NYSGA News

Holiday Valley G.C.- Kim Kaul sank a clutch 3-foot putt to win the NYSGA Women’s Senior Championship in her first attempt today. Kaul, who only turned 50 earlier this year, fired a two-over-par 72 for a total of 144, edging Deerfield C.C.’s Maggie Kril by one shot.

Due to slow play yesterday, the 11^th hole had to be reduced to a par-3 for today’s play making the course a par 70.

At one point it looked as though it was going to be a battle between Kaul and playing partner Susan Kahler. Kahler turned in 1-under-par 34 on the front nine to Kaul’s 38, putting Kahler one ahead for the championship overall.

Kaul had faltered after double-bogeying the par-3 fifth, before coming back strongly with a birdie on 10 to draw level with Kahler. Kaul continued to play strongly with pars all the way in, including two crucial up and downs on 16 and 17.

Kahler, however, saw her hopes of winning dashed when she bogeyed 16 and 17, the latter after hitting into a hazard with her second shot. Kaul stood on the 18^th tee three clear of Kahler but unaware of the exploits of Kril earlier in the day.

Kril posted 145 after a scintillating 68 in the second round, which she said was the lowest score of her life.

Kril had three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine for 34, before coming back with eight pars and a lone birdie on 17 to hold the clubhouse lead with the first-round leaders yet to finish.

“I was nervous coming into the last few holes because I had never broken 70 before,” Kril said. “It was great to come through and trust my swing at the end when it mattered.”

After splitting the fairway with her tee-shot, Kaul pitched her second to within six feet of the hole on 18, leaving a downhill right-to-left putt for a 71 and the title.

“I could sense something from the people around the 18^th green that it was close,” Kaul said. “No one said anything to me so I thought I might need to go for my birdie putt.”

Her putt looked good for a moment before lipping-out violently on the high side and finishing 3 feet below the hole. She was then able to collect herself and bravely hole the par putt too secure victory.

“I think it was good that I didn’t know the 3-footer on the last was to win, it might have felt more like 10 feet if I had,” Kaul said.

“Maggie had a great round today and she is an awesome player, so I knew she was going to finish well,” Kaul said. “I heard some rumblings at the turn that she was playing well so even though I had a three-shot lead on Susan on 18 I didn’t think it was over.”

“I can only take positive things from this,” Kril said. “Kim played some great golf and I shared a room with her this week so I’m happy for her.”

Kril recently won the Rochester Women’s District title for the first time and said that gave her some confidence coming into this week.

Kaul missed the state Women’s Amateur earlier in the year as she was celebrating her 50^th birthday with her sister playing golf at Pebble Beach. Kaul’s sister followed Kim the entire round today for moral support.

“It’s a great feeling to be state senior champion,” Kaul said “I’m glad my sister could be here to see me do it today. That was pretty special.”

In the Super-Senior division defending champion Gail Brophy of Saratoga National G.C. backed up her opening 78 with a round of 76, to win by four shots from Lula Garland of Drumlins G.C.

Brophy once again played well on the front nine, posting an even-par 35 before dropping six shots on the last seven holes to finish on 154 for the championship. She finished tied for fifth in the overall standings.

“Not bad considering two of the girls that beat me have just turned 50,” Brophy said. “I hit the ball well again today and was happy with how I played.”

Garland started the day three behind Brophy, but closed to within one shot after the 13^th. Brophy then pulled away once again after Garland double-bogeyed 14 and bogeyed 15.

“She really closed the gap on me there on 13,” Brophy said. “I managed to come through in the end though so I was pleased.”

After turning in even par, Brophy still had her sights set on winning the overall championship, but the last seven holes prevented her from doing that.

“I was thinking about the main championship right up until the end but I didn’t want to lose focus on the super-senior either,” Brophy said. “This week has been a lot of fun though. Holiday Valley is a great place and I have renewed friendships with people who I haven’t seen in 40 years.”

Brophy was a two-time Women’s Amateur champion in the early 1960s before giving up the game completely until two years ago. She said she was been enjoying her rekindled interest in the game ever since.

