Sat. Dec 14th, 2024

The 62nd Northeast Amateur gets underway on Wednesday at Wannamoisett CC; who to watch

By admin Jun21,2024

EAST PROVIDENCE — Wednesday morning marks the beginning of what should be a terrific two-week stretch of tournament golf in the state.

The Northeast Amateur tees off for the 62nd time at Wannamoisett Country Club. A host of the top young players in the world will take on the classic Donald Ross-design starting with 8 a.m. twosomes.

There will be a new champion at the close of four rounds. Barring any weather delays, he will don the customary dark blue blazer sometime on Saturday afternoon. Nick Dunlap has turned professional since his 2023 triumph and two-time winner Dylan Menante, who blitzed the field in both 2021 and 2022, won’t be on the grounds this year.

More: Summer golf season heats up, beginning with the Northeast Amateur; what to know

More: A dramatic finish to the 61st Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett. Who won?

“It feels like not too long ago we were putting the jacket on Nick Dunlap,” tournament chairman Ben Tuthill said at May’s media day. “Now here we are with a whole new roster of players who are the best in amateur golf.”

Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent tees off at the NCAA men's championship earlier this month. He will be one of the Northeast Amateur favorites.Vanderbilt's Gordon Sargent tees off at the NCAA men's championship earlier this month. He will be one of the Northeast Amateur favorites.

Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent tees off at the NCAA men’s championship earlier this month. He will be one of the Northeast Amateur favorites.

The 10th tee will be the prime spot to find some of the field’s best early on the opening day. Four players who qualified for the U.S. Open field at Pinehurst No. 2 last week will start there, including the 9:04 a.m. pairing of Stewart Hagestad and Gordon Sargent. Hagestad is one of the game’s top mid-amateurs at age 33 and Sargent is a rising Vanderbilt senior star and past No. 1 world amateur player.

Stewart Hagestad hits out of a bunker on the second hole of the second round of the Masters Tournament earlier this season. At 33, he's one of the top amateurs in the country and will be playing at the Northeast Amateur this week.Stewart Hagestad hits out of a bunker on the second hole of the second round of the Masters Tournament earlier this season. At 33, he's one of the top amateurs in the country and will be playing at the Northeast Amateur this week.

Stewart Hagestad hits out of a bunker on the second hole of the second round of the Masters Tournament earlier this season. At 33, he’s one of the top amateurs in the country and will be playing at the Northeast Amateur this week.

Sargent’s teammate with the Commodores, Wells Williams, goes off at 8:16 a.m. and Auburn standout Brendan Valdes begins his opening round at 8:24 a.m. Williams is a past Junior Ryder Cup player with Team USA and Valdes helped the Tigers win a team national championship this spring.

“It’s hard to tell — because they’re all so good — who’s going to go on and do the next great thing,” Tuthill said. “But with all the talent in the field, they are going to do some amazing things in the not-so-distant future.”

Sargent and Illinois star Max Herendeen finished in a six-way tie for second place at the NCAA championships. They’ll both look to follow the strong legacy of college talent in this field. Collin Morikawa (California, 2017), Dustin Johnson (Coastal Carolina, 2007) and Luke Donald (Northwestern 2000-01) were all in the midst of strong careers on campus when they won here.

Harry Dessel, the former Moses Brown star who now plays for Lafayette, will lead a strong Rhode Island contingent at this week's Northeast Amateur.Harry Dessel, the former Moses Brown star who now plays for Lafayette, will lead a strong Rhode Island contingent at this week's Northeast Amateur.

Harry Dessel, the former Moses Brown star who now plays for Lafayette, will lead a strong Rhode Island contingent at this week’s Northeast Amateur.

The local contingent includes state Player of the Year Harry Dessel (10th tee, 9:28 a.m.), reigning state Amateur champion Bobby Leopold (1st tee, 12:30 p.m.) and recent Gasparilla Invitational qualifier Tyler Cooke (10th tee, 1:50 p.m.). Massachusetts champion Ryan Downes, Connecticut champion Rick Dowling and New England champion Joey Lenane have all honored their commitments to the field — Downes will be with Dessel in a prime pairing.

Rhode Island's Bobby Leopold poses with the trophy after winning the RI Amateur at Montaup CC last July.Rhode Island's Bobby Leopold poses with the trophy after winning the RI Amateur at Montaup CC last July.

Rhode Island’s Bobby Leopold poses with the trophy after winning the RI Amateur at Montaup CC last July.

This event will be followed next weekend by the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club. Todd White will appear in both fields. The 1990 champion at the Northeast will make his 20th start at this event. He’s the reigning U.S. Senior Amateur and South Carolina champion.

“It’s pretty awesome to have the Senior Open the following week in Newport,” Tuthill said. “It’s just an awesome venue in the state. We’ve seen them host big events in the state before.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Northeast Amateur will again host some of the top golfers in the country

Source

By admin

Related Post