By Dalton Balthaser
RUMFORD – Cody Paladino and Billy Forcier may live in different states, but they share the same level of comfort when they step on the first tee at Wannamoisett Country Club.
Paladino is a four-time participant in the annual Northeast Amateur Invitational held at the famed Donald Ross layout (2007-09, 2021) and Forcier is the two-time reigning club champion (2020-21).
The duo shared medalist honors in U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying administered by the RIGA Tuesday at Wannamoisett (par 69, 6,732 yards) with rounds of 67.
Hayes Brown of Charlotte, N.C. took the third qualifying spot with a round of 70.
The 40th U.S. Mid-Amateur will take place Sept. 25-30 at Sankaty Head Golf Club in Siasconset, Mass.
“My thinking was that I feel comfortable here so why not travel a little longer to go to a place I am familiar with,” said Paladino, 32, of West Hartford, Conn. “I have been fortunate to have been invited to the Northeast Amateur four times. Before this year’s Northeast Amateur, I hadn’t played Wannamoisett since 2009.
“I looked at this qualifier knowing that you can’t fake it around Wannamoisett. It is such a hard golf course. I thought coming here would suit me better and I am glad I did, it paid off.”
This will be Paladino’s ninth trip to a USGA event, it will be his first as a Mid-Am. He got his amateur status back in 2020.
“I played five years full-time as a pro,” said Paladino. “All of the traveling beats you up until you have made the PGA TOUR or you had enough. Everything in your social circle revolves around what you are doing and where you are traveling. It was a painful decision, but I was ready to have a normal life again. Luckily, Mid-Amateur golf still offers me a chance to get those experiences.”
Paladino played as steady of a round of golf as you can ask for in a one-round shootout. Three birdies and one bogey. He closed out his round with seven consecutive pars.
He birdied Nos. 5 (par 4, 372 yards), 9 (par 4, 453 yards) and 11 (par 4, 391 yards). All a result of quality short-iron approaches.
He hit a pitching wedge from 110 yards to 15 feet on No. 5, a 9-iron from 160 yards to 10 feet on No. 9 and a gap wedge from 100 yards to three feet on No. 11.
“It’s been 11 years since I have played a USGA event,” said Paladino. “There’s something about playing in a National Championship. It is an honor to be a part of that field. Being in the Mid-Amateur means I’ll be around a lot of guys who are in the same stages in life as me and are in the middle of their golf career. I am looking forward to seeing how I stack up.”
Forcier is the true definition of a Mid-Amateur, work precludes him from logging a full playing and practicing schedule.
But that doesn’t stop him from playing his best.
“When I graduated from college, I stopped thinking about these types of events,” said Forcier, 35, of Rumford. “Then a friend of mine asked me to try and qualify with him for the first U.S. Four-Ball and we made it. Ever since then, I have wondered why I haven’t been playing in these qualifiers more.
“When I saw this on the calendar, my eyes lit up. I played in the Northeast Amateur this summer and those are college kids who golf all the time. I felt like this qualifier was an opportunity for me. I am so happy to get this done at my home course.”
Just because Forcier was trying to qualify for a National Championship, that didn’t change his attitude. He walked up to the first tee without having hit a shot on the practice range or rolled a putt on the practice green.
He didn’t make one five on his scorecard, a rarity around Wannamoisett’s treacherous layout.
He rolled in 12-footers on Nos. 4 (par 4, 438 yards) and 11 to get to 1 under on his round. He stuffed a lob wedge from 90 yards to six feet on No. 13 (par 4, 383 yards) to get to 2 under. He would mix in a birdie and a bogey coming in to match Paladino.
“It’s local,” said Forcier of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. “I might get some family to come and watch me play. That would mean a lot to me. I can’t wait.”