Submitted by John Cronly, NYSGA

Holiday Valley G.C.- Kim Kaul of Gowanda C.C. leads the 56^th NYSGA Women’s Senior Amateur Championship after day one, with a one-over-par 72 on a wet and chilly morning at Holiday Valley.

Kaul recorded two nines of 36 in a round that included four bogeys and three birdies. She said she was able to recover from a shaky start and hold her round together.

“I had some jitters staring out, but then I started making some putts and hitting some greens and settled down,” Kaul said. “I hit my 4-wood off the tee for the most part to keep the ball in play and didn’t have anything worse than a bogey.”

Kaul turned in a one-over-par 36, before recording bogeys on 10 and the treacherous 11^th, a hole that gave many of the field problems. However, Kaul bounced back with birdies on 12 and 17 to post the low score of the day.

Although the course played firm and fast for the practice round, heavy overnight-rain softened the fairways and greens, which Kaul said suited her game well.

“It was a different golf course out there today compared with yesterday,” Kaul said. “Yesterday you could hit ten yards in front of the greens and roll over the back, today they were holding right where the ball landed. I found it easier today.”

The pace of play was a concern throughout the day, particularly on 11 where, at times, up to five groups were log-jammed on the tee causing some players to have to wait for nearly an hour to play the hole.

“It was tough to keep you concentration at times with the slow play,” Kaul said. “It’s the same for everyone though. Overall I am happy with how I played and I’m going to try and keep playing smart tomorrow.”

The second-lowest score of the day belonged to Lynn Quinn of Clifton Springs C.C. who fired a three-over-par 74.

“I managed to keep it in play for the most part and when I did mess up, I was able to pull it back together,” Quinn said. “Keeping it in play is the key to the course. I’m just going to try and keep hitting fairways and greens and see what happens tomorrow.”

Quinn was paired with fellow Rochester players Joy Florczak and Tracy Barnard, which she said helped her to stay relaxed during her round.

“I really enjoyed playing with Tracy and Joy today,” Quinn said. “We play together all the time and we had a good time out there.”

Lynn Lyman and Susan Kahler fired 75s to tie for third, while defending champion Jan LaVigne is seven shots off the lead after a 79.

In the super-senior division, defending champion Gail Brophy leads by three strokes over Lula Garland after an opening 78.

Brophy birdied three of her first four holes to race to three-under-par, before a double bogey on the seventh and a bogey on the eighth dropped her back to even at the turn. She was able to par the 11^th, but then dropped six shots in the last six holes to finish at seven-over-par.

“I got off to a really good start today on the front nine,” Brophy said. “I had a couple of three putts on the back nine so I feel like I hit the ball better than I scored today.”

“I only made three bad swings all day and didn’t get into any trouble until 18,” Brophy said.

Brophy hit her second shot into the creek that guards the front of the 18^th green to finish with a double-bogey on a hole that ranked as the second most difficult at 1.68 shots over-par. The only hole ranked harder was the par-4 11^th which averaged 6.56 shots for the entire field.

Although Brophy is classified as a super-senior, she is eligible to win the overall competition as all competitors play from the same tees. She said if she can recapture the form she showed early in her round today, there is no reason why she couldn’t challenge for both titles.

“Sure I feel like I have a shot,” Brophy said. “If I can play as well as I did on the front nine today then I feel like I have a chance.”

Tee times will begin at 8 a.m. tomorrow with the leaders teeing off in the final group at 10:15 a.m.

Town of Colonie G.C. -

The first State Day Tournament held in Albany was received with welcome arms by Capital Region golfers.  “We need more of these events in our area,” said Jan Monty of Western Turnpike Golf Club.  Fifty-five players teed it up for fun and prizes in the fourth tournament this season.  Some had participated in the previous events and plan to play in the final tournament at Elmira Country Club on September 29.  Said Ken Sanford, an Elmira native of Mark Twain GC, “I will definitely bring my friends.”

With heavy rain in the days leading up to the event, it was decided to play preferred lies in the fairway.  Players appreciated being able to clean mud off their ball after a good tee shot.  While other nearby courses were closed because of excessive water on their greens, the weather during the tournament on August 13 was dry and warm.  Playing the White and Blue courses, the Town of Colonie G.C. proved to be a good test of golfers’ control off the tee.  Wayward shots would rest in the woods that guard the fairways and require a good recovery shot to get back into play. 

