New England Amateur

Early editions: struggle and growth In early 1926, it was announced by The Springfield Daily Republican that the state of Rhode Island had been selected to host the inaugural New England Amateur. The first tournament would be held at Rhode Island Country Club. Organizers decided to rotate the tournament, playing in a different state in New England each year. The state of Vermont was not immediately included in the rotation, however. The state lacked a golf association and organizers feared, due to Vermont's relatively obscure location, that an insufficient amount of players would commit. This was true at the inaugural event, held in 1926. The Boston Globe noted, "There was a good deal of disappointment because some of the prominent golfers failed to put in an appearance," including Francis Ouimet, the best golfer in the region. The top draw was Jesse Guilford, former U.S. Amateur champion. Guilford, however, did not play well at the preliminary rounds. According to the Globe he "qualified well up in the list, scoring 160," which included an opening 82. In general, the quality of play at the qualifier was seen to be poor. "Outside of the first five players," the Globe continued, "the golf displayed by the field was not of championship caliber." At the tournament proper, Guilford's play did not improve. In the third round, he faced Frank Newton. Though "rated as one of the best putters in the country" Guilford gave "a weird exhibition on the putting green," putting poorly. He hit his drives erratically as well. Newton won the match in extra holes. The tournaments immediately following were not perceived to be much better. The second tournament was played at Worcester Country Club. In the qualifier, according to the Associated Press, "Most of the field... experienced trouble" and "[h]igh [s]cores" were common. Even Fred Wright, the recent Massachusetts Amateur champion, opened with a "mediocre" 79 at the qualifier. In the tournament proper, however, Wright had much success and reached the finals where he faced W.A. Whitcomb. Similar to Stimpson's mistake the previous year, Whitcomb had a two-foot putt on the 36th hole to force extra holes but missed. Wright earned the championship. The next season, in 1929, most of the "stand-out golfers from the Boston district" decided not to play, including Ouimet, electing to play in the Massachusetts Amateur, also held in late July. In addition, top draws like Wright and Guilford chose not to compete citing business commitments. However, the 1930 event, marked a turning point in the history of the tournament. Even in the late 1920s, there was some signs of progress. According to Springfield Daily Republican, the third edition of the event was seen as one of the challenging "warm-ups" for the 1928 U.S. Amateur, also held in New England. The Hartford Courant referred to the following year's event, held in 1929, as the "best" tournament the state of Connecticut would host throughout the season. However, the fifth edition of the tournament, held at Portland Country Club in Falmouth, Maine, marked a sea change in the significance of the New England Amateur. The Boston Globe opined that "the tournament is rapidly reaching a place in the forefront of amateur golf in New England." The Hartford Courant noted the 1930 New England Amateur possessed "one of the best balanced fields in the history of the event." A hitherto unknown teenager from Greenwich, Connecticut named Dick Chapman stole the show. In the first round, Chapman upset defending champion Paul Haviland. In the quarterfinals, Chapman easily defeated medalist Emery Stratton, 5 and 3, receiving much attention for breaking the course record in the process. In the semifinals, he defeated Charles Clare, one of the favorites, Elmer Ward of Massachusetts narrowly defeated him in the finals, however. According to "enthusiastic consensus" the event was "the most successful in the history of the New England Golf Association." Despite the loss, Chapman's good performance precipitated Connecticut dominance of the tournament in the ensuing years. In 1932, a "fairly amazing" scenario manifested itself as only Connecticut golfers reached the semifinals: Bobby Grant, Frank Ross, Dow Ahern, and Charles Clare. Grant defeated Ahern in the finals. According to sportswriter Bill Lee, the achievement was an important step for Connecticut golf, noting in a retrospective article for the Hartford Courant: "That was a New England first that put some of the Massachusetts feats of Francis Ouimet, Jess Guilford, and Fred Wright in the shade for a while." In 1933, for the second successive year, it was "an all-Connecticut semifinal." Clare, Grant, and Ross as well as newcomer Dom Soccoli all won their quarterfinals matches. Ross defeated Clare, 4 and 3, in the finals. In the words of W.A. Whitcomb, The Boston Globe golf writer, the tournament was starting "to resemble a Connecticut sweepstakes." The following year's event was held in Connecticut at the Country Club of Waterbury. At the qualifier, Clare earned medalist honors. Clare reached the finals where he earned a "decisive" 7 and 6 win over Charley Round. It was the "third successive