By Paul Kenyon
Final Recap
THOMPSON, Ct. _ The championship hardware in RIGA events is beginning to pile up for Jamie Lukowicz.
The Metacomet star from Coventry added another major title to his growing list on Tuesday and did it in dramatic fashion. He rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole to finish 54-holes at Quinnatisset Country Club with a 7-under-par 209 total in the 35th Stroke Play Championship.
He needed that putt since he and Connecticut National’s Chris DeLucia were tied going to the final hole after a daylong battle. The two not only played in the same threesome, but rode in the same cart. Several others, including first-day leader Brad Valois and Wanumetonomy’s Will Hall, made runs at some point to get to the top of the leaderboard.
But over the last few holes, Lukowicz and DeLucia pulled away and made it a head-to-head showdown. The lead changed hands several times as both mixed birdies in with bogeys until Lukowicz won it with one last bird on the par-5 closing hole.
``That was a lot of fun,’’ Lukowicz said. ``We had a lot of changes during the day. I was glad to make that last one.’’
Lukowicz has been one of the RIGA’s best players over the past two decades, but went years without being able to break through for a major championship. He won the Mid-Am in 2014. Then he won it again in 2015. He was the low amateur in the Rhode Island Open several years ago. And just last year he was the runner-up to Billy Forcier in the State Amateur.
Lukowicz showed again on Tuesday that he has learned to win. He closed this one out in style as he put together three under-par rounds of 70-69-70 on the 6,537-yard, par-72 course.
Lukowicz was pin high in two on the 512-yard closing hole, but had a difficult chip over a mound. His chip rolled 10 feet past the hole. DeLucia, who has challenged for titles several times since the Connecticut courses became members of the RIGA four years ago, had pitched his third shot about 20 feet past the hole.
DeLucia’s birdie putt rolled over the left edge of the hole. Lukowicz thought back to the morning’s second round as he lined up his putt.
``I had pretty much the same putt this morning,’’ he related. ``I had about three feet longer and just a little higher, but it came hard at the end. So I knew that if I hit it about a ball out it should break and right at the end it came hard.’’ It dropped in.
DeLucia, a former UConn star, got off to a rough start in the morning round but then had a stretch from the end of that round to the start of the last where he birdied six times in a seven-hole stretch. Three college stars, Jeff Giguere of Middlebury, Will Hall of Rollins and Jason Short of URI tied for third at 3-under.
The senior division battle was just as tight. In fact, it ended with 2017 champion Dave McNally, Metacomet’s Darren Corrente and first-timer Mike Arter all tying at 2-under 214. Corrente won with a par on the first playoff hole.
That made it a sweep for the friends from Metacomet. Lukowicz and Corrente have a standing Friday afternoon match at Metcomet. They compete against each other often. They have become such good friends that they played as partners in the prestigious Havemeyer Memorial Championship held each year at Newport Country Club. They won that title, too.
``He’s made me a better player from playing with him and competing against him, sometimes even for a little money,’’ Corrente said. ``I’m so happy we both were able to win here.’’
By Paul Kenyon
Round 1 Recap
THOMPSON, Ct. _ After struggling for the past month, at least by his standards, Brad Valois was back playing on Monday the way he has so often in the last 15 years. That is to say he excelled.
The four-time RIGA Amateur champion recorded a 5-under-par 67 at Quinnatisset to take the first-round lead in the 35th Stroke Play Championship.
Valois, who won this event in both 2014 and 2015, will carry a one-stroke lead into Tuesday’s 36-hole finale over a new face, Mike Arter, with Tyler Cooke, the defending champion, another stroke back at 69.
Scores were excellent overall at the 6,537-yard, 113-year-old course. Two players finished under par, counting both divisions. It took a score of 78 to qualify for the final day.
For one day, it was back to business as usual for Valois. The lefty got his season off to a great start when he and partner Greg Simoneau won the Four-Ball in May but he has not played as well since then. Valois has spoken about how he is adjusting his game considerably because of his new body. The former URI star has lost 70 pounds, getting back to the same 170 pounds he played at in college.
Valois, who now plays out of Valley, was 5-under through six with birds at 1, 4 and 5 and an eagle on the 486-yard, par-5 sixth. He had another bird on 12 to get to 6-under, but suffered his only bogey of the day on the par-3 15th.
His nearest competitor is a new face in Rhode Island but not in New England golf circles. Arter is a 62-year-old attorney who has piled up numerous honors over the years in Massachusetts. They include winning the Senior Division of the prestigious Hornblower Memorial, and taking the South Coast and Taunton Opens. He recently joined Swansea Country Club to become eligible for RIGA events.
He declined the offer tournament officials give all seniors to Tee It Forward and compete in the Senior Division at shorter distances. Playing the full course, he put together a bogey-free round. His four birdies included one on each of the last two holes.
Cooke got off to an excellent start in defending his title as he posted five birdies against two bogeys for his 69.
In the Senior Division, the irrepressible Hall of Famer, Arter has only a one-stroke lead over Metacomet’s Darren Corrente, who came in late with a 69. Paul Quigley is third at 1-under 71. It is the sixth year in a row the 73-year-old Quigley has shot his age in this tournament. All that, of course, has been after the nine victories he posted in the event in his prime.