By Dalton Balthaser
CRANSTON – John Napolillo has been a constant on the RIGA tee sheet for close to 30 years.
But his name was never at the top of the leaderboard at the end of one of the hundreds of tournaments he has played in.
Until now.
He and partner Rob Grossguth, outlasted a crowded leaderboard to secure the 28th Senior Four-Ball (Gross) at Cranston Country Club (par 71, 6,109 yards) Wednesday after a final round of 68.
Their two-day best-ball total of 5 under was good enough for a two-shot victory over The Aquidneck Club’s Randy Millen and Mitch Pozez.
“I have been playing in RIGA events for a long time and I haven’t won anything,” said Napolillo, 62, of Warwick, with a big grin. “I asked Rob on the fifth tee if it’s always this slow when you are playing in the final group. I haven’t been here before.”
Millen and Pozez were at 5 under as they approached No. 17 (par 5, 545 yards). But two team bogeys on the final two holes put them in the clubhouse at -3.
Overnight leaders David Boggini and Terry Huffman of Shelter Harbor Golf Club faded from contention with a team double bogey on No. 11 (par 4, 377 yards). Both Boggini and Huffman hit their tee shots into the water off the tee, ultimately ending their hopes of taking home the title.
“I felt bad when I missed close birdie looks on Nos. 12-14,” said Grossguth. “When you are playing with a partner you want to apologize. It’s not like you are trying to miss putts or hit bad shots. Playing in team events is so much different than playing in individual events because you hate to let your partner down. It’s the worst feeling.”
That feeling didn’t last long.
Grossguth shines when the lights are brightest. He buried a 10-footer on the last hole to win last year’s Senior Amateur, the biggest victory of his career.
Needing at least one team birdie coming in with a swarming gallery, Grossguth delivered two. A clutch 20-footer on No. 16 (par 4, 369 yards) and a nervy 5-footer on No. 17.
“I do love competing in front of people,” said Grossguth, 58, of West Warwick. “The competition is what it is all about. When you play with your buddies on the weekend, you are relaxed. In competition, you think a lot more.”
“Rob birdied Nos. 16 and 17 when the gallery was at its largest,” said Napolillo, of Potowomut Golf Club. “We wished the gallery would have showed up earlier."
Grossguth, a West Warwick Country Club member, grew up playing at Cranston. It’s a layout he’s familiar with on a course where local knowledge is a huge advantage.
“I didn’t feel much pressure on the course except on the 17th green,” said Grossguth. “Once John made his 4-footer for par, that’s when I felt it. You can’t miss 4-footers here. When I got to the last, I wanted to bust a drive, but John and I decided we needed to play smart. I hit an iron out in play and that’s what we needed.”
“On the 18th tee, Rob told me that we were two shots ahead and I didn’t believe him,” said Napolillo. “I thought it was just one. But in this type of event, having a two-shot cushion on the last hole is a nice thing to have.”
As they looked back out to the golf course after posing with their trophies, Grossguth asked Napolillo a question golf partners are quite familiar with.
“Will we be back together next year?”
Napolillo responded without hesitation, “You bet we will.”