year" that the title went to a Connecticut golfer. Connecticut, indeed, "suffered astonishing reverses" of fortunate; of the dozens of Connecticut players that entered the event only three remained after the 4th round. As the semifinals approached the only Connecticut golfer that remained was unknown Holly Mandly, Jr. Mandly went on to win the tournament, though, assuring "the fourth successive year that a Connecticut man has won the New England crown." The following year, in 1936, it looked as if another Connecticut champion was imminent as three of the four semifinalists were from the state. However, Johnny Levinson, a summer resident of Maine, won the event. World War II interregnum and afterwards In the 1940s, the event was severely effected by World War II. At the 1940 tournament, held at Manchester Country Club in Manchester, New Hampshire, the tournament was colored by the likelihood of conscription. According to Bill Lee, a sportswriter for the Hartford Courant, "Most of the players in this tournament are in the age group that would be called first if the draft bill goes through. They've been talking about that almost as much as the golf that is played." Leo J. Martin of Weston, Massachusetts was victorious, defeating Tommy Leonard in the finals, 6 and 4. In early 1942, a couple months after the United States entered the war, the New England Golf Association (NEGA) decided to suspend the tournament. The United States Golf Association (USGA) had recently suspended their championships and the NEGA was following their precedent. According to Raynor Gardiner, the Secretary of the NEGA, "With so many of New England's outstanding golfers in the Army and Navy, it certainly would be an empty honor for the winner if we held our championship next summer." Indeed, many golfers who regularly played the tournament entered the service. Bobby Knowles joined the army. Dow Ahern, the 1932 runner-up, joined the navy. Ahern survived but was in veterans' hospitals for much of the remainder of his life. Knowles returned safely and had a number of top performances in the event in the 1950s. Among the Martin twins, Leo did not return, dying in a strange incident in the North Atlantic, though Eddie survived. The following year, Johnny Levinson, the 1936 and 1937 champion, won for the third time, defeating Ernie Doherty 4 and 3 in the finals. He was the first three-time champion. The following year, in 1948, Robert Walsh defeated Tommy Leonard, the 1940 runner-up, 3 and 1 in the finals. In 1949, Bobby Knowles, a World War II veteran, reached the semifinals but was defeated by Ernie Gerardi. However, Knowles reached the finals the following year, facing another World War II veteran, Eddie Martin. Knowles "holed a thrilling 45-foot putt on the 36th green" to defeat Martin, 1 up. In the 1950s the tournament belonged to Bob Kosten, a newly transplanted professional from Grand Rapids, Michigan who recently moved to Rhode Island. In 1952, Kosten became the first Rhode Islander to win the tournament, defeating Johnny Mandly 6 and 4 at Agawam Hunt Club. The following year, he successfully defended his championship, defeating Jim Jerome 6 and 4. It was Kosten's 20th consecutive individual match play victory, including two recent Rhode Island Amateur triumphs. He was only the second player to successfully defend his championship after Johnny Levinson in the 1930s. The following year, however, Kosten reached the finals but lost, falling to Bobby Grant. It was Grant's second win, his first since 1932. Kosten did not enter the following year. However, he returned to play the next tournament, in 1956, where he reached the finals, losing to Art Butler. Butler became the first golfer representing New Hampshire to win. The following year's event was at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, Rhode Island. In the semifinals, Kosten defeated Eddie Martin in extra holes to reach the finals for the fifth straight time. In ensuing years, a number of older players had success in the tournament. In 1960, 40-year-old Warren Tibbetts defeated Dick Siderowf, a recent graduate of Duke University, 2 and 1 in the finals. Three years later, at the age of 43, Tibbetts would again have much success. He was one of the oldest players to qualify; and by the second round he was the oldest player left. Tibbetts reached the finals and faced Eddie Barry, a former Boston Bruins hockey player. Tibbetts defeated him 4 and 3. In 1966, 44-year-old Dr. Ted Lenczyk, a Connecticut dentist, reached the semifinals. The following year, Lenczyk again reached the semifinals again but lost to Eddie Barry, the 1963 runner-up, 3 and 2. In the finals, Barry, now 48, defeated a "young Jimmy Grant" 3 and 2. He became "the oldest ever to win" the tournament. The following year, in 1968, Dr. Lenczyk reached the semifinals again. However, it was 46-year-old lawyer Peter Zaccagino that was ultimately victorious, defeating 20-year-old Lee Burke in the finals, 1 up. Modern times: college stars dominate In the 1970s, however, the character of the players changed significantly, as younger, college students now dominated. In 1971, in the first year of a new medal play format, veteran