Headline: Bay State Golfers Put on Strong Show During Day 1 of New England Amateur Championship; Werenski & Salah Post Scores of 4-under par 66
For Immediate Release: July 20, 2010
New Haven, CT — The 2010 New England Amateur Championship kicked off on Tuesday and four Bay State golfers are currently sitting in the top ten following the first round at The Course at Yale.
Leading the charge for Massachusetts with impressive scores of 4-under par 66 and just one stroke back of day-one leader Jonathan Pannone (Warwick CC) from Rhode Island are Richy Werenski (The Orchards GC), and Josh Salah (Bass Rocks GC). (story continues below)
Day 1 Quick Links
Werenski, a Georgia Tech freshman who is enjoying a strong summer of golf, advanced to the Round of 16 at last week's Massachusetts Amateur Championship and was one of two low amateurs at the Massachusetts Open Championship.
"I hit the ball pretty well," said Werenski, a Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy graduate. "I didn't miss any greens. I made some putts, but I also missed some so it evened out. I felt like I played solid today."
Werenski began his round with a bogey but righted the ship soon thereafter. He finished with six birdies and just one bogey through his final 17 holes.
"Through the first few holes, my swing felt iffy," said Werenski, Then I found it on about [hole] 6 and it was pretty much clear sailing from there. I didn't hit a bad shot."
A weekend of working on his short game proved to be a huge asset. On the 377-yard, par 4 7th hole he hit his wedge shot from 100 yards to inches and then did the same on the 379-yard, par 4 11th hole. Add into the mix a few long birdie putts (he made a 10 footer on the fifth hole and a 15 footer on the 10th hole) and Werenski felt like he was in a good spot to better his T4-place finish at this event just one year ago.
"I worked hard on my chipping and pitching because it was not at 100 percent at the [Massachusetts] Amateur," said Werenski, who was playing one group in front of his 16-year-old brother Mickey Werenski (The Orchards GC). "If I can stay confident it's huge for my game."
Salah, meanwhile, had perhaps the most impressive stretch of golf of the tournament. After making the turn at 2-under par 32, the rising sophomore at Sacred Heart University put on a show where he carded four straight birdies beginning on the 365-yard, par 4 14th hole. His only miscues on the day came on the 12th and 18th holes.
In total, 22 competitors fired under-par scores including Brian Higgins (Franklin CC) and Colin Brennan (Indian Ridge CC), who both posted scores of 3-under par 67, as well as John Gilmartin (Indian Ridge CC) with a score of 2-under par 68.
The second round will be held on Wednesday at The Course at Yale. Following that round, the low 40 scorers and ties will advance to Thursday when they will compete in a final 36 holes of stroke play to determine the 2010 champion.
Schedule of Events
Here is a schedule of events for the next two days.
Wednesday, July 21
Second Round, 18 Holes.
The forty (40) lowest scorers and ties for 36 holes continue play.
Thursday, July 22
Third and Fourth Rounds - 36 Holes.
Lowest scorer for 72 holes will be Champion. If a tie for first place occurs, play will immediately continue hole-by-hole until a winner is determined. If ties for other positions occur, duplicate merchandise certificates will be awarded.
Please note that if the Championship course is declared unplayable and as a result it is not possible to complete 72 holes of play in the period in which the Championship is scheduled, the Championship will not be extended beyond the last scheduled day and the winner shall be the individual who returns the lowest score for the number of stipulated rounds played. The Committee may institute a cut in order to play the last stipulated round.
