Final Recap
By Paul Kenyon
REHOBOTH, Ma. _ John VanDerLaan is two months into his pro golf career and he already is a double State Open champion.
The recent Florida Southern grad, who was the NCAA Division II national champion this year, completed an impressive double on Wednesday when he won the 87th Rhode Island Open at Crestwood. He matched the low round of the tournament, an 8-under-par 63, to give him an outstanding 13-under 129 total, one stroke better than first-round leader Geno Giancola. Giancola came up short despite birdying his last two holes to post his second straight 65.
With the course softened by rain, it was a birdie fest throughout. Cumberland native Brad Adamonis made 12 birdies and only one bogey in two days but had to settle for a tie for third at 11-under-par. Austin Parker a Dallas native who now lives in Florida, and Evan Harmeling of Burlington CC in Vermont, both closed with 65s to tie Adamonis at 131.
State Amateur champion Jake Bauer, playing in his first event as a pro, had 66 for 133 and a tie for seventh.
For VanDerlaan, the championship adds to a rapidly growing list of titles.
``I played really well in college this year and I kind of just took a lot of the conference that gave me with me,’’ he said. ``I’ve been continuing to play some good golf and I’ve been able to take advantage of it.’’
Last month, VanDerLaan won the Connecticut Open, his home state
``I probably played similar here to the way I played in Connecticut, he said. ``I hit it well of the tee. If you’re hitting it well off the tee, you have a lot of wedges to the greens. It’s soft out there so the greens are really receptive. I made some putts. It was nice to have everything click and get it done. I played really well.’’
His school, Florida Southern, has been a power for years. Among others, Rocco Mediate, Lee Janzen, Marco Dawson and East Greenwich native Rodney Butcher, all are Florida Southern products.
Wannamoisett’s Tyler Cooke and Ryan Tomaso of Hopedale, Mass., tied for low amateur at 137. Cooke, a former Stroke Play and Four-Ball champion, recorded a second-round 66.
One of the happiest guys all day was Jimmy Jones, a 22-year-old from Tampa, Fla. He matched VanDerLaan for low round of the tournament with a 63 to finish in a tie for seventh at 133. He earned an additional $960 thanks to an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole.
The event includes a skins pool, which players can enter for $20 a day. No one won any skins in the first round, so the entire pool carried over to round two. Jones won half of it thanks to his deuce on the fourth hole.
``It was playing 335 yards. I hit a driver to the front edge,’’ he related. ``I had 90 feet to the hole. It rattled in off the flagstick. It hit the stick pretty hard and went in.’’
Jones also eagled the par-5 12th but that did not earn him any extra money since others also eagled that hole.
For most of the day Jones’ eagle on four stood up as the only skin. However, former PGA Tour pro Jim Renner of Plainville, Ma., playing in one of the final groups, drained a 15-footer for eagle on the par-5 closing hole. That gave him a skin for that hole and $960, rather than the entire pot going to Jones.
While VanDerLaan collected the $3,000 first-place check for the Open, about 20 players who took part at Crestwood are in position for another nice check.
In the first of its kind, RIGA officials have combined with those at the Rhode Island-based U.S. Challenge Cup to add an extra wrinkle this week. The Providence Open will be held over the next two days at Triggs.
In addition to the purse at each event, an added $2,000 is being offered to the player who posts the lowest 72-hole total over both events. The RIGA and Challenge Cup each put up $1,000 in an attempt to entice more players to take part in each event.
Those who will play in the Providence Open who did well at Crestwood include VanDerLaan, Adamonis, Renner, Harmeling and Jones.
``Oh yeah, I know about that,’’ VanDerLaan said. ``I’ll be there.’’
First Round Recap
By Paul Kenyon
REHOBOTH, Ma. _ There was a lot of talk about the good old days _ in this case 10 and 15 years ago _ as two local guys who have played at golf’s highest level put themselves in contention on Tuesday in the first round of the 87th Rhode Island Open.
