Dan Schwartz watched his six-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole catch the lip and tumble down the slope. In the blink of an eye, a possible birdie turned into a bogey on a blustery day at Presidents GC.
That was the last bogey he would make en route to a one-shot win in the Norfolk County Classic. The event boasts past champions like James Driscoll, Frank Vana Jr, and Nick Maccario since its inception in 1979.
For many, the Norfolk County Classic marks the beginning of the competitive season. The weather is often unpredictable, and this year’s field welcomed players with two sunny days marked with strong winds for the final round.
Schwartz grew up in Brookline and keeps his handicap at George Wright but admits he “plays all over the place.”
He believes this was his sixth time playing in the event, “I think I shot in the 80s the first couple of times. This place can get pretty tricky.”
Schwartz was one of nine players who shot 71 (+1) in the first round. That group was four shots behind the leaders Jackson Kingman and John McCarthy. Alex Landry shot 69 on Saturday to sit in third place alone. Nathan Winsor and Matt Williams shot 70. That means 11 players were within four shots of the lead heading into Sunday.
Dan Schwartz watches his tee shot on the 15th hole
With the combination of tucked pins, slick greens, and gusting winds, bogeys were the order of the day on Sunday. Schwartz and Brett Krekorian both shot an impressive 69 - the day's low score.
Schwartz’s front nine? A nominee for the psycho scorecard hall of fame: two pars, four bogeys, and three birdies.
Then he steadied the ship.
Schwartz collected seven pars on the back nine and ticked off birdies on hole Nos. 15 and 16 - the back-to-back par 5s. Over the two days, Schwartz played hole Nos. 15 and 16 in four-under par. They are two scoreable holes, but trouble lurks with water, sloping land, and fast greens.
Matt Parziale hits a shot into the 15th hole.
It was tough for any player to know where they stood because there was no live scoring. Players walked off the 18th green clueless about the standings.
Two players who might have liked to know the standings over the last six holes were Steve Neidermire and Kingman.
Neidermire, who shot an opening round 72, was one-over par for the tournament on the 12th tee box. But he played holes Nos. 12-15 in five-over par and fell off the pace.
Runner-up Kingman dropped a shot on the 17th hole and needed a birdie on the par-3 18th to tie Schwartz. He couldn’t make it happen.
Jackson Kingman hits his par putt on 18
Even with such a steady final nine holes, Schwartz pointed to a massive par putt he made on the 13th hole. A tough uphill par 3 with a sloped green required some touch around the green, and a solid chip and putt kept the momentum. As he stared at his scorecard, that seemed like the only bit of stress.
“It was smooth sailing on the back nine,” he said with a shrug.
Smooth sailing indeed.
With the wind at his back and his game under control, Schwartz left Presidents GC with more than just a trophy—he left with momentum for the season ahead.
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