Headline: Nick McLaughlin Grabs Pre Junior and Overall Lead Heading Into Day 3 of Massachusetts Junior Championship
For Immediate Release: July 28, 2009
Framingham, MA — Sitting in the top spot and holding the overall lead heading into the final round of the 2009 Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship would be enough to rattle any player… but not Nick McLaughlin (Far Corner GC). (Story continues below)
Day 2 Quick Links
Although just 15 years old and competing in the Pre Junior Division, McLaughlin is a six-year veteran of this event and is coming off a quarterfinalist performance at the 2009 New Hampshire State Amateur Championship earlier this month. As a result, the rising sophomore at St. John's Prep in Danvers is taking everything in stride.
"I have certainly played in this event enough," said McLaughlin, who stands one stroke ahead of Junior Division foe Brandon Medeiros (The Harmon Club). "I am going to keep doing what I have been doing all week which is to keep it in the fairways and below the hole. You have to do that on this course to be successful."
Although his age placed him in the Pre Junior Division, McLaughlin is eligible to capture the overall title since he is playing from the same tees as the Junior competitors.
After carding a 2-over par 74 on Monday, McLaughlin distanced himself from the Pre Junior field and took control of the overall lead by posting an even par 72 this morning. His round featured three birdies and three bogies.
"It was just solid all around," said McLaughlin. "There was nothing too exciting. I have been working on a few things with my swing and it has been coming along the last four to five weeks."
McLaughlin was 1-over par for the round when he hit his tee shot on the 178-yard, par 3 8th shot to five feet for birdie. Although he followed that up with a bogey on the next hole, he rebounded two holes later when he sent his approach from 50 yards out on the 488-yard, par 5 12th hole to five feet and sunk the birdie putt. He capped off his impressive round with a birdie on the 531-yard, par 5 finishing hole.
"I was just trying to keep the big numbers off the card," said McLaughlin. "I was trying to hit a lot of greens and leave myself 20- to 30-foot putts for birdie."
That type of play is exactly what helped him advance to the quarterfinals of the New Hampshire State Amateur Championship earlier this month. In the Round of 32, McLaughlin faced off against two-time champion of the event Craig Steckowych, who is currently competing in the U.S. Senior Open Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Course in Indiana.
"We were both playing great that day," said McLaughlin, who defeated Steckowych by a score of 1 up. "It was one of those matches where we were both making birdie. I learned a lot from him."
McLaughlin will look to couple that "senior" knowledge with his own on-course experience here at the Massachusetts Junior Championship on Wednesday as he attempts to defend his top spot.
Junior Division
Moving into the top spot in the Junior Division and into second place overall was Medeiros after firing a sizzling 1-under par 71 this afternoon. Medeiros, who posted a 4-over par 76 on Monday, began his second round on the back nine and made the turn at 1-over par 37. After dropping to 2-over par for the day following a bogey on the 350-yard, par 4 2nd hole, Medeiros switched into the next gear as he went on to make birdie on three of his final seven holes to finish at 1-under par for the day.
First-round leader Sean Gaudette (The Orchards GC) could not repeat his strong performance from Monday as he carded a 5-over par 77 today to drop into a tie for fourth place overall.
Steven Burak (Thorny Lea GC) jumped into second place in the Junior Division after firing an even par 72 today.
One interesting qualifier today was Cameron Duchin (Edge Hill GC) who is not only a talented golfer (he finished second in the 2008 MIAA Fall Western Division 2 Championships) but an expert skier. Duchin, Medeiros, Gaudette and Burak were four of 30 qualifiers in the Junior Division who will compete in a final round of 18 holes on Wednesday.
Pre Junior Division
One player who stands in second place in the Pre Junior Division and certainly carries positive momentum heading into the final round is Graham Small (Stow Acres CC), who carded an 8-over par 80 on Monday. Small improved his score by 10 shots today as he fired a day-low score of 2-under par 70.
"The key today was putting," said Small. "I made a lot of birdie putts and I also got up and down all but once which was about four to five times today."