To view the photo gallery from the tournament, click here.  For full hole-by-hole results, click here.

The players were divided into flights based upon Course Handicap.  The low-gross score of the day was an even-par 72 shot by George Smith of Hoosick Falls CC.  In the first flight, both George LaMarche III of Van Patten GC and Gary Crucetti of Hoosick Falls CC posted the lowest net scores of 68.  In the second flight, Billy Vacca from Stadium Golf Club recorded the lowest gross score, a 9-over 81.  “This is the first time I have won anything in a golf tournament,” said the excited Vacca, who plans to defend his title at Elmira CC in September.

In the third flight, Patrick Agostino from Pioneer Hills GC managed his way around the tough layout and posted a net score of five-under par 67.  The women’s flight had an exciting finish as Kim Hines-Kaisik from Rip Van Winkle CC won low-gross honors with an 88 and Charlotte Maeder of Western Turnpike GC was awarded low-net with a two-under par 70.

Warren Winslow, a NYSGA Committee Member, enjoyed the day and hopes that his club, Western Turnpike GC, will host one in the future.  With the reception the tournament got, there are plans to hold more events in the area next season.

The final State Day Tournament will be held at Elmira Country Club on September 29.  This is the day following the NYSGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship and the same course setup and hole locations will be used.  It should make for a fun and challenging event.  Call the pro shop on 607-734-7777 to make tee time reservations.

Oneonta C.C.- Yaroslav Merkulov claimed his first New York State Junior title today with a final round 72 for a one stroke victory over Bryce Edmister and defending champion Dominic Bozzelli.

The trio came to the 18^th tee with Merkulov and Bozzelli tied at 1 under par for the tournament, 1-over-par for the day, with Edmister one behind at even par for the tournament and 2-over-par for the day.

Bozzelli drove first, finishing pin-high but to the left of the green on the short par-4, with Merkulov and Edmister long and short of the putting surface respectively. Merkulov chipped well from a downhill lie to leave himself 12 feet for birdie, while Edmister, from an easier uphill lie, was able to chip to within a few feet.

Bozzelli then hit under his delicate pitch and left the ball in the rough short of the green, recovering to make par but allowing Merkulov the opportunity to make his putt to clinch the title.

Faced with an uphill left-to-right putt Merkulov calmly stroke the ball into the right-center of the cup and with it gained vengeance for his near miss on the eighteenth green last year, where he finished runner-up to Bozzelli.

Edmister was able to hole his putt for a three to tie Bozzelli on 143, one back of Merkulov’s 142 total.

“I figured after I made bogey on 16 that Dom had the momentum and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to come in with a couple of pars and win, because those last two holes are probably the most getable,” Merkulov said. “I told myself to refocus and concentrate on the next shot and then I smoked my drive down 17. I think the adrenaline was flowing pretty well there.”

Merkulov was able to convert his long drive on 17 with a birdie to match those by Edmister and Bozzelli.

“I thought on 17 if I could make birdie then I would put a little bit of pressure on the other two to make birdie and stay ahead of me, but they made fours, too,” Edmister said.

Merkulov said the feeling of becoming the state junior champion was overwhelming and hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

“It feels great. I won the Boys’ championship and since then I have had a goal of getting to the next level and winning the Junior division also,” Merkulov said. “Dom and I have had some great battles back and forth the past two years, and it just feels great that I’m the guy who won this time.”

Merkulov will play in some AJGA events later this year and compete in a tournament in honor of his swing coach which he said he “can’t wait to play in.” Then he said it will be time to focus on school.

Bozzelli may rue the fact that his one-stroke loss included a rules infraction on the 8^th hole today. Bozzelli drove his tee shot into a lateral water hazard and elected to take a drop.

He then marked the two club-lengths he was entitled to drop the ball in, under the watchful eye of a rules official. However, on dropping the ball and seeing it roll outside of the two club-length margin, Bozzelli incorrectly assumed the ball was to be re-dropped and picked the ball up.

Unfortunately, the rules state that a ball that lands within the original two club-lengths and rolls outside, no more than one additional club-length, is in play. By picking up the ball Bozzelli incurred a one-stroke penalty.

