’ Ward said.
"Everyone wants to play here. We have more
players here than
we had for the stroke play where high school
and college kids are eligible.’’
The three-bridge day (all three of the state’s
major bridges are visible from the course on
clear days) was
difficult from the outset because of the wind that
produced white caps on the water. Pirie, coming
off a rousing
performance in winning the Senior Championship
in his last start, looked to be on his way to
another lead. But
a late double-bogey forced him to settle for a
72. Cidale had five birdies but a bogey on the
18th left him at
70.
Lukowicz had his struggles, too. He doubled the
par-3 fifth hole. He hit a nine-iron that he
thought was fine,
but the ball hopped over the green and led to a
five. Lukowicz had birds on 1, 2, 6 and 8 to
overcome that.
Pelletier had the best day of all, a 67 that was
all the more impressive considering that he was
among the late
starters.
"I had it going today,’’ he said of his work that
included five birdies in addition to his eagle on
11. On 11, he
could not get home in two.
"I left myself in good position for an easy chip,’’
he related. "It was nice and straight and went
right in.’’
The event is big for a number of players,
including Lukowicz. The state’s Tri State team
for next month’s
matches against Connecticut and Massachusetts
will be set after this event. Lukowicz currently is
17th in the
standings for the team, which includes 12
players, including four seniors. Pelletier already
has clinched a spot
on that team, as has Pirie.
It took a score of 81 to advance to Tuesday’s
final round.
View results for Rhode Island Mid-Amateur
ABOUT THE Rhode Island Mid-Amateur
Open to male amateur golfers who are members
with
a RIGA member club, have reached their 25th
birthday
by the start of the event, and an index no more than
12.0. Format is 36-holes of stroke play with a cut to
the low 55 players and ties after the first round.
There
will also be a senior division for those 55 and older.
View Complete Tournament Information