Down The Fairway: Five spots available in U.S. Open Local Qualifier at McGregor

Only five will advance, and then the competition — and the courses — become even tougher from there.

Monday’s U.S. Open Local Qual­ifier will send five professionals or amateurs on to sectional qualifying, where they will have to play 36 holes in one day for a chance to participate in the 112th U.S. Open, June 14-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

But first things first. In order to have any chance of rubbing elbows with the stars on the PGA Tour, local hopefuls must battle a challenging McGregor Links Country Club layout as well as a strong field of 39 amateurs and 37 pros. There are also two alternate spots available.

Many of the players in the event are familiar names with strong pedigrees.

On the pro side, there is defending Northeastern New York PGA Player of the Year Scott Berliner of Normanside Country Club, who has already won the first two club pro tournaments this season. Others

include host pro Tom Oppedisano, Glenn Davis of Albany Country Club, Kevin Hughes of Saratoga Golf & Polo Club, Scotia native Ron Philo Jr., who has qualified for sectional play several times in the Capital Region, former Skidmore standout Chris DeJohn, who also has qualified out of this region before, Cobleskill Golf & Country Club pro Paul Jaycox, Colonie Golf & Country Club assistant Ian Breen and Saratoga National Golf Club pro Anders Mattson.

Rotterdam native Bryan Bigley, a two-time Gazette County Amateur champion who now plays professionally on the mini tours, also

returns home for a chance to move on to sectionals.

There are also plenty of talented amateurs who think they have what it takes to advance, including Dan Russo of Rolling Hills at Antlers Country Club, left-hander Jeb

Buchanan of Wolferts Roost Country Club, Jim Welch of Winding Brook Country Club, Dennis Gosier and David Huestis of McGregor Links, Victor Fox of Normanside Country Club, Zachary Scala of Van Schaick Island Country Club, Justin Deitz of The Edison Club, Chad Stoffer of Schenectady Municipal Golf Course, Steve Quillinan of the Country Club of Troy and Jim Gifford of Mohawk Golf Club.

MONDAY’S PAIRINGS

7:30 — Steve Jennings (Nick Stoner),

a-Riley McGraw (Normanside CC).

7:39 — a-Jess Esposito (Newman GC),

a-Andrew Rathbun (Commonground GC).

7:48 — a-Perry Badgley (Leatherstocking GC), a-Kirk Emmons (McGregor Links CC), Herviou Clement (Canada).

7:57 — Louis-Pierre Godin (Canada), a-D.J. Tozier (Western Turnpike), a-Steve Hoffman (Shaker Ridge CC).

8:06 — Brennan McHugh (Lake Clear), Chris Sanger (Red Hook), Norm Korniak (Glens Falls CC).

8:15 — a-Casey Komline (Dorset Field Club), a-Jeb Buchanan (Wolferts Roost CC), Brian Albertazzi (Killington, Vt.).

8:24 — Scott Battiste (Rexford), Noah Norton (Caughnawaga, Canada), a-Brian Hopkins (St. Johnsbury CC).

8:33 —a-Zachary Meade (Van Schaick

Island CC), David Bakyta (Saratoga

Springs), a-Dan Russo (Rolling Hills at Antlers).

8:42 — Joshua Truman (Poland, NY),

a-Jim Welch (Winding Brook CC), Yanik

LaForest (Canada).

8:51 — Taylor Walsh (Napanoch), a-Dennis Gosier (McGregor Links CC), a-Adam Bunkoff (Saratoga National).

9:00 — Glenn Davis (Albany CC), Tom Oppedisano (McGregor Links CC), Jocelyn Falardeau (Canada).

9:18 — Dan Winters (Wolferts Roost

CC), a-Tim Lasaro Jr. (Kingswood Links),

a-Carter White (Owl’s Nest GC).

9:27 — Kevin Hughes (Saratoga G&P), a-Victor Fox (Normansidse CC), a-Zachary Scala (Van Schiack Island).

9:36 — a-Ryan Galbraith (Summerlea GC), Elbert Lang (Navarre, Fla.), a-David Huestis (McGregor Links CC).

9:45 — a-Justin Deitz (The Edison Club), a-Matt Degiorgio (Foxboro), Ron Philo (Stowe, Vt.).

9:54 — Philippe Gariepy (Canada), Matthew Stefanik (Greystone CC), a-Kim Perry (Links at Lang Farm).

10:03 — Bryan Bigley (Rotterdam),

a-Matt Izkowski (Airway Meadows), Jean-Sebastien Legare (Canada).

10:12 — a-Mike Stackus (CC of Vermont), a-Jake Orr (Essex CC), a-Gary Shover (Rocky Ridge GC).

10:21 — Matt Bogdanowicz (Town of Colonie), a-Chad Stoffer (Schenectady Munic­ipal), Dan Gaucher (Windham, Conn.).

10:30 — Marc Hurtubise (Canada),

a-Chris Gambacurta (Down River GC),

a-Vince Blanchette (Pinegrove CC).

10:39 — Vince Dumouchel (Canada), Chris DeJohn (Rocky Hill, Conn.), Ryder Brooks (East Dorset, Vt.).

10:48 — a-Brendan Lemp (Misquamicut Club), Stuart Drahota (Fort Collins, Col­orado), Paul Jaycox (Cobleskill G&CC).

10:57 — Brendan Jeffes (Schenectady), a-Justin Streeter (McGregor Links CC), Dave Levesque (Canada).