“It’s pretty frustrating,” Bozzelli said. “I guess I should have known the rule on that but I wasn’t aware the ball could roll outside of the two club-lengths and be in play. I only hit 72 shots today.”

“I had a couple of chances on the back nine, 16 for instance, and I wasn’t able to take them, and then on 18 I wasn’t able to hit the shot I needed to with my second. Yaroslav deserved it today though and there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Bozzelli said he intends to play in a number of AJGA events in the fall and plans to keep “working hard on my game and get ready for those.”

Edmister wasn’t able to get off to the best of starts but battled back and hung in until the very end.

“I had a bit of a rough start today, with a bogey and double bogey in my first few holes,” Edmister said. “I changed my game plan after that and decided to hit driver on almost every hole to be a little more aggressive.”

“I was real happy with how I played this week and I gained a lot of experience playing in the final group and hanging in there until the end. I exceeded my expectations for the week and I’m very happy with how I played, so I’m not too disappointed really.”

Edmister plans to take some time off and take stock after his run this week, and says he is still unsure where he will be playing in high school in the fall after his dad took the head professional position at Mill Creek, near Rochester.

Submitted by John Cronly, NYSGA

Oneonta C.C.- Suzie Lee and Gavin Hall were run-away winners at the 2008 Boys’ and Girls’ Championships recording nine and eight-shot victories respectively. Rene Sobolewski was second in the Girls’ Championship and Derek Bard was runner-up in the Boys’.

Lee and Hall fired even-par 72s to both post aggregate 36-hole scores under-par. Lee finished at 143, 1-under; and Hall shot 138, 6-under, after a recording-setting opening round of 66 yesterday.

Lee had a steady start to her round, turning in 1-under-par and was still 1-under on the 15^th tee. She did make bogeys on 16 and 17, however, before making a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18^th, to finish off in style and seal the Betty Deeley Trophy to raptures of applause from the spectators gathered around the green.

“It feels great to win, this is a pretty big event so I’m happy,” Lee said. “I made a nice eagle on eight and then pretty much parred-in after that.”

Lee said she has played a pretty hectic schedule over the summer and still has some more events to go.

“I think I have only spent about one week at my house this summer,” Lee said. “I’m a little tired, but that’s the price of playing well I guess.”

Lee wasn’t sure what was up next for her as her mother schedules all of her tournaments, “I just pack and go” Lee said.

She said she would love to play collegiate golf at the University of North Carolina but, as she is yet to begin her junior year in high school, she has not been able to communicate with any college coaches yet.

Hall was able to enjoy the last few holes of his back nine as he had established a comfortable lead over his nearest competitors. Starting on the 10th, Hall turned in 1-over-par 37 with a birdie and two bogeys on the card, but extended his lead over playing partner Pierce Terrance by two strokes, Terrance turning in 39.

“I made some bogeys coming in on the back nine, but I knew I had a pretty good lead so I just told myself to hang in there and grind it out,” Hall said. “I knew there were birdies out there and I managed to finished eagle, birdie, which was nice.”

The championship was all but over after the 3^rd hole when playing partner Pierce Terrance, who was in second behind hall after the opening round, hit a bunker shot that rebounded off the face of the bunker and came back to hit is club.

Terrance gallantly called the two-stroke penalty on himself despite the fact no one else saw the incident. He scored a triple-bogey seven on the hole and thus fell nine shots behind Hall.

Despite a great round from Derek Bard, who posted the score-of-the-day with a 69, his 77 in the first round was too much to come back from, finishing eight behind Hall on 146.

“I guess I could have gone a little lower today, but I played pretty solid and was able to hole some putts and get up and down which I didn’t do yesterday,” Bard said. “It was a little easier today, too, as the rain from last night softened up the greens a bit.”

Hall was delighted with his victory and said he is looking forward to the rest of his summer schedule.

“It’s a great feeling to know that you are the best in your age-group in the state, it gives me a lot of confidence for tournaments coming up,” Hall said.

Hall will defend the club championship at Mendon, where he was the youngest ever winner by three years, winning the title last year at age 12. He said he also plans to play in the Birks and Mayors Invitational in Florida in October, which is an AJGA event.