Cumberland native Brad Adamonis shot a 5-under 66 at Crestwood to tie for second, one behind the leader, Connecticut’s Geno Giancola. Plainville’s Jim Renner, who like Adamonis has played on the PGA and Web.com tours, was among those at 4-under 67.
There were low scores all over the place as the players, using lift, clean and place because of the week’s heavy rain, had target practice into the softened greens.
In all, 33 players broke par-71 and another 10 matched it, meaning 43 players are within six shots of the lead heading into Tuesday’s second and final round.
While many of the contenders are young players, Adamonis and Renner were among the veterans who put themselves in good position.
Adamonis is into his third decade as a pro at age 45. He not only played on the Web.com Tour, then known as the Nationwide, he won an event there in 2007. He once lost in a playoff for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic. But his career has been slowed by a series of ailments, most recently a neck injury.
``I’m seeing someone for it now,’’ he said. ``I went once and it really helped. Then I went back again and it started hurting again.’’ Adamonis now lives in Florida and has been a dominant player on the Minor League Tour in that state. On Tuesday he had six birdies and only one bogey for his 66, but came away shaking his head after missing a six-footer for bird on the par-5 18th.
``I gave it room,’’ he said of the putt on 18. ``I thought it was going to break more than it did.’’
Much has happened to Jim Renner in the 10 years since he won the 2008 Rhode Island Open.
There were good times, like three years on the PGA and Web.com tours, where he earned more than a million dollars and once finished second at the AT&T National at Pebble Beach. But then there were health issues, most notably a left hip injury that required surgery.
Now, at age 34, the former Bishop Feehan, Oklahoma and Johnson & Wales star is in the process of putting his game together again. Renner recorded a bogey-free 67 to put himself in a tie for sixth.
Renner just returned to the course in June after missing a year because of surgery on his left hip.
``I still have status on the Web.com Tour,’’ he said. ``This is almost like rehabbing for me, getting my game back in shape. I’ll play the Web.com Tour next year.’’
Giancola, the leader, has the wildest day of anyone on the way to his 65. He had only one par on the back nine. He also had six birds and two bogeys on that side. He is the son of longtime Connecticut pro and Central Connecticut coach Kevin Giancola.
Joining Adamonis at 66 were 2008 Northeast Amateur champion Brendan Gielow of North Carolina; Evan Harmeling, a 2012 Princeton grad who has been playing the Latin American Tour; recent Florda Southern grad John VanDerLaan, who earlier this summer won the Connecticut Open. VanDerLaan, who is from Southbury, Ct., won the national NCAA Division II title this year; and former Florida Open champion Caleb Johnson of Muskegon, Mi.
The group at 67 with Renner included RIGA Amateur champion Jake Bauer, who is making his pro debut. Bauer had an early bogey but then was 5-under without a bogey the rest of the way. Metacomet’s Mike Caparco was the low amateur with his 67 despite four bogeys. They were offset by eight birds.
Point Judith’s Brendon Ray, who was in the first group off the tee, had the day’s hard luck story. He was 5-under through the first 16 holes. He hit his tee shot on the par-3 17th over the flag and over the green, as well. He was right at the out of bounds markers.
If he looked at the stakes that mark OB, he was inbounds. However, for the tournament, lines had been drawn on the ground marking out of bounds. The lines had been drawn slightly inside the stakes. He was inches over the line. He asked for a ruling and was told the white lines are the determining factor, not the stakes, thus he was out of bounds.
``That’s the way the rule is written,’’ said Bob Ward, the RIGA’s executive director. ``When there are lines on the ground they are the determining factor.’’
Ray took the decision in stride. He finished with a 68.
``The 68 is not bad for someone who hasn’t played in two weeks,’’ said Ray, an assistant at Point Judith. Point Judith has had its four-day member-guest and junior golf camp in the past two weeks.