For Immediate Release: July 22, 2009
Headline: 43 Players Advance to Third & Final Day of New England Amateur Championship; 3 Players Hold Lead at 4-under par 140
Greenland , NH – The age gap may be 30 years but there was no difference in score for three players who currently hold the lead heading into the third and final day of the 2009 New England Amateur Championship being held this week at Portsmouth Country Club. (Story Continues Below...)
Day 2 Quick Links
Veteran Craig Steckowych (Portsmouth CC – NH) is defending his home turf well this week as he – along with youngsters Thomas McCarthy (Twin Hills CC – CT) and Kevin Velardo (CC of Billerica – MA) – all finished with two-day scores of 4-under par 140 to hold a two-stroke lead over the field.
“It was a great day, what can I say?” said Steckowych, 50, the 1990 and 1998 New Hampshire State Amateur Champion. “I thought that I played awful [on Tuesday] and had a lot of bad shots. I had some alignment issues and I was able to work them out at a course this morning. Today there was a distinct difference.”
There is no question about that. Following a round-one score of 2-over par 74, Steckowych carded a day-low score of 6-under par 66 this afternoon. Interestingly, it didn’t look so rosy at the outset as he made bogey on his very first hole. From that point on, however, he made seven birdies and 10 pars.
Steckowych, the 2001 champion of this event, put an appropriate exclamation point on his round by hitting his approach on the 448-yard, par 4 18th hole to a foot and tapping in for birdie.
“I have been fairly consistent so far this year,” said Steckowych, who qualified for and will compete in the 2009 U.S. Senior Open Championship scheduled to begin on July 30 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana. “It’s very exciting and I am really looking forward to it, but of course I am trying to not look ahead. I am taking it one week at a time.”
Helping Steckowych this week has been his son and trusty caddie, Matt. The 20-year-old Steckowych can most likely relate better to his father’s playing mates on Thursday as Velardo just turned 22 last month and McCarthy is only a junior in college.
Velardo was the first player in the clubhouse with a 4-under par 140 after finishing up his 4-under par 68 round during the early afternoon hours. His near flawless round featured five birdies and one bogey.
“My goal for the day was to play smart,” said Velardo, who finished second to Brad Valois (Alpine CC – RI) in this event in 2006. “I didn’t want to fire at too many pins and I wanted to play the par 5s smart.”
Velardo stuck to his game plan from the start. After making birdie on the 539-yard, par 5 11th hole, Velardo made key par saves (two 8-foot putts) on his next two holes to set him up for a birdie on the 525-yard, par 4 14th hole. He responded well after making bogey on the 15th hole by making birdie on two of his final three holes to make the turn at 3-under par 33.
“I was actually talking to my coach about this event and the key for me was bounce back,” said Velardo who nailed a 20 footer for birdie on Hole 16 and hit his approach to three feet on Hole 18 to set up his fourth birdie on that nine. “I was really trying to pay attention to whenever I made a bogey I made sure on the next hole to try and make birdie.”
One week ago, Velardo, 22, advanced to Match Play at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship where he was defeated in the Round of 16. That event marked the first major tournament for Velardo this season as he took the month of June off from golf in order to complete his graduation requirements at St. John’s University.
“I was beat,” said Velardo, when asked how he felt following the Massachusetts Amateur Championship. “It was more mental fatigue than anything. I took Thursday and Friday off and didn’t pick up a club on either day. I started practicing a bit on Saturday and Sunday. I am not changing anything with my swing. I just want to make sure I feel comfortable out there.”
Although Velardo is unsure about his future plans, he realizes that a victory this week could catapult his game to the next level.
“I was in a similar position before so I have somewhat of a feeling of what it’s like,” said Velardo. “Whatever happens, I still need to play two good rounds tomorrow. The tournament is only half over and there is still a long way to go. It will be a long day tomorrow no matter what.”
One of the most impressive rounds came courtesy of Thomas McCarthy (Twin Hills CC – CT) who posted a 5-under par 67 round to propel himself into the top spot and in a tie with Velardo. Following a front nine where he carded two birdies – on the 7th and 9th holes – McCarthy posted a bogey on the 10th hole. He went on to make two straight pars before exploding for five straight birdies on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes.
McCarthy, who just completed his sophomore season at Yale University, is no stranger to being atop the leaderboard as he was three-time all-state selection and a four-time NCCC All-Conference selection at Tolland High School. He was also the Connecticut High School Player of the Year in 2007. Earlier this year, McCarthy captured the Russell C. Palmer Cup and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Amateur Championship.
- This year's cut line fell at 5-over par 147. A total of 43 players made the cut with a geographical breakdown as follows: Massachusetts (15), Connecticut (8), New Hampshire (7), Rhode Island (6), Maine (5) and Vermont (2).
- Tying Steckowych’s day-low score of 6-under par 66 today was Herbie Aikens (Pinehills GC – MA). Aikens has been enjoying one of his strongest seasons as he captured the 2009 Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship in May and qualified for both the Massachusetts Open Championship and Massachusetts Amateur Championship. His round today featured seven birdies and one bogey.
- First-round co-leader Michael Amato (Blue Hill Club – ME) is still very much in the hunt after carding a 1-over par 73 for a two-day total of 1-under par 143. Amato is a junior at Brown University and has competed against many of this week’s competitors in Ivy League action including Yale standout Thomas McCarthy (Twin Hills CC – CT) and Harvard University’s Antonio Grillo (Farm Neck GC – MA).
- Although he failed to make the cut this year, the comeback round of the day came courtesy of Eddie Hjerpe (Rhode Island CC – RI) who rebounded from a 12-over par 84 on Tuesday with a 5-under par 67. The University of Notre Dame bound Hjerpe is coming off a sensational senior season in which he captured the individual title at the Rhode Island High School State Golf Tournament. He was unquestionably the top player in the state as he posted the best regular-season nine-hole average and led his Barrington High School team to a state team title. On this day, Hjerpe carded five birdies, one eagle and two bogies en route to his score of 5-under par 67.
- As surprising as it may sound, one player was more than happy to walk off of the green of the 3rd hole with a double bogey 6. Charlie Blanchard (Wannamoisett CC – RI), the five-time RIGA Player of the Year (2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008) sent his drive on that 390-yard, par 4 hole into the hazard. After taking a drop, he hit his next shot over the green and into the hazard. He took another drop and got up and down for double bogey. Blanchard earned the right to play on Thursday after posting a two-day total of 1-over par 145.
Schedule of Events
Here is a schedule of events for the final day.
Thursday, July 23 – Third and Fourth Rounds - 36 Holes.
The forty (40) lowest scorers and ties for 36 holes continue play.
Lowest scorer for 72 holes will be Champion. If a tie for first place occurs, play will immediately continue hole-by-hole until a winner is determined.
If the Championship course is declared unplayable and as a result it is not possible to complete 72 holes of play in the period in which the Championship is scheduled, the Championship will not be extended beyond the last scheduled day and the winner shall be the individual who returns the lowest score for the number of stipulated rounds played. The Committee may institute a cut in order to play the last stipulated round.
