For Immediate Release: September 22, 2009
Headline: Bob Linn Scores a Three-Stroke Victory at 2009 New England Senior Amateur Championship
Great Barrington, MA – To say that Robert Linn (Berkshire Hills CC – MA) is enjoying his senior status would be an understatement. In his first year of senior amateur eligibility, the 55 year old is showing that he can compete with even the best. (Story Continues Below)
Day 2 Quick Links
One week ago after advancing to the second round of match play at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, Linn was simply dazzling on the regional stage as he captured the 2009 New England Senior Amateur Championship title at Wyantenuck Country Club.
Linn fired a second round score of even par 70 on Wednesday afternoon to leap ahead of the field and best second-place finisher Larry Bolduc (Long Hill GC – CT) by three strokes.
The way in which Linn captured the title today speaks volumes about the type of champion he is and might even strike a bit of fear into even the most seasoned of competitors.
Facing a challenging Wyantenuck Country Club layout and knowing that the talented field was doing its best to fight for the top spot, Linn saved his best for last by playing 2-under par golf through his final seven holes. He carded four pars and two birdies – on the 13th and 16th holes – to secure the title
His performance today was no real surprise because Linn has been competing well all summer long. In addition to his finish at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship (he was the only Bay State golfer to advance to match play), Linn qualified for and competed in the Massachusetts Amateur Championship held at The Country Club and finished in fourth place at the Berkshire Hills Singles Invitational. He also – just one year ago – was victorious at the Worcester County Amateur where he became the oldest winner and the first champion from outside Central Massachusetts in the tournament's then 22-year history.
Meanwhile, Bolduc did all he could to challenge Linn for the top spot as he carded a tournament-low score of 1-under par 69 today. His strong round featured four birdies – on the 1st, 10th, 14th and 15th – holes and three bogies.
The Super Senior
Although first-round co-leader Shawn McLoughlin (Ridgewood CC – CT) was unable to maintain his overall lead, the 66 year old took home the Super Senior Division title following a one-hole playoff with Dick Weigold (The Torrington CC – CT).
Both players finished with two-round scores of 8-over par 148. While McLoughlin won this event back in 2000, Weigold was the reigning Super Senior Division champion as he claimed that honor one year ago at Nashua Country Club (NH).
Mr. Come Back
The come-back round of the day was posted by Ray Underwood (Washington Club – CT) who rebounded from a day-one score of 16-over par 86 by tying the tournament low round of 1-under par 69 on Wednesday.
Following the disappointing result on Tuesday, Underwood’s second day did not start off well. He began his day with a double bogey on the 337-yard, par 4 1st hole and followed that up by making two more bogies for a front nine score of 4-over par 39.
The back nine was an entirely different story.
Back-to-back pars on the 10th and 11th holes set the stage for a seven-hole stretch where Underwood played 5-under par golf. That impressive run included an eagle on the 423-yard, par 4 12th and birdies on the 13th, 15th and 18th holes. While he many not have left Wyantenuck Country Club with the top prize, Underwood can take solace in the fact that he was one of only two competitors in the field who were able to post a sub-par round through two days of competition.
- The competitors did not look forward to their first shots on the 440-yard, par 4 4th hole as it played as the most difficult hole this week. The average score on that hole was a 5.014 and only nine birdies were made through two rounds of play.
- If one started on the 1st hole, the turn was a pleasant place to be as the 324-yard, par 4 10th hole played as the easiest hole boasting a scoring average of 4.218. A total of 34 birdies and 119 pars were carded on that hole.
- Proving that the Wyantenuck Country Club layout was a challenge to even the best senior amateurs, the average score at this year’s tournament was 79.243 with players registering 251 birdies, 1401 bogies and 298 double bogies.
- Only two eagles were scored this week... on the 337-yard, par 4 1st and 423-yard, par 4 12th holes.
Looking Forward
This year’s competitors and those looking forward to turning 55 next year can book the dates of September 20-22, 2010. The New England Senior Amateur Championship will move across the border to Rhode Island as Pawtucket Country Club will serve as host of the 13th playing of this NEGA Championship.
