Mass Junior Champion
DEVENS, MASS (August 3, 2005) -- Under warm and sunny skies this afternoon, Evan Harmeling (Andover CC) proved that he is one of the top junior players in the state as he captured the 2005 Massachusetts Junior Championship title. This year’s three-day championship event was held at Red Tail Golf Club in Devens.
Harmeling, a junior at Phillips Andover Academy, entered the final round of play two strokes back of second-round leader Colin Brennan (Indian Ridge CC) but he saved his best for last as he posted a day-low score of 2-under par 70 on Wednesday to break into the top spot and secure the victory with a final score of even par 216.
As a result of his victory today, Harmeling will now have his name placed alongside golfing greats such as Ray Ouimet, Fred Wright and Ed Lowery on the Charles E. Mason Championship Trophy.
Harmeling started his round off strong by making birdie on the 516-yard, par 5 2nd and 161-yard, par 3 5th holes. Despite a bogey on the 8 th hole, Harmeling was in a good position as he made the turn at 1-under par 35. Unrelenting down the stretch, Harmeling did not give his competitors any room to steal the title away as he went 1-under par through his final nine holes to secure the three-stroke victory.
Finishing in second place with a score of 3-over par 219 was Davis Mullany (Wyantenuck CC), who carded a final-round score of 1-over par 73. After making the turn at 1-under par 35, Mullany ran into trouble as he posted bogey on the 12th and 15th holes as well as a double bogey on the 399-yard, par 4 14th hole. He finished strong, however, as he made consecutive birdies on the final two holes to surge ahead of third-place finisher Brennan.
Brennan, who took over the top spot on the leaderboard following Tuesday’s spectacular round of 3-under par 69, was unable to find his rhythm on Wednesday as he struggled from the start. A double bogey on the 417-yard, par 4 9th hole – his second shot sailed into the hazard – was followed by two bogies and only one birdie down the stretch. Brennan finished the final round with a score of 4-over par 76 for a three-day total of 4-over par 220
Antonio Grillo (Farm Neck GC) made a statement this afternoon by laying claim to the Pre-Junior title with a score of 7-over par 223. Grillo, who posted scores of even par 72 and 2-over par 74 on Monday and Tuesday respectively, was in the running for the overall Junior Division title until the final day when he registered a score of 5-over par 77.
Grillo made the turn at 2-over par 38 and suffered two bogies and one double bogey through his next nine holes. A birdie on the 499-yard, par 5 18th hole, however, was a fitting way to close out the round as Grillo finished with a six-stroke lead over his closest Pre-Junior competitor, Taylor Fontaine (Pleasant Valley CC). Fontaine posted his best round of the tournament – a 3-over par 75 – to vault into second place and bump Bradley Kushner (CC of New Seabury) into third place in the division. Fontaine’s third-round score featured an eagle on the 512-yard, par 5 4th hole.
Capturing the Boys Division title with an impressive score of 6-over par 222 was Richard Werenski (The Orchards GC). Werenski, a 13-year-old from South Hadley, entered the final round of play with a six-stroke lead and pulled even further away from the field on Wednesday by posting a 3-over par 75. Finishing 12 strokes behind in a tie for second place were Stephen Soucy (Mount Pleasant GC) and Richard’s 11-year-old brother Michael Werenski (The Orchards GC).
For complete results, click on the tournament link above.
ABOUT THE Massachusetts Junior Amateur
State championship for Massachusetts boys. The
competition will feature two 18-hole rounds of stroke
play over the first two days, with the low 16 advancing
to match play.
View Complete Tournament Information