Frederick Kask built a seven-stroke lead over Bill Mallon, a student at Duke University, in the final round. Mallon made a "late charge" but it was not enough; Kask defeated Mallon, the solo runner-up, by three. In 1972, however, Mallon, now the captain of the Duke team, returned with a victory in the New England Amateur. The following year, 18-year-old Bobby Caprera, also a student at Duke, won the event. He was the youngest player ever to win the tournament. In general, according to The Boston Globe, the 1973 tournament "the leader board was dominated by young players," with the top six all between 18 and 22 years of age. The following year, in 1974, Murray State University student Bruce Douglass took a four-stroke lead at the midway lead. However, Douglass faltered late and Capera, now 19-years-old, won again. He was the first back-to-back champion since Bob Kosten in the early 1950s. Bill Lee, a middle-aged contestant, explained the success of the young golfers to the Globe: "The college kids come here with their games honed... The rest of us are just trying to reach mid-season form." The following year, in 1975, Mallon took a two-stroke lead over Douglass at the midway point. Despite a "late charge" from Douglass it was Mallon that secured the win. In 1977, University of Houston junior Kirk Hanefeld was victorious, defeating John Maloney and a member of the Yale University's golf team, Peter Teravainen, by four strokes. In the 1980s, the tournament arguably reached its apogee as "a ''Who's Who of winners" regularly won. The 1980 tournament was held at Rhode Island Country Club. Future PGA Tour star Brad Faxon, playing on his home course, birdied the final hole to defeat Cutts Benedict by a shot. He was the first Rhode Islander to win in nearly twenty years. The following year, Faxon, now 19-years-old, was one of the "pre-tournament favorites." However, he opened with a four-over-par 74 and failed to break par in the second round. In the final day, though, Faxon shot rounds of 68 and 66 to win easily. His performance over the final two rounds earned comparisons to Jack Nicklaus. He was only the fourth player to successfully repeat in the history of the event. However, Faxon "elected not to defend" his championship the following year. Jim Hallet, another future PGA Tour pro, won. The following year, Hallett, feeling "burned out" from playing too much golf in the summer, missed the cut. In addition, once again Faxon did not play, having recently turned professional. Wake Forest sophomore Billy Andrade took advantage of this vacuum at the top, winning by nine strokes. Three years later, in 1986, Tim Petrovic, a University of Hartford golfer, won by one stroke. "I finally broke through," he told The Boston Globe''. "I finally won a big tournament. I still can't believe I won." During the era, the New England Amateur was referred to as "the most prestigious amateur tournament in the region." At the cusp of the century there continued to be some notable events. In 1989, Shawn Baker "became the first Vermonter ever to win the New England Amateur Golf Championship" defeating Rodney Butcher and Hans Albertsson, also of Vermont, by six. "I made a lot of mistakes in my first N.E. Tournament, but it will not be my last," Albertsson said after the tournament. "I will be back next year." Albertsson indeed contented the following year, playing "what he called the best golf of his life." He won, defeating Baker, the solo runner-up, by two stokes. In 1995, 17-year-old James Driscoll closed with rounds of 68 (−4) and 66 (−6) to win by a "whopping" 13 strokes. Five years later, Jim Salinetti, a former champ, matched Driscoll's margin of victory, recording a thirteen-stroke win at Waterville Country Club. In 2002, Kevin Quinn, was ten shots behind Rob Oppenheim entering the final day. However, he played well in the two-round finale while Oppenheim self-destructed; Quinn won. The following year, in 2004, Quinn opened with rounds of 64 and 67, "[m]oving into position for his second victory in three years in the event." He held a three-stroke lead over Bret Stegmaier, in second, and five stroke lead over Welch, in joint third. In 2008, Matt Broome, the leader after two rounds, was declared the champion at the midway point of the tournament; rain made the final two rounds impossible to play. Broome "directed credit" to Faxon after his victory. "Brad's been a great friend and a huge influence," he said. In contemporary times, the length of the event has changed a number of times. In 2013, the tournament organizers pursued an "experiment" and shortened the New England Amateur to 54 holes. Many of the recent tournaments had been limited due to excessive rain. In addition, organizers felt the truncated tournament would accommodate out-of-state players and older players who were often worn out by the full, two-round finale. Despite the reversion, the tournament was abruptly shortened to 54 holes in ensuing years. In 2018, rain interrupted the second round and the tournament was reduced to 54 holes. In 2020, the final round was cancelled due to rain. Shortly thereafter, the tournament largely reverted to a 54-hole format. == Winners ==