By Dalton Balthaser
THOMPSON, Conn. - When 2020 started, Mike Hamilton made a Spotify playlist titled “Northeast Am.”
It was his way of holding himself accountable and keeping his mind focused on doing what it would take to secure a spot in one of the top-ranked Amateur tournaments in the world at nearby Wannamoisett Country Club.
Hamilton, aided by clutch putting and recovery, claimed the 37th Rhode Island Golf Association Stroke Play Wednesday at Quinnatisset Country Club (par 72, 6,503 yards).
His final-round 72 was good enough for a three-shot victory over the host club’s Dave Marshall.
Hamilton finished with a two-day total of 6 under.
“It means a lot to get this job done,” said Hamilton. “I can’t tell you how much energy was expended out there. In your head you know it’s like match play, but you are playing two guys. Dave and Bobby [Leopold] just wouldn’t go away. These guys are good so to outlast them means a great deal to me.”
The winner of the #RIStrokePlay earns an exemption into the Northeast Amateur next June, helping Hamilton check off the top goal of his 2020 list.
“I was trying to find a way to get into the Northeast Amateur,” said Hamilton, 30, of Lincoln. “You don’t put out dates where you can make that goal a reality. You just work hard for it. Usually my goal is to get into the U.S. Amateur or U.S. Mid-Amateur but then I said to myself why not the Northeast.”
Hamilton wasted no time keeping the momentum he created after an opening round of 66. He birdied Nos. 1 (par 4, 366 yards), 4 (par 5, 519 yards) and 6 (par 5, 486 yards) to get him to 9 under and in firm control.
He made the turn in 8 under and still had his two-shot advantage. Marshall was lurking at 6 under after three consecutive birdies on the front.
Any golfer who has a chance to win a golf tournament faces key moments where they can either fold or rise to the occasion.
Hamilton’s moment was on No. 11 (par 4, 412 yards). After hitting his drive just down the right side of the fairway, he couldn’t find it and was forced to walk the loneliest walk in golf. The one back to the tee you just hit from.
“The worst feeling in golf is having to go back to a tee,” said Hamilton. “Then I made par on my second ball which was a huge accomplishment. It was a good double bogey.”
Hamilton was helped by the calming influence of his friend Bob Walsh who is the Associate Director of Player Development for Providence College’s Men’s Basketball team.
“I couldn’t have done this without Bob,” said Hamilton, of Kirkbrae Country Club. “He’s a coach himself and his ability to understand where I am mentally is huge. He has seen hundreds of basketball players in that position, so he knows how to handle the pressure. It feels like I have an advantage each time he caddies for me.”
Hamilton, a quarterfinalist in this year’s Rhode Island Amateur at Pawtucket Country Club, got back on the saddle with a savvy birdie on No. 14 (par 5, 520 yards).
After he found himself with a near impossible bunker shot from a downhill lie in the back-greenside bunker, Hamilton hit what he called the shot of the day to three feet to give him his three-shot lead back after Marshall made a 7. Marshall hit his tee shot out of bounds.
Hamilton’s putter that was hot on Day One didn’t leave him on Day Two. A clutch 10-footer on No. 16 (par 4, 343 yards) for par was the last key moment.
Pars on the last two holes put Hamilton in the RIGA winner’s circle for the first time.
“I hope this opens the floodgates for me,” said Hamilton. “We have another big one coming up with the Mid-Amateur at Warwick Country Club in September. This helps me get closer to another goal which is making the Tri-State team.”
The event was reduced to 36 holes instead of 54 holes due to heavy winds and weather that hit Quinnatisset the night before. Hamilton, just coming off his first RIGA win, wasted no time taking the spotlight off him and putting it on the true heroes that helped keep the Stroke Play on track. The Quinnatisset Grounds Crew.
“The grounds crew did a fantastic job getting the golf course ready for today,” said Hamilton. “Those are the guys that no one talks about. The course was beautiful this week and in great condition. They deserve all the credit for their tireless efforts after the storm yesterday.”
Senior Division
It’s been a decade since Mike Soucy won a RIGA event, the Senior Four-Ball (Gross) with teammate and fellow RIGA Hall-of-Famer Paul Quigley.
Soucy, frustrated with his game the last few years, tapped into his form of yesteryear to survive a grueling five-man playoff that lasted six holes and win the Senior Division of the #RIStrokePlay at Quinnatisset (par 72, 5,974 yards).
He defeated the host club’s Dave McNally with a birdie on the sixth playoff hole (par 5, 452 yards).
Potowomut Golf Club’s Dante Najarian, Wannamoisett’s Darren Corrente and Agawam Hunt’s Dean Parziale were the remaining competitors. They all finished at 2 over after 36 holes.
“The last five or six years I have been struggling with my golf game,” said Soucy, 67, of Coventry. “It’s frustrating because you come out here and are around a great bunch of guys. But you know you can play better. You want to be competitive and I wasn’t. You just have to keep working at it and hopefully one day it comes back.”
If you were watching the playoff, you wouldn’t have thought Soucy would’ve made it past the first two holes let alone six more.
A miraculous up-and-down from 50 yards on the first playoff hole gave him new life. Only for him to need it again on the next.
A blocked second shot to the right bounced off the cart path and trundled into the woods. Once again, 50 yards away but this time needing another miracle.
“If you put down a small bucket of balls, you couldn’t get down in two maybe more than once,” said Soucy, of Valley Country Club. “That shot was whatever, almost impossible. I just wanted to get it on the green. Once I got into the woods, I saw that I had a shot.”
Soucy hit that to four feet and advanced where he and McNally would make it to the sixth playoff hole. Soucy had an 8-footer to win. The same putt he had in regulation for birdie, but this time he played it inside the hole and buried it.
“Winning this gives me some confidence and belief that I can keep playing well,” said Soucy. “Whether you win, who knows. Let the chips fall where they may. Qualifying for match play of the Rhode Island Amateur gave me confidence under the gun that I can still hit quality golf shots. I haven’t felt that way in years.”