A little local knowledge served local golf pro Michael Welch well in a U.S. Open local qualifying tournament on Monday, May 11.
Welch, the lead instructor at Kensington Golf and Country Club, went down the street to Vineyards Country Club and shot a 6-under par 66 to win medalist honors at the local Open qualifier, beating out a field of 74 players and moving just a step away from a spot in the U.S. Open next month.
After his only bogey of the day at No. 8, Welch went on to post five birdies on the second nine on the 6,955-yard par-72 layout. Welch had a total of seven birdies on the day.
Carter Page and Seth Smith finished tied for second at 67, each just a stroke behind.
Nicholas Prieto and Oscar Crowe came in fourth and fifth, respectively. The top five move on to the next stage.
“I thought I played nicely today. You can’t shoot a 66 and not have a lot of clubs working well,” Welch said. “I only missed one or two greens, so I didn’t miss many. I drove the ball pretty well, so that helped set up a lot of iron shots. I thought I also putted well – I made 2-putts on a lot of long putts.”
Ty Patterson and Nolan Harper are the first and second alternates, respectively.
Page carded a 34 on Monday’s first nine and did one stroke better on the second nine. His round included five birdies, with three coming on the second nine.
“I’m happy to be moving on,” Page said. “I kept the ball in front of me and hit a lot of fairways and greens and rolled in a lot of putts. The course was generous off tee, so you had to hit wedges and short irons well. I just tried to stay relaxed and have fun out there. My fiancée caddied for me, so that was fun as well.”
Harper enjoy the experience of a big qualifying tournament.
“I am a little disappointed to have a 3-putt in the playoff,” Harper said. “But I loved competing against these guys. I just wish it would’ve ended differently.”
The top 5 in Monday’s field go on to the final qualifying round BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday, June 8. The U.S. Open is at historic Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., from June 18-21.
Other local players did well, including David Morgan of Naples with a 69, Jake Sherwin of Estero with a 70, Ian Shapiro of Fort Myers with 70, Gabe Laske of Naples with a 70, John Lento of Fort Myers with a 72, Abbie Valentine of Naples with a 72, Gary Shea of Naples with a 75, Adam Crisp of North Fort Myers with a 75, Keaton Phillips of Naples with a 75, Charlie Windfelder of Fort Myers with a 75, Airik Medinis of Fort Myers with a 76, Michael Pansini of Naples with a 77, Michael Faulkner of Cape Coral with a 77, Brady Allbritton of Fort Myers with a 77, Nick Davis of Naples with a 77, James Tamasy of Fort Myers with a 78, Randall Miller of Cape Coral with a 78, Aidan Farmer of Bonita Springs with a 79, Brayden Sheehan of Naples with an 82, Matthew Dees of Fort Myers with an 83 and Connor Shea of Bonita with an 83.
The final local qualifying event for those trying to reach the U.S. Open will also take place in Naples on Wednesday, May 13, at Kensington Golf & Country Club.
U.S. Open Local Qualifier Top Finishers
Michael Welch, Naples, 66, -6 (Q)
Carter Page, Jupiter, 67, -5 (Q)
Seth Smith, Campbellsville, Kty., 67, -5 (Q)
Nicholas Prieto, Miami, 68, -4 (Q)
Oscar Crowe, Boca Raton, 68, -4 (Q)
Ty Patterson, Naples, 68, -4 (A)
Nolan Harper, Saint Augustine, 68, -4 (A)
Sean Jacklin, Scotland, 68, -4
Clemente Silva, Chile, 69, -3
Aaron Jarvis, Cayman Islands, 69, -3
Matthew Hill, Canada, 69, -3
Hans Risvaser, Miami, 69, -3
David Morgan, Naples, 69, -3
Q – Advaned to final qualifier; A – Alternate
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples golf pro wins U.S. Open local qualifier at Vineyards County Club
Reporting by Tom Corwin, Special to the Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
