Grzywinski Surges Late To Take Lead At New England Amateur

By Dalton Balthaser, RIGA
RUMFORD, R.I. - Mia Grzywinski made the turn in 2 over and was visibly frustrated.
“I was angry after making the turn in 2 over,” said Grzywinski. “I was starting to feel tired and I was hungry.”
Temperatures once again reached the high 90s Tuesday with a real-feel temperature of 110 degrees at its peak.
Grzywinski aided by a back nine of 4-under, is the player to beat after a second round of 69 in the New England Women’s Amateur at Agawam Hunt (par 71, 5,815 yards).
A total of 71 players made the cut with 54 coming from the Championship Division and 17 coming from the Tournament Division.
Her two-day total of 2 under is good enough for a two-shot lead over Dree Fausnaugh who sits at even par. Grzywinski shot 71 in the opening round.
“My game turning around had more to do with being tired than anything,” said Grzywinski, 20, of Farmington, Conn. “Because I was tired I was more relaxed, and I just had to trust myself. I took a lot of the mental game out of it.”
She got back to even par on her round with birdies on Nos. 11 (par 3, 121 yards) and 12 (par 5, 416 yards).
Then the floodgates opened.
She carded three consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 (par 4, 365 yards), 16 (par 3, 133 yards) and 17 (par 4, 349 yards).
It was a crisp 8-iron from 138 yards to 10 feet on No. 15. She got away with a thin 7-iron on 16 that cozied up to three feet. And on No. 17 she smoothed a pitching wedge from 110 yards to two feet.
She bogeyed the last to halt all the momentum she built but was still smiling when she finished.
Throughout the round her mental attitude was one only of positivity. When she was struggling on the front nine, she kept smiling and kept her head up. You could catch her laughing with her boyfriend turned caddie Chris Fosdick, a good player in his own right at the University of Virginia.
“I have been working hard on my mental game,” said Grzywinski. “I read if you are smiling when you aren’t happy it helps you get rid of any bad thoughts. It has worked well for me.”
Grzywinski recently won the Hartford Women’s Open in June after a final round of 4 under-par 66. While she wasn’t in the lead heading into the final round, there was plenty she learned from that experience.
“I was behind by one shot in the Hartford Women’s Open,” said Grzywinski, a rising junior at Quinnipiac University. “And I can’t say I have been in this type of position before when it comes to sleeping with the lead. I will come in with no expectations tomorrow. I will take it one shot at a time. I am going to come out here and stay calm, have fun and play.”
Fausnaugh carded a round of 71, the exact same round as Monday. But birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 (par 4, 421 yards) put her in solo second. She hit a 5-iron on a string from 170 yards to six feet on the challenging last.
“Today’s round was really a grind,” said Fausnaugh, 24. “I shot the same score on Monday that I did today but yesterday was a much smoother round. I tried to not get ahead of myself. There are a lot of birdie holes out here, I must stay patient. Ending with two birdies was huge for my confidence heading into tomorrow.”