Hey Everyone,
This week, I got to go through a Titleist ball fitting at Vanguard Golf, which was very cool. The fitter, Ryan, let me record the whole thing, so I’ll be sharing it in the coming weeks. Maybe earlier, considering the weather forecast next week.
Someone needs to tell Mother Nature it’s almost May. It’s not funny anymore.
Anywho, four players locked up spots in U.S. Open Final Qualifying this week, college conference championships are in full swing, and next week the MassGolf Championship schedule gets going with the Mass Four-Ball at Indian Pond and Waverly Oaks.
That’s all below in this newsletter.
Enjoy the weekend. Go Celtics.
News and Notes
Pro Golf
Chevron Championship: In the first major of the LPGA season, Alexa Pano opened with a 73 (+1) and is T59. Megan Khang shot 72 and is T38. Nelly Korda leads after shooting 65 (-7). Live Scoring
Zurich Classic: The first round of the Zurich Classic is a best-ball format. Michael Thorbjornsen and Karl Vilips shot 66 (-6) in the first round. Davis Chatfield and Adrian Dumont De Chassart shot 64 (-8). The leaders, Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer, shot 58 (!). They will play alternate shot on Friday and Sunday and best ball on Saturday. Live Scoring
Mitsubishi Electric Classic: Jason Caron tees off at 11 am. This event uses a stableford scoring system. Live Scoring
College Golf
I’ll be updating this as tournaments wrap up over the coming week.
Men’s College Results
The Rutherford Invitational: Rhode Island finished third, Yale finished fourth, and UConn finished 6th. Matthew Costello (Taunton, Mass.) took 51st for UConn. Max McColgan (Lincoln, Mass.) finished 61st for St. John’s. Results
ROAR-EE Invitational: Fairfield won the event with a team score of 15-under par. Fairfield sophomore Rasmus Ditzinger won his second event of the year. Dartmouth finished fourth, New Haven finished sixth, and Providence finished 13th. Will Spring (Concord, Mass.) finished 24th, and Evan Buddenhagan (Gloucester, Mass.) finished 75th. Results
ACC Championship: Joey Lenane (Dedham, Mass.) is a sub for NC State this week. So he’s on deck if there’s an issue with the five who are competing. Live Scoring
SEC Championship: Ryan Downes shot 74-72 for Vanderbilt, who bounced back after a tough first round. They are currently in 9th place, and the top 8 make match play following Friday’s round. Live Scoring
Women’s College Results
Patriot League Championship: Navy took home the title on their home course, while Boston University finished fourth and Holy Cross finished fifth. Results
NEC Conference Championship: Howard won the championship. Stonehill finished 7th, and New Haven finished 10th. Stonehills’ Jaelyn Deboise (Springfield, Mass.) finished T14. Results
Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational: Ohio State won its home event, while Harvard finished T6, and Xavier’s Isabel Brozena (N. Reading, Mass.) finished 11th on the individual side. Results
MAAC Championship: Quinnipiac beat Fairfield by three shots to win the MAAC Championship and book a spot in the NCAA Regionals. Sophia Fujita led the way for the Bobcats and won the individual title. Sacred Heart finished fourth and Merrimack finished 5th. Results
Upcoming events:
Ivy League Championships (Men) April 24–25 | Baltusrol GC, Springfield, NJ Local teams competing: Yale, Dartmouth Live Scoring
Ivy League Championships (Women) April 24–26 | Baltusrol GC, Springfield, NJ Local teams competing: Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth Live Scoring
Patriot League Championship (Men) April 24–26 | West Point GC, West Point, NY Local teams competing: Holy Cross Live Scoring
NEC Championship (Men) April 24–26 | Turf Valley Resort | Local teams competing: New Haven Live Scoring
Big East Championship (Women) April 25–27 | Callawassie Island Club, Okatie, SC Local teams competing: Providence College Live Scoring
OVC Championship (Men & Women) April 26–29 | Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex | Local teams competing: Bryant Scoring
Atlantic 10 Championship (Men) April 27–29 | Grand Cypress Links Course | Local teams competing: Rhode Island Scoring
MAAC Championship (Men) April 28–30 | Disney Magnolia GC | Local teams competing: Fairfield, Merrimack, Sacred Heart Scoring
Amateur Golf Results
Terra Cotta Invitational: Down in Naples, Josiah Hakala (New Ipswich, NH) finished T44 at 4-over par. Mike Calef (Portsmouth, RI) finished T48 after shooting 5 over. Nick Maccario (Atlanta, Georgia) finished 62nd. Bobby Leopold (Coventry, RI) finished 65th, and Michael Walsh (Shelbourne, VT) finished 72nd. Conor Doyal shot 12-under par to win by a shot. Results
Seagulls Four-Ball: The winners of all seven flights were decided on Sunday. Results
Championship Flight: Michael Walker + Matt Parziale
First Flight: Kevin Blaser + Ricky Stimets
Second Flight: Steve Galanis + Jack DeCoste
Third Flight: Erik Robinson + Brian Fleckles
Fourth Flight: Parish Pina + Brian Uhlman
Fifth Flight: Garrett Whitney + Eric Strzepek
Sixth Flight: Trevor Kenney + Jay Stevens
U.S. Challenge Cup Junior Invitational: Michael McCormack (Easton, Mass.) shot 71-73 (+2) to beat Ryan Donovan (Milton, Mass.) by a shot. In the Girls’ Division, Hazel Hagstrom (Providence, RI) shot 74-77 to beat Cecily Henshon (Longmeadow, Mass.) by two shots. Results
Challenge Cup Championship: Charles Soldau (Bedford, NH) won the Boys High School Division with two rounds of 74 in cold, blustery conditions at Ledgemont CC. Richard Taylor (Acton, Mass.) shot 71-75 (+4) to win the Middle School Division. In the Girls’ Division, Cecily Henshon (Longmeadow, Mass.) won with rounds of 75-77 (+10). The event also had a team aspect, and La Salle Academy’s Maroon team won by an impressive 23 shots. Results
Upcoming Amateur Events:
Cape Cod Road Trip
Put together a bit of a longer video detailing a four-day trip to Cape Cod last September. Thrilled to use music from my brother’s solo album for a bunch of this, too.
Also, Cayce Golf sent me some of their Massachusetts headcovers commemorating the 250th anniversary. They’re super cool. I’m giving two people in the comments of this video a headcover. So head over there and leave a comment. A lot of folks are simply writing “Headcover” and others are leaving thoughts on the video. Leave whatever you want!
When I’m not golfing…
I’m reading…
I started the newest Tana French book, The Keeper, this week. She’s one of my favorite authors. Every book is a banger. The Keeper is the third in a series about a Chicago police officer who has settled in a small village in Ireland. Seriously, just go read any of her books.
The discourse around LIV has become pretty unbearable, but this Golf Digest interview with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times was very good.
I’m listening to…
Switched on Pop is a great music podcast, and they had Maggie Rogers on to talk about her viral moment with Pharrell ten years ago. Naturally, that led me to listen to Heard it in a Past Life.
I’m eating…
I was in a bit of a cooking rut the last month or so, got out of it this week, some good recipes from New York Times Cooking (Gift Articles…)
I’m watching…
We started The Pitt this week. Tiff and I were never cut out to be doctors… and this show verified that. It’s excellent, but it’s intense!
Also intense… documentaries about cults! Trust Me: The False Prophet is very good and haunting. It tracks the Fundamentalist sect of the Latter-day Saints.
