By Dalton Balthaser

 

PORTSMOUTH – Mike Hamilton couldn’t believe it. There’s no way it could happen again.

 

Standing in the left rough blocked out by trees on the 53rd hole of the 39th #RIStrokePlay after his tee shot stayed in play by a yard, all that raced through Hamilton’s mind was what happened on the final hole of the 117th #RIAmateur at Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club.

 

“There were plenty of bad mental thoughts on that tee shot,” said Hamilton. “Oddly enough, I birdied the hole the first two times I played it. When I get nervous, I tend to lunge at the ball and hit a block to the right. I committed to my target and during my swing I changed my thought process and came over the top. I was lucky it stayed in play.”

 

Similar spot, similar circumstances. Needing to somehow make a par.

 

“I immediately thought of what happened at the Amateur,” said Hamilton. “I took a chance on the last hole at Wanumetonomy and it didn’t pay off. I told myself to just lay it up and hit it to a spot where I can somehow scramble for a par. I did exactly that. It took everything I had mentally to commit to that process.”

 

This time, Hamilton made his par and battled his way to a second Rhode Island Stroke Play title Tuesday at Montaup Country Club (par 71, 6,538 yards).

 

“I never thought this day would come,” said Hamilton, 32, of Lincoln. “I didn’t think my win in 2020 would be my only one but I knew how hard it would be to win again. There are so many talented players here. I am thrilled.”

 

He rolled in the 15-footer for par on No. 17 (par 4, 407 yards) and would par the last (par 4, 312 yards) to win by two shots over 2016 champion Kevin Silva of the host club. Hamilton finished at 11 under for the 54 holes.

 

“Kevin is an unbelievable player,” said Hamilton. “He has such a great history in RIGA events. There’s nobody who knows Montaup better than Kevin. He had a ton of support which was cool to see. I just wanted to keep matching him. If I kept making pars, I knew that wasn’t going to be enough. Coasting would have cost me this tournament.”

 

Hamilton fired a 65 in the morning and a 71 in the afternoon. 

 

“36 holes of stroke play are much longer and more challenging than 36 holes of match play,” said Hamilton, of Kirkbrae Country Club. “Every shot counts and you can’t take a shot off. This golf course is so tight, so one error can cost you.”

 

Hamilton made the turn to the final nine with a three-shot over Silva.

 

But once Silva rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on No. 11 (par 4, 418 yards), Hamilton sensed a possible momentum shift. But he stayed focused and matched Silva with a 15-footer of his own for birdie to keep a three-shot lead.

 

“I was trying to stay in the moment,” said Hamilton. “If you start to think ahead you find yourself in positions you don’t want to be in. I didn’t want to do anything crazy. That putt on No. 11 was huge at the time.”

 

The duel continued with matching birdies on No. 13 (par 5, 528 yards). Hamilton’s lead would be trimmed to two after a bogey from the greenside bunker on No. 15 (par 4, 436 yards).

 

Silva made Hamilton sweat it out the entire back nine. He rolled putt after putt with perfect pace. He just couldn’t get any putts to drop, leaving Hamilton the chance to gather himself.

 

Hamilton has now won two of the last three #RIStrokePlay events. He won in 2020 at Quinnatisset Country Club. He is now the seventh player all-time with at least two Stroke Play titles. The others? Charlie Blanchard, Charlie Hayes, Bill Lunnie, Jason Pannone, Paul Quigley and Brad Valois.

 

“Everyone around me keeps telling me I can compete with the best,” said Hamilton. “It’s hard sometimes for me to convince myself I can. Going up against the great players in this state is a challenge. I don’t think Rhode Island gets enough credit for the quality of players here.”

 

Hamilton has now completed the competitive golf gauntlet that is the month of July in the Ocean State. Even though he loves the game as much as the next guy, it’s time for a break.

 

“I don’t have any competitive golf for two weeks,” said Hamilton. “I have vaguely tried to count how many holes of golf I have played this month. I estimated about 300 holes. It’s absurd. I got what I wanted out of this month of golf. This break comes at a great time. The clubs are going away for a couple days. I’m dead. I’ve got nothing left.”

 

Senior Division

 

Dave McNally stepped up to No. 18 (par 4, 300 yards) with a two-shot lead in the Senior Division of the #RIStrokePlay at Montaup (par 71, 6,375 yards).

 

All he needed to do was two-putt from 25 feet to win. But he didn’t know that it all he had to do.

 

He three-putted and Valley Country Club’s Mike Soucy made birdie to force a playoff. 

 

“I was thinking to just get my putt to the hole because I struggled to get the pace right,” said McNally. “I gave it more than I wanted and I struggled to make short putts this week. Even though I have been practicing my putting a lot, for some reason it doesn’t click in competitive golf. It’s not like I am nervous. I go through my routine and make sure I am comfortable. The last two days nothing went in.”

 

On the first playoff hole, all he had to do was two-putt from 20 feet to win. He three-putted.

 

“I just stubbed it,” said McNally, 68, of Brooklyn, Conn. “I hit the ground first and left it four feet short. I kept missing everything low. This type of thing has happened to me so much that I have gotten used to it. I’ve shot myself in the foot enough time on the greens.”

 

They both replayed No. 18 and he and Soucy made birdie. Then McNally, hit a 52-degree wedge from 68 yards to three feet when they played No. 18 again and converted to claim the Senior Division of the #RIStrokePlay on the third playoff hole.

 

This is his second victory in this event. He won in a playoff at Pawtucket Country Club in 2017.

 

“It’s always rewarding to win these events,” said McNally, of Quinnatisset. “This course set up well for me because you must hit the ball straight. I didn’t make it easy on myself again, but I am happy to get the job done.”

 

This was the fourth playoff he has been in at this event (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022). He’s now 2-2. McNally is known for his prowess from tee-to-green. A straight driver of the golf ball and a solid iron player. The putter has let him down on several occasions but even though he has a ton of scar tissue he keeps pushing forward.

 

“I was thinking about how many more times I could mess it up,” said McNally jokingly. “But it was nice to know that I had two-putts to win from four feet. It’s crazy how golf can be sometimes.”