BHCC/NACC Singles Preview
Two of Berkshire County’s longest standing golf tournaments take center stage this weekend.
In Pittsfield, Berkshire Hills Country Club welcomes a field of 137 to the 60th playing of the Invitational Singles. Noticeably absent: Defending Champion Ed Budz, who was forced to withdraw due to work commitments and Men’s Player of the Year leader Donnie Troy, who is competing in the Porter Cup this weekend.
In Clarksburg, a field of 48 will gather for the 71st edition of the North Adams Country Club Invitational Match Play. Defending Champion Chris Baran will look to become the first repeat winner since Kim Chapman in 1989.
Berkshire Hills Invitational Singles
Format: Stroke play
Schedule: 18 holes, Friday-Sunday
Winner: 220 Men’s POY Points
Player: Andy Congdon
Age: 53
Home Club: Wyantenuck
2006 Results: 1st, GEAA Singles; 1st Allied 4-Ball; 1st, Wyantenuck 4-Ball; qualified for 21st Massachusetts Amateur (failed to advance to match play)
Comment: “When I tee it up Friday, all that happened last week is ancient history,” said Congdon, who teamed with his brother, Rich, to win the Wyantenuck 4-Ball last weekend. “I’m not thinking about my finish. I’m expecting and hoping to win it. It’s the way an athlete should think.”
Player: Randy Driscoll
Age: 35
Home Club: Stockbridge
2006 Results: 1st Allied Father/ Son
Comment: “I’ve heard a lot of good things about this event,” said Driscoll, the 2005 Allied Co-Champion who will make his Singles debut this weekend. “The best competition’s up there. Win, lose or draw. I will learn from the experience.”
Player: Chris Marinaro
Age: 20
Home Club: Skyline
2006 Results: 1st, Skyline Club Championship; Qualified for the Massachusetts Amateur (failed to advance to match play); 7th in Pewter Cup
Comment: “My game is getting really tight,” he said one week after winning the Skyline Club Championship. “I’ve been working so hard lately. My short game is so creative. This summer has been a rebuilding process for me. My confidence has grown from my ankles to my shoulders. I feel like I have so much more to prove.”
Player: Milton Torres, Jr.
Age: 29
Home Club: Skyline
2006 Results: 2nd, Stockbridge Classic, Qualified for the Massachusetts Amateur (Failed to advance to match play); Medalist in Massachusetts Public Links qualifying
Comment: “Feeling good,” Torres said, when describing the condition of his back three weeks after he was forced to withdraw from the Massachusetts Amateur with spasms. “My swing is getting better and my confidence is growing by the day. I feel like I’m due. My result is all determined by what I do on Friday. If I feel that I’m completely out of it, I’m done. I’m not the Tiger-type. If I’m around one, two-over, I’m going to keep grinding it down.”
North Adams Country Club Match Play
Format: Match Play
Schedule: Friday: 18-hole match play qualifying; Saturday: Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches; Sunday: Semi-final and championship matches
Winner: 170 Men’s POY Points
Player: Chris Baran (Defending Champion)
Age: 36
Home Club: Waubeeka
2006 Results: T2nd, GEAA Singles; 78 in Massachusetts Public Links qualifying (failed to advance)
Comment: “There’s probably a little more pressure,” Baran, a 9-time NACC Club Champion said of defending. “Everyone’s gunning for you. The toughest match up there is on Friday, getting in.
Player: Jim Peace (2005 Semi-Finalist)
Age: 67
Home Club: Berkshire Hills
2006 Results: 1st, BHCC 9-hole Match Play; 1st, Country Club of Pittsfield Member/Guest
Comment: “The first thing is to qualify,” said Peace, who won this event nine times from 1974-2004, tying him for most victories all-time with James Hunter. “Stroke play, I play conservatively. But match play, once that begins, you could be one hole and done.”
Player: Jason Whitmire (2005 Semi-Finalist)
Age: 24
Home Club: Skyline
2006 Results: Competed in the Pewter Cup and Skyline Club Championship
Comment: “I haven’t really played that much,” said Whitmire, a two-time semi-finalist who succumbed to Baran on the final hole of their semifinal match last year. “But it’s my favorite tournament. I love the format. In a perfect world, I would love to be able to play him again.”
Player: Peter Baran
Age: 35
Home Club: Waubeeka
2006 Results: 1st, NACC 4-Ball; 3rd, Wahconah 4-Ball;
Comment: “There’s nothing I’d like to see more than to have the match come down to him and me,” Baran said of facing his older brother. “There’s nothing more I’d like to do than beat him. But if I don’t win, I’d hope to have a chance to lose it on Sunday.”