Egremont set to Host Men’s Allied Once Again

Great Barrington—Nine years ago, 20-year old Jim Salinetti, on the heels of eye-opening wins in the Massachusetts and New England Amateurs, looked to conclude his summer with a triumph in the Berkshire County Men’s Allied at Egremont.

He led after a 3-under 68 in the morning round, but made two critical mistakes on the 5^th and 16^th holes in the afternoon and lost to Ed Schopp, who won his third Allied title.

“I remember leading the tournament and not winning,” Salinetti recalled. “It was the purest Egremont had ever been. It’s fun to play a tournament there because you can do a number of things off the tees. If you’re behind, you can take a chance, as I did back then in that tournament. But if you’re leading, you can play back and be conservative.”

On Aug. 13, Berkshire County’s best will again convene in South County for the opportunity to add their name alongside the likes of James T. Hunter, the trophy’s namesake, and Dan England, Jr., Dixson Daniels and “Cutts” Benedict—the only three men to win the event four consecutive times. (Allied Champions: 1904-2005)

“I wish [my name] was on it a few more times,” Salinetti said. “I stopped playing it because of the bigger national events. But it’s a who’s who of players. Some have gone pro. Some are club pros. Some are still playing and always will be. You win it and your name is in Berkshire history forever.”

Last year, Ed Budz held a two-stroke lead over Randy Driscoll with seven holes to play when heavy rains deluged Stockbridge Golf Club and reduced the event to 18 holes. Driscoll and Bob Linn, who shot 1-under 70s in the morning, shared the title, becoming the first co-champions since the Allied in 1904.

Men’s Player of the Year leader Donnie Troy enters this weekend’s Allied riding a wave of momentum similar to the one Salinetti experienced nine years ago.

In June, the Eckerd College standout finished 23^rd in the Massachusetts Open and then shot a 4-under 66 to qualify for the Porter Cup in upstate New York. One month later, he lost to eventual champion Ben Spitz in the round of 8 in the Massachusetts Amateur, the furthest any Berkshire County resident had advanced since Jim Salinetti won in 2000. On August 1, he shot 70-69 and shared co-medalist honors at U.S. Amateur qualifying in Woodbridge, Conn. He became the first Berkshire County player to qualify since—you guessed it—Salinetti, in 2000.

Six-time Allied Champion Andy Congdon anchors the list of candidates likely to challenge Troy. On July 30, Congdon closed with a 3-under 69 to finish 2^nd in the Berkshire Hills Invitational Singles and earn 150 Men’s Player of the Year Points. Congdon’s 2006 results include wins in the Allied 4-Ball, Wyantenuck 4-Ball and GEAA Singles.

“It’s not a driver’s paradise,” Congdon said of Egremont. “There are a few holes that can jump up and grab you. You have to stay away from the big numbers. When you’re coming down the stretch, you hope to get yourself in a position to get those nerves going.”

Egremont measures slightly more than 6,000 yards, with a pair of reachable par 4s, nos. 2 and 11.

“You can definitely drive no. 11 and then you have those back-to-back par 5s,” said Salinetti. “They dog leg like crazy. And then those par 4s, you can get close to the green. But you have to be careful out there.”

Bob Mucha, Egremont’s head professional since 2005, places a high emphasis on placement off the tee.

“It’s more of a shot-makers golf course,” said Mucha, who tied for 14^th in the Greater Portland (ME) Open in June. “Placement will be key. The holes are so easy, they’re hard. The expectation level is to make birdie. Most good players expect to make three, four birdies. Then you don’t birdie the 2^nd or 11^th, and you say, ‘I just lost two shots to the field.’ I would assume most players are going into those holes looking for 3s.”

Player of the Year Points Breakdown: