By Paul Kenyon

 

PAWTUCKET _ Davis Chatfield and Patrick Welch, the two young stars who have become good friends as they have excelled on the golf course over the last several years, scored a double victory for Rhode Island golf on Tuesday.
          They both qualified for next month’s 118th U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.
          They will be joined by Chatfield’s teammate at Notre Dame, Alex Jamieson of Duxbury, Mass., as the three qualifiers from the field of 62 at Pawtucket Country Club.
            Chatfield and Welch were only one stroke apart over the 36 holes, but that made a huge difference. Chatfield put together back-to-back 1-under-par 68s to earn medalist honors. Four others were only one behind him, Welch, Jamieson, Pennsylvania’s Roland Massimino and Wannamoisett’s Jeff Giguere.
           After posting his 136 total, Chatfield had to wait out several others who had a chance to tie or beat him. No one did, which brought a big smile to the easy going Chatfield’s face.
          ``I’ve been to Cali, but never to Pebble Beach,’’ the Notre Dame sophomore said. ``I’ve heard so much about it. I can’t wait.’’
          His accomplishment turns what had been an OK summer into a good one. The 5-foot-5, 135-pounder was the medalist in the State Amateur, but then was upset by Claudio Soukamneuth of Johnson & Wales in the first round. He played well at last week’s New England Amateur in Maine but settled for a tie for sixth.
       On Tuesday, playing 10 minutes from his home in Attleboro and wearing one of his Notre Dame shirts, he was steady and methodical throughout, as usual. The surprise was that it was his power that carried him to the medalist honors. Pawtucket has only one par-5, the 542-yard eighth hole. Chatfield birdied it in the morning, then eagled it in the afternoon round.
         The eagle came when he drove into the left rough, hit a hybrid to the back edge of the green then drained a 25-foot downhill putt. That made for the second big hole in a row. On the previous hole, a par-3, he missed the green to the right and had a deep bunker to deal with between him and the hole. He chipped it in for bird.
         Not surprisingly, Chatfield stayed around to watch the four-man playoff for the last two spots. He made no secret of the fact that he was rooting for Welch. The two have become close friends as they have starred so often, piling up numerous titles, over the last few years. Chatfield is a member at Wannamoisett but lives in Attleboro, so he could have represented either state in the New England Juniors.
         ``I’m going to play for Rhode Island,’’ Chatfield said at the time, ``because I want to be on the team with Pat Welch.’’ After Welch earned a spot with him in the playoff, Chatfield said, ``I’m even happier now.’’
        Welch, who is headed to the University of Oklahoma, made it exciting in the playoff. He drove into the trees on the par-4 10th, the hole that begins in Rhode Island and ends in Massachusetts.
         ``It’s tight, so I hit two-iron there,’’ Welch said. ``I hit it well, I just pulled it. I guess from the adrenaline and all.’’
         He was blocked by a tree.
         ``I could have tried to hit it under the tree but I thought that would be risky,’’ he related. Instead, he hit a wedge over the tree, knowing he would be well short of the green.  It left him 58 yards to the pinn. He pitched it to 12 feet and made the putt for par. Jamieson also made four and the two others in the playoffs, Massimino and Giguere, missed short putts and bogeyed.
         Welch will not need directions to the Monterey Peninsula.
         ``That’s where I lived before coming here,’’ he pointed out. ``I’ve never played the course but I’ve played other courses out there and I’ve gone by it a lot.’’  He lived about an hour away until he was 12.
       Welch will miss some orientation at Oklahoma to play in the amateur. What’s more, Oklahoma’s first tournament this year is at Pebble Beach.
        The first alternate has a familiar name to basketball fans. He is the grandson of basketball Hall of Fame coach Rollie Massimino. The younger Massimino, who plays for Kansas State and lives in Lumberville, Pa., had his dad, also named Rollie, caddie for him on Tuesday.
       Giguere, who fell to second alternate, is a star for Middlebury College and a former All-Stater at Wheeler. He has come on strong this summer with good play in both the Amateur and the New England Am.