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Teeing Off

Golf in the Lower Hudson Valley, from high schools to the pros

Archive for April, 2008

Rain, rain, go away

April
29

Today I was supposed to cover a very exciting match between Rye, Brewster and Horace Greeley. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate.

The match, which featured probable Section 1 title contenders Rye and Brewster, was cancelled. The coaches are trying to find a date when they can all get together again, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Rye, the defending Section 1 champs, lost its first match to Rye Country Day, but hasn’t been tested since. Brewster, which lost in the Section 1 Championships last year, is off to a tremendous 10-0 start.

Instead, I covered the Lakeland/Panas vs. Horace Greeley girls lacrosse game. Aside from the wet weather, it turned out to be very exciting, with the Rebels pulling out a 14-13 win on a last minute goal by Caitlin Collins. The game also featured Lakeland standout Chelsea Robinson scoring her 200th career goal.

Tomorrow, it’s back to the links for me (cloudy and in the 50s will have to do following last week’s glorious weather). I will be teeing off with a couple fellow team Journal News members as we continue to take advantage of not having 9-5 jobs…

I’ll be back Wednesday hopefully, to let you know how the Fairchester Athletic Association Championship went. Rye Country Day is the defending champion, but perennial powerhouse Brunswick has already defeted the Wildcats twice this year. The event is being played at Westchester Country Club for the first time, so that could be a slight advantage for the Rye kids that make up most of the RCDS squad. We’ll have to wait and see.

Posted by Alex Myers on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 12:16 am | del.icio.us Digg
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Blumberg shines

April
24

I covered the Brewster vs. Harrison match today and one person ended up stealing the show: Danny Blumberg.

The Brewster junior was spectacular, firing a 2-under-par 34 on the South Course at Westchester Country Club. Blumberg told me afterwards that he was just so excited to play the course for the first time that he didn’t even care about his score. Whatever he was thinking, it certainly worked.

He eagled the par 5 third, made birdie on No. 5 then made an incredible up-and-down from 90 yards to save par on No. 6. His only blemish came at No. 8 when his tee shot just went through the green. He wound up making a double bogey, but bounced back to birdie No. 9.

Teammate Mike Miller had a tough time on the greens with 19 putts, but still managed a 38. Mark Delzio added a 41 as the Bears stayed undefeated at 10-0 with a 217 to 221 win.

Both teams were missing players due to Spring Break, but the match turned out how it probably would if both teams were at full strength.

Eighth-grader Michael Ditursi led Harrison (5-3) with a 39 and Andrew Lichtenauer tossed in a roller-coaster 41. The senior had three birdies and no pars.

Brewster will now head into a huge tri-match with Rye and Horace Greeley at Mount Kisco Country Club Monday. Rye defeated Brewster and Harrison in last year’s Section 1 Championship so it should be a good one.

I will be in attendance so check back for details.

Posted by Alex Myers on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 9:18 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Pelham Country Club bustling

April
15

In going to Pelham Country Club to see the Fordham Prep vs. Iona Prep match, I got a little bonus golf in the fact that Pelham was also playing Eastchester. Let’s start with Fordham Prep:

The Rams took a pretty good challenge from their rival before winning 3-2. Fordham was led by sophomore Paul Toohey, who tied for medalist honors with Iona’s Kyle Keelan by posting a 2-over 37. Toohey has been red-hot of late, finishing as the medalist for Fordham in each of the past three matches. That fact is made even more impressive by the fact the Rams still have Jon Renza, the defending CHSAA state champ, and John Hough on the team.

Speaking of Renza, he suffered the first defeat since joining Fordham’s varsity team last season. Iona Prep freshman Shane Malloy was able to keep his record perfect by defeating Renza on the second extra hole.

Although neither played extremely well, it was a tightly-contested match throughout. Malloy went in front after an incredible birdie on No. 7, but Renza’s par on No. 9 tied it up. With neither wanting to end in a tie, they went back to No. 1 for a sudden-death playoff. Renza’s 15-foot birdie kept the match going, but he was unable to get up-and-down for par on No. 2. Expect to hear plenty more from these two over the next few years.

John Hough and David Bush also won matches for Fordham, which improved to 4-0.

Keelan and Malloy won for Iona Prep (3-1-1).

As for the other match, Pelham easily defeated Eastchester 222-264. These two teams have had some fantastic matches the past couple seasons, but the Eagles have almost an entirely new team this year.

Pelham lost two all-section players, but the Pelicans still have Andrew Emerson. Yesterday, the junior shot a 38 that included birdies on the 8th and 9th holes. It would be tough to find a player in the entire area playing better, as Emerson hasn’t broken 40 just once in his eight matches thus far.

While waiting for the final group to come in, I got into a little putting competition with Pelham coach Tom Roksvold and Eastchester coach Joe Cirasella. Let’s just say I need to start practicing … a lot.

There was also one match that got reported last night, which I wanted to point out. Harrison defeated Scarsdale 195 to 205 at Willow Ridge to give the Huskies a very impressive win. The two teams will play again May 13 at Fenway Golf Club.

Posted by Alex Myers on Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 11:18 am | del.icio.us Digg
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All-Star links

April
14

After watching the best players in the world play what is probably the most beautiful course in the world, it’s time to refocus on high school golf. My flight arrived this morning, I took a nap and now I’m about to head off to one of my favorite area courses, Pelham Country Club, to see Iona Prep take on Fordham Prep.