Hall has had a club in his hand from the age of two or three, and said he picked up the game from his grandparents who had a putting green in the back of their house. He said he has spent countless hours playing and practicing over the years at Mendon C.C.

“I’m there just about every day working on my game and playing,” Hall said. “We have a ton of good junior players, including the Drummond brothers (Joe and Danny), so there’s a lot of good competition with those guys.”

Hall’s father said Gavin suffered a foot injury last year that prevented him from competing in sports such as soccer and baseball, that he had been active in, so he turned his attention to golf.

It certainly looks as though Gavin has a bright future in front of him if his performance this week is anything to go by. As he is only 13, Hall will be eligible to defend his Boys’ title next year Skaneateles C.C.

Oneonta C.C.- The final paring for the last round of the NYSGA Junior will once again include defending champion Dominic Bozzelli and Yaroslav Merkulov, as was the case in 2007.

Bozzelli and Merkulov will be joined by Mill Creek’s Bryce Edmister in the final threesome, tomorrow, after all three fired two-under-par 70s in the opening round.

Bozzelli, who recently made the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior in Alabama, turned at even par in what he said was a frustrating front nine.

“I hit it inside eight feet on holes four, five and six, but wasn’t able to hole the putts,” Bozzelli said. “Then I plugged my tee shot in the bunker on seven and made a bogey there, which was tough after not converting my birdie putts on the previous holes.”

Bozzelli was able to rally from a relatively slow start, however, with birdies on 14 and 17 to come back in 34 and claim a share of the clubhouse lead.

“I was hitting driver off the tee most of the day because the greens were so firm and I felt that the closer I got to the green, the better chance I would have at giving myself a good look at birdie,” Bozzelli said. “I just tried to hang in there today. I made some good up and downs on the back side, which is a big part of the reason I’m at 2-under right now.”

Bozzelli is joined on two-under with playing partner Bryce Edmister, after the Chili native followed up his blemish-free 34 on the front nine with a up and down 36 on the back side.

Edmister chipped in for birdie on the par-3 10^th to get to three under, before bogeys at the tricky par-3 13^th and short par-4 15^th temporarily set him back to 1-under. However, a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16^th saw him restore his score to 2-under and two closing pars followed to join Bozzelli on 70.

“I left a couple of shots out there today, but I thought coming in to today that anything around par would be a good score and I just happened to luck-out and finish a couple under,” Edmister said.

Edmister said he hasn’t played as much over the summer as previous years, but feels his game is coming around this week.

“I haven’t played as much this year as in the past,” Edmister said. “I played in the International Junior Masters earlier in June and lost in the final there, but other than that I haven’t played in too much else. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and will go out there and see if I can do it again.”

Edmister is transferring high schools this year in Rochester to join Bozzelli on his high school team where he will be a junior in the fall.

The final member of the 70 club in the Junior Championship was Penfield Country Club’s Yaroslav Merkulov. Merkulov bogeyed the 2^nd hole before steadying the ship with five pars and a birdie on eight to turn in even par.

He made a great start to the back nine with birdies on 10 and 11, before reeling off seven consecutive pars to finish out the round and make up the trio on 2-under.

“I hit some good shots early on but wasn’t able to make the birdie putts,” Merkulov said. “I told myself to stay patient and I finally made a putt on eight for birdie, which got things going, although I still feel like I left some shots out there.”

Merkulov only arrived in Oneonta in the early hours of the morning after competing in a U.S. Amateur qualifier yesterday in Pennsylvania. Having never played Oneonta before, he relied on advice from friends to navigate his way around, advice that was more than sufficient it seems.

“There were a few surprises out there, especially 17,” Merkulov said. “I was surprised at how much the hole comes back like a horseshoe. My friend said to aim my tee shot at the ‘v’ in the trees, which I did, and my ball ended up in the middle of the fairway.”

“It’s going to be a shoot-out tomorrow between the three of us in the last group and hopefully the putts will fall for me,” Merkulov said. “I know Dominic and Bryce well and I think we will have fun out there, although there probably won’t be much talking the last three or four holes.”

If the three leaders are able to continue their great play tomorrow the last four holes at Oneonta should provide a perfect climax to the championship. Each hole has a unique design with a good opportunity for a birdie, but at the same time is rife with hazards that will swallow up errant shots in a heartbeat.

