During the first week in June, the Seawane Club in Hewlett Harbor hosted the Met PGA Head Pro Championship. Todd Wingerter (Burning Tree CC) was the only player to score in red numbers for the tournament, winning with a 1-under-par two-day total.
Some of the best head pros from courses on Long Island and throughout the Metropolitan area struggled with the tough, fast greens that baked in the sun, with sections of some greens turning to a dark purple haze by noon of the final round. Besides the shaved-down greens, wind gusts that are typical at Seawane ruffled the tall fescue guarding most every fairway, leaving little to no room for error.
Ben Hoffhine (Wykagyl CC) said prior to the final round that he would be surprised if any of his competitors were able to "go real low. The course is playing very difficult--anything more than about a 7 or 8-iron is having a hard time holding the greens. It’s a grind out there.”
Out of the top 5 finishers in the field of 76, four players were professionals from Long Island facilities. Paul Glutt (Island Hills) and Sean Farren (The Creek) tied for second at 3-over-par. Mark Brown (Tam O’Shanter Club) and defending champion Heath Wassem (Fenway GC) finished t-4 at 4-over for the tournament.
Be sure to check in the next few days for quotes from the Head Pro Championship to find out what the top professionals do to stay competitive with little practice time.
Keep coming here for current news on everything Long Island golf. This blog is in affiliation with Golfing Magazine, where you can play 7 free rounds of golf all over the Island and get 5 issues a year. Go to www.GolfingMagLI.com for more information.
SS
No comments:
Post a Comment