First though, here are the links to our Winter High School All-Star sections for both Westchester/Putnam and Rockland counties. As the boys swimming writer for the first time, it was exciting to cover Rye’s Ryan Feeley, the first boys swimmer to ever win our Athlete of the Season award.

Check out the top athletes in all the sports. A lot of hard work by our staff goes into making these teams so I hope you enjoy. Back later with some thoughts on the match.

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Posted by Alex Myers on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 2:53 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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But do they have any DNA evidence?

April
14

If you’ve been following this Paul Azinger-Nick Faldo saga, in which Azinger described his Ryder Cup captain counterpart in unflattering terms in an interview and then said the words were taken out of context, it gets even better.

Now the Daily Mail of London has produced an audio file of that interview. It’s a bit grainy, but it does counter Azinger’s contention that he was just goofing around.

I like Paul Azinger, always have. When I first started covering golf in the late 90s, he was the tour player I got to know the best. But one of the reasons I’ve liked him is he’s always been brutally honest, which is what may have been his problem here.

Posted by Sam Weinman on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 1:59 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Some final thoughts

April
13

So there you have it, Trevor Immelman, Masters champion.

Just as I predicted.

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A couple of thoughts:

  • I’ve covered six Masters and this one had the least Sunday drama. And yet even then, there were a few defining moments. One was Immelman holing his 20-footer from the fringe on 11 to save par Another was Tiger Woods making his bomb on the same hole, but then coming back and coughing up a golden chance on No. 13. That was essentially the tournament right there.

  • Is there a reason Woods still hasn’t come from behind to win a major? Obviously the guy’s entire major championship game plan is built around minimizing mistakes, and capitalizing when he can. Having to come from behind forces him to be more aggressive, and from there, he seems to end up making more mistakes.

  • Meanwhile, could CBS announcers have been any more desperate in their attempts to breathe life into the final round? It was as if Immelman didn’t have a five-shot lead, but was tied the whole time. I understand their predicament. You have to give people a reason to watch. But those same people aren’t stupid, either.

  • Posted by Sam Weinman on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 10:06 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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    From now on, Tiger Woods will plead the fifth

    April
    13

    Apparently I’m not the only guy who wants to put his foot in his mouth today. Another is Tiger Woods, who said after his round that he never should have mentioned going for the Grand Slam.

    “I learned my lesson there with the press,” said Woods, who claimed the fifth runner-up finish of his career in a major, and second straight at the Masters. “I’m not going to say anything.”

    In other news, congratulations to Trevor Immelman, whose only costly mistake of the day was opting to sign his scorecard when his 2-year-old son, Jacob, wanted to play with him. A brief tantrum ensued.

    Some day, I’m sure, the kid will understand.

    Posted by Sam Weinman on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 8:08 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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    A bad Masters is still pretty good. And this one is pretty bad….

    April
    13

    Somebody has to say it, because if you were looking for inspired Sunday charges, you are likely to be disappointed.

    capt68605efd0aee4d4d9e153a28701f0e53masters_golf_aug225.jpg

    Instead this Masters is turning into a white knuckle sweepstakes of who can fall apart the least. Trevor Immelman appears to be that guy with now a five-shot lead with five holes to play.

    Let’s just there will be some caffeine involved in getting through my story.

    Posted by Sam Weinman on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 6:17 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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    Insert foot here

    April
    13

    And the Bonehead Of The Week Award goes to…me for this regrettable exchange in the Augusta National pro shop.

    True story: I was buying a hat for a friend when one of the two girls behind the counter noticed my credential.

    “Sam,” she repeated my name. “My name’s Samantha.”

    “Really?” I said. “My parents said that if I ended up being a girl, they weren’t going to name me Samantha. They wanted to call me Stephanie, which is a horrible name.”

    Then the girl motioned to her friend right next to her, who had heard the whole conversation.

    “Her name’s Stephanie,” she said.

    I have decided not to speak for the rest of the week.

    Posted by Sam Weinman on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 4:22 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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    After four days of intense golf, Wagner plans to watch some intense golf

    April
    13

    Johnson Wagner was still smiling after his 75 in the final round today, and why not?

    He was a week removed from his first PGA Tour win. He had just played four rounds in the Masters. And now he had a chance to watch one of his good friends, Brandt Snedeker, try to win his first major.

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    “I’ll probably just have a little lunch in the clubhouse followed by some intense viewing of the Masters tournament,” Wagner said when I asked how he’d spend his afternoon.

    And where would he watch?

    “Either I’ll go back to the RV and watch it with my family, or I’ll sit right up there and eat as many pimento cheese sandwiches as I can,” he said.

    Apparently the golf fitness craze only goes so far.

    Posted by Sam Weinman on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 3:59 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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    About this blog
    Writers Sam Weinman and Alex Myers share their thoughts on the local and national golf scene.
    About the authors
    Sam WeinmanSam Weinman
    The lead golf writer for The Journal News and LoHud.com, Weinman, 31, has placed among the top three in the Golf Writers Association of America writing contest in three consecutive years, including a first-place finish in 2004. READ MORE

    Alex MyersAlex Myers
    A sports reporter at The Journal News for nearly three years, Alex Myers has covered a bit of everything, but a lot of golf, ranging from the high school level to last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. His golf writing goes back to his college days when he attended Wake Forest University. Myers is also an avid player who is constantly trying to improve on his current handicap of 8. Perhaps his biggest thrill came earlier this summer when he conquered the famed 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass by hitting a 9-iron onto the island green and walking away with a 2-putt par.

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