One big key for Small was his performance on the back nine where he bettered his day-one total by six strokes. Small, who started on the 10th tee, made the turn at even par and set himself up for what would prove to be an impeccable final nine holes. Small went on to make three birdies (on the 2nd, 5th and 6th holes) and only one bogey to finish at 2-under par 70 for the day and 6-over par 150 for the tournament.
"I am excited and I'm going to see if I can keep up the good shots and take away some of the bad ones," said Small. "I knew that I could shoot a low round [today] and the course was susceptible to some birdies. I will be confident going into the final round, and I'll try to keep it around even and see what happens."
Boys Division
Although just 13 years old, John Beadle (Foxborough CC) is a veteran when it comes to this event. This year marks the fourth straight year that he has competed in the tournament and from the sounds of it… it certainly won't be his last.
"Of all the events that I play during the season, this is my favorite tournament of the year," said Beadle, who began his golfing career at MGA Links at Mamantapett. "This is a fantastic tournament. It is well run and whenever you need a ruling there is an official right there and people helping you find your ball."
As part of the MGA Links membership, Beadle was one of 600 juniors who participated in the annual program which is managed by the Massachusetts Golf Association. Those junior players enjoy unlimited play on the 18-hole, par 3 course in Norton and take part in free clinics every Saturday morning. The maturation of Beadle's game over the past few years led him to longer and more challenging Foxborough Country Club layout where he currently tests his skills and hangs his hat.
"John has been one of our shining members since day one," said Pete Walsh, head golf professional at MGA Links. "He was not only dedicated to improving his game, but he took time to learn about the many values inherent in the game and he passes that knowledge along to the youngsters here at the club."
So far this summer, Beadle has reaped the benefits of his training.
"It's been a great summer," said Beadle, who resides in North Attleboro. "I am having a lot of fun."
Fun has included a seven stroke victory at the Francis Ouimet Junior Stroke Play Championship in the 13-and-under division and a top finish at the Hornblower Junior Qualifier in the 14-and-under division. He also posted two second-place finishes just last week as part of the summer-long U.S. Challenge Cup series.
On this day, Beadle managed to post a second straight score of 8-over par 80 to claim third place overall in the Boys Division heading into the third and final round.
"Everything felt good," said Beadle who is tending to a sore right wrist after injuring it while playing tennis last week. "I started off tough with a triple on the second hole but I battled back and started well on the back nine. I feel like I can play a good round tomorrow."
Beadle will be chasing two red-hot players in Steven Dilisio (Salem CC) and David Thompson (Shrewsbury, MA), who hold the top two spots in the division.
Dilisio stormed to the top of the leaderboard following an impressive day-two score of 3-over par 75. Following a 5-over par 40 through his first nine holes, Dilisio kept his focus and delivered a front nine that featured eight pars and one birdie on the 143-yard, par 3 8th hole.
"I played well in the hot weather," said Dilisio, who carded a two-day total of 10-over par 154. "I got off to a slow start but I had a good back nine. The heat didn't distract me too much. I stayed hydrated and made sure I ate my snacks."
As a result of his strong round, Dilisio holds a two-stroke lead over Thompson heading into the final 18 holes. Thompson stands at 7-over par 156.
"It feels good," said Dilisio about holding a lead. "You always like to be first. I love having a lead, but I don't feel any pressure."
While Dilisio will be battling for the top spot in the Boys Division on Wednesday in Framingham, his older brother Anthony (who advanced to Match Play at this year's Massachusetts Amateur Championship) will be competing in the New Hampshire Open. Did the older Dilisio have any advice for his younger brother?
"My brother just told me to keep your head in it, stay focused and play your best."
Schedule of Events
Here is a schedule for this week's event. Spectators are welcome – free of charge – throughout the week.
Monday, July 27
First Round, 18 Holes
Tuesday, July 28
Second Round, 18 Holes
The 30 lowest scorers and ties in the Junior Division, the 20 lowest scorers and ties in the Pre-Junior Division and the 10 lowest scorers and ties in the Boys Division continue play on Wednesday
Wednesday, July 29
Final Round, 18 Holes.
The MGA Junior Champion will be the low scorer for 54 holes from either the Junior or Pre-Junior Divisions. Any tie for first place (overall championship or divisional championship) will be decided immediately by a hole-by-hole playoff.
