Travis Invitational: Saladino defeats Hayes

May 24, 2012 | by

-- Courtesy Cybergolf.com

Joe Saladino defeats 2010 "Big Ben" Hayes 2 up for Travis Invitational title

GARDEN CITY, N.J. (May 20, 2012) -- Hands stopped at five minutes to midnight, the inexorable march of Big Ben was halted at the 102nd Walter J. Travis Invitational as Long Island's Joe Saladino defeated 2010 Travis champion "Big Ben" Hayes 2 & 0 in the tournament final at fabled Garden City Golf Club. Saladino took a 1-up lead with a 35-foot birdie putt at the par-3 second hole and never trailed, claiming his first Travis championship and erasing the memories of a final-round loss in 2008. Both Saladino and Hayes are 1-1 in championship matches at the Travis and 7-1 in championship bracket play overall. "It's the greatest win of my life. I've won a lot of events here in the area, but this is the biggest," confided the long-time Metropolitan Golf Association star. "There is so much history in this tournament and at Garden City, and it's such a great competition, this is definitely it, my biggest win ever." Saladino then sat back, smiled broadly, and took a long swig of one of Bob the bartender's vodka Southsiders while the table around him cheered.

About the Walter J. Travis

Travis Invitational: Saladino defeats Hayes

Tournament honors Walter Travis, three time U.S. Amateur champ and the first American to win the British Amateur. Travis reworked the original Devereaux Emmet design. 18 hole qualifier establishes match play flights. Great event, great golf course.

Most Popular Articles

GOLF'S LONGEST DAY: 2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying Monday June 8

Jun 5, 2026Follow along from 10 locations - our team is on the ground looking for the best stories

2026 U.S. Open Final Qualifying: A final rundown from Golf's Longest Day

Jun 8, 202612 amateurs qualified for Shinnecock at 10 sites around the country on June 8. Two of them were medalists.

How to Watch the 2026 NCAA Golf Championships

May 20, 2026Everything you need to tune into the men's and women's NCAA Division I golf championships at Omni La Costa

2026 NCAA Men's Golf Championship: Live Coverage, Field & Daily Updates from La Costa

Jun 3, 2026Auburn defeats UCLA at La Costa to capture its second NCAA men’s golf championship in three years.

Stanford Wins 4th NCAA Women's Golf Title, Tops USC

May 26, 2026The Cardinals closed a dominant week at La Costa with another match-play crown — their fourth national title

Filters

Related Tournament

Walter J. Travis

View Details

Loading latest news...

Loading article...