Troy Falls to Eventual Winner Spitz in Round of 8

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July 13—Five-feet.

That’s all that separated Pittsfield’s Donnie Troy from advancing to the semifinals of the Massachusetts Amateur.

Three down through nine holes in his quarterfinal match against Ben Spitz, last year’s runner-up, Troy won three of the next eight holes and faced a five-foot birdie putt on the final green to win.

“It was one of those putts that you had to be aggressive with,” said Troy. “But I whiffed it.”

Both players made par on the first playoff hole, but Troy’s tee ball on no. 2, a par 5, found the rough. Spitz, who defeated Lee’s Tom Keenan in a playoff to win the 1999 MIAA High School championship while at Norwell, made birdie to win the match, 1 up.

“I didn’t want to leave myself a five-foot putt to extend the match,” explained Troy, who earned 150 Men’s Player of the Year points and regained the overall lead. “Looking back, I wish I had been more aggressive.”

Still, Troy’s run to the round of eight marked the best finish by a Berkshire County resident since Jim Salinetti captured his third Massachusetts Amateur title in 2000 at, ironically enough, Worcester Country Club.

During the round of 16 on Thursday morning, Troy exacted a bit of revenge by defeating Chad Keohane, 2 up. Keohane defeated fellow Berkshire County resident Mike Slosek 2 & 1 in the first round on Wednesday.

“Everything was kind of a shock,” Troy said of his whirlwind week in which he played 93 holes since his 1:30 tee time on Monday afternoon. “The playoff was the biggest shock, to try and get into match play. My golf game got better as the week went on.”

Chris Tremblay, Troy’s golf coach at Pittsfield High School and counsel since his junior days, foresaw this type of result in early June. “He should qualify for the Massachusetts Open and Amateur,” Tremblay correctly expected. “He could be in the round of eight or the round of four. He has the head to do it. He’s ready to jump into the deep end of the pool.”

Troy will now prepare for the New England Amateur, where he missed the 36-hole cut last year. The first round begins July 18 at The Woodlands Club in Warwick, Maine.

The semifinals of the Massachusetts Amateur continue today, with the winners advancing to Saturday’s 36-hole final.

Men: 2006 Player of the Year Standings

(Thru 7/14)