11:06 — a-Steve Quillanan (CC of Troy), Ian Breen (Colonie G&CC), a-Garren Poirier (Green Mountain).

11:15 — a-Heath Dunn (Mechanicville GC), Anders Mattson (Saratoga National), a-Jim Gifford (Mohawk Golf Club).

a-Amateurs.

WOMEN’S EVENT NEARS

The Gazette Women’s Best Ball Championship will have a new look this season, as the popular partners event switches to Briar Creek on June 2.

Entry fee, which includes golf, cart, refreshments and prizes, will be $110 per team. There will be a gross and a net division. Compet­ition begins with an 8 a.m. shotgun. Entry deadline is May 26.

Also new this year will be that the Northeastern New York PGA will administer the tournament. There are two ways to register — online

at [email protected] or by mailing an entry blank to NENY PGA, Town of Colonie Golf Course, 418 Consaul Road, Schenectady, NY 12304.

Please don’t send your entries to The Daily Gazette.

The tournament is open to women 16 and older, but the tournament committee may allow younger players to enter, depending on the situation. Maximum handicap difference between partners will be 15. Handicap and club indexes are required.

The first 60 teams will be accepted in order of entries received. Late entries will be accepted based on availability, and a late fee of $25 will be charged.

Hole assignments will be posted online at www.neny.pga.com/

craga-events and in The Daily

Gazette. We will try to accom­modate pairing requests, but advance notice is required.

Last year at Schenectady Munic­ipal Golf Course, Leslie Arakelian and Mary Sicard won on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff

over Gail Brophy and Heidi Vittengl.

CHIP SHOTS

u The Eastern New York Golf Association’s weekly stop will be held Wednesday at Queensbury Country Club.

u The semifinals and the finals for both the open division and the senior division of the Tri-County Match Play Championship will be held today at Colonie G&CC.

u Skidmore College’s men’s team makes its 26th straight

appearance in the NCAA Division III Golf Championships Tuesday through Friday at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The Thoroughbreds, who missed the cut last year for the first time in program history, have 14 top-10 finishes.

u The Community Caregivers’ eighth annual Tee It Up tourn­ament will be held June 18 at

Orchard Creek. The format will be a scramble, and entry fee of $135 includes golf, cart, box lunch, cocktail hour and a chicken and rib dinner. There will be raffle prizes and a live auction for items such as an autographed picture of Arnold Palmer, an autographed picture of Derek Jeter and a signed baseball by the late Phil Rizzuto, as well as four tickets to a New York Yankees game. Call 456-2898 for more information.

u Fulton-Montgomery Com­munity College will host its 19th annual Golf Classic May 23 at Rolling Hills at Antlers Country Club. The tournament will feature a 2012 Chevy Camaro as the hole-in-one car, sponsored by Mangino Chevrolet of Amsterdam. The Golf Classic is FMCC’s main fundraiser to support its mission and goals. Money raised will directly assist the college in raising funds for its Raiders Cove Project, a modern-day gathering space for students

which will be located in the

vacant pool area on campus and will include a wireless internet cafe, a stage area for various performances and a lounge with pool tables and flat-screen TVs. Entry fee is $150 per golfer. To register or for further information, contact FMCC’s Foundation Office at

736-FMCC (3622), ext. 8020.

u Mohawk Golf Club is the site for the 10th annual Union College Garnet Blades Hockey Tourn-

ament Friday. Entry fee is $165 for Garnet Blades members and $175 for non-members. There will be a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Entry fee includes golf, cart, silent auction, raffle, cocktails and dinner.

Call 388-6288 for more infor­mation.

u Van Patten Golf Club will host the 22nd annual John C. Daly and James W. Michaels ALS Memorial Golf Tournament June 27. There will be two flights, one at 7 a.m. and one at noon. The “shamble” format, which is a modified scramble, will be used, along with Calloway scoring. The tournament raised $107,000 for the ALS Regional Center last year. For more information, visit www.sphcs.org/ALS Mem­orial Golf Tournament.

u Sage College’s eighth annual Gator Golf Classic will be held Friday at Normanside Country Club. Proceeds will help defray the cost of Sage’s 13 varsity sports. Entry fee is $150 per person, and includes breakfast, lunch and a buffet dinner. Call Jack Craft at 244-2283 for more information.

u The Edison Club will host the Friends of Union Athletics Golf Classic May 21. For more infor-mation, visit www.UnionAthletics.com.

u The Colonie Chamber of Commerce annual golf outing is set for May 21 at Shaker Ridge Country Club. Entry fee is $140 per player or $520 per foursome, and includes golf, cart, lunch, on-course refreshments and buffet dinner with carving stations. Call Kelsy Nevins at 785-6995 for more information.

u The Harry Apkarian Schenec­tady Chamber of Commerce

Memorial Golf Classic will be held May 21 at Mohawk Golf Club. Funds raised will benefit the Schenectady Chamber of Commerce’s scholarship and career development programs, as well as the Schenectady Military Affairs Council. Entry fee is $175 per golfer or $650 per foursome, and includes lunch and golf. For more information, call Robin Granger at 372-5656, ext. 3007.

HOLE-IN-ONE

Chris McDonough used a pitching wedge to record a hole-in-one on the 160-yard fifth hole at Sar­atoga Lake Golf Club.

EAGLES

Jim Kempf and Jim Geiger each eagled the 10th hole at Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course.

Categories: Sports