Tee times begin at 12:00 p.m. with the final group teeing off at 1:39 p.m.

Oneonta C.C.- Thirteen-year-old Gavin Hall of Rochester leads the New York State Boys’ championship, after posting a record setting 6-under-par 66 today in the opening round at Oneonta C.C.

Hall said his game was consistent if not spectacular from the start, before it caught fire as he headed into the middle part of his round en route to crafting the lowest 18 hole score in NYSGA Boys’ history.

“I started out pretty steady, hitting a lot of greens and two-putting for pars,” Hall said. “Then starting on the ninth hole I just got hot. I made three birdies in a row and then almost made another on the twelfth.”

Hall then made three more birdies on 13,14 and 15 to get to 5-under heading to the tee on the par-4 16^th.

Hall narrowly missed his birdie putts on 16 and 17, before driving over the green on the 272-yard par-4 18^th. His ball finished in a burrowing animal hole, from which he got relief, and he was able to get up and down for a closing birdie and an incredible 6-under-par 30 on the back nine.

“I tried to keep focused on one shot at a time to take my mind off the nerves I was feeling coming into the last few holes,” Hall Said. “It felt great to hold it together and pull it off though.”

Hall had never been to Oneonta C.C. before yesterday and found the course suited his eye from the start.

“I liked the course, although it is pretty short, the greens are rolling nice, and with the great weather and no wind you can take it low.”

Hall said he has been enjoying a good year to date, with success in some AJGA events and his high school team, where he played on the team this year as a 7^th-grader.

“I finished third in the AJGA Pennsylvania Junior All-star event earlier this year and also played in a couple of other AJGA events, so its been going well,” Hall said.

Defending champion Joe Drummond fired a 75 today in a round he called so-so, ruing some mistakes on the greens that prevented him from coming closer to the leading score.

“I missed a short putt on 15 and then three putted on 17 for bogey so I definitely left some shots out there today,” Drummond said. “I like the way the course is playing though, it’s firm and fast and the greens are in nice shape, so I feel like I can score well here.”

Drummond was interviewed before Hall’s 66 was posted with the low round being a 70 at the time and said he would not change his mindset for tomorrow’s round drastically.

“I’m just going to keep the same strategy and try and make some more putts and hopefully reel the leaders in and see what happens,” Drummond said.

To make up a nine-shot deficit, Drummond will almost certainly need some help from Hall if he is to claim back-to-back Boys’ titles tomorrow afternoon.

Pierce Terrance of Brighton Park shot 70 to lie in second place with Victor Fox and Ben Stone third with 74’s.

Suzie Lee of Bethpage State Park leads the Girls’ Championship after firing a 1-under-par 71. She began with a birdie 2 starting on the 10^th, before faltering with a triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 13^th.

Lee was able to bounce back strongly, however, with birdies on 14 and 15, before driving the green on the par-4 18^th and sinking her putt for an eagle 2 to turn in one-under 35. From the 1^st, Lee reeled off seven straight pars before birdying the par-5 eighth and bogeying the par-5^th ninth for a 71 total.

“I was bombing my driver today, which usually left me with a wedge into most of the par-4s,” Lee said. “The course is short but it’s in good shape you just have to be careful with the greens as they are really hard.”

Lee said she has had a busy playing schedule this summer and although she has been playing consistently, she has been unable to convert some of her good starts into low rounds.

“It seems like I always find a way to mess up the last few holes every time,” Lee said. “The past couple of tournaments I have been two under going into the last hole and then finished with a bogey or double-bogey.”

Lee did bogey her last hole today although she still enjoys a four-shot lead at the tournament halfway point.

Lee said her goal for tomorrow is to improve her putting and claim that elusive sub-70 round for the first time this year.

“I just haven’t been able to break 70 yet, I’m always around 31 or 32 putts so I need to get that down if I’m going to do it,” Lee said.

Pamicka Marinello who plays out of the Country Club of Buffalo posted the second-lowest score with a 75 and Melanie Kleiner of the Club at Villa Roma is in third with 76.

The Championship Media Guide is available by clicking here.