Chatfield impresses in opening round
Feehan graduate battling top amateur golfers in world at Wannamoisett
EAST PROVIDENCE – After firing a two-under-par 67 in the first round of the 56th annual Northeast Amateur Invitational Tournament, recent Bishop Feehan High grad Davis Chatfield seemed rather satisfied with that performance early Wednesday afternoon.
During his morning trek around the pristine, par-69 Wannamoisett Country Club layout, his home links, he achieved four birdies while bogeying a pair, so celebrated with a lunch of chicken fingers and fries with his caddy.
And why not? At the time, he was tied for the early lead.
“I felt good,” stated Chatfield, one of the more diminutive golfers in this year’s event though nevertheless is bound for the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. later this summer. “I started on the back (nine) and birdied the 11th, and felt pretty comfortable after that, standing over the ball and putting.
“I didn’t get much done on my front side, but by the time I got to the first hole, I was all warmed up, felt more relaxed.”
Chatfield, who notched a 32 on the “real” front nine, admitted he had been appalled at his showing at last summer’s Northeast. He mustering rounds of 71, 77 and 75 and missed the cut. He indicated he was out for revenge this time around.
“I finished 16-over; in my mind, it was impossible to do worse than last year,” he noted. “Seriously, it was a disaster.
“I think it started the first day, when I (carded) a 70 but signed for a 71. That became official, and I played horribly after that.”
It didn’t take long for him to rebound, as he captured the 2016 World Series of Junior Golf at Triggs Memorial two weeks later, then sealed the R.I. Amateur and Attleboro Open titles over the following six weeks.
“I knew what I needed to do to compete at this level, so I put in a few more hours of work every day,” he said. “I spent a lot of time on my putting and short game. I’d come to the course in the morning and spend an hour-and-a-half on the putting green, then come back in the afternoon for another hour-plus.
“My two bogeys came on three-putts, so I still need to get a handle on that,” he added. “I wasn’t very good with my lag-putting (Wednesday), but I’m pleased with it. I just have to continue to take it shot-by-shot, not think about shooting a number and just keep plugging away.”
Less than an hour after Chatfield had concluded his lunch, he discovered Iowa State University’s Nick Voke, who hails New Zealand’s capital of Auckland, had consumed the course, assembling a superb, six-under 63, and three others weren’t far behind at 64 and 65.
Voke came within two strokes of the course record of 61, one Luke Guthrie allegedly fired in the final round of the 2011 Northeast.
All told, 19 participants shot par or better during the morning round, but then the wind picked up, leaving most of the rest of the field frazzled through the afternoon.
Voke explained he didn’t play very well at the Big 12 Championships in Hutchinson, Kan. back in May, but did win the NCAA Division I Texas Regional not long after, where he shot consecutive rounds of 71, 67 and 61; that last score shattered the course record at the University of Texas Golf Club by three strokes.
He also earned the triumph at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City.
On Wednesday, he birdied seven holes, including three on the front side and four on the back. (He actually strung three birds together on the 11th, 12th and 13th, then drilled in another on the 196yard 15th.
“I didn’t play very well at the Big 12s; I didn’t optimize my shots, didn’t putt very well,” Voke said. “Since then, I’ve played pretty well. My game has been trending in the right direction. I think it all comes down to the way I’ve been approaching and practicing my game. It’s been improving steadily over the last four years.
“I’m at the point now where I can tee it up each week and know I’ll perform well and win a tournament. I just hit the ball well really well, from the tee to the green. All the clubs were behaving, I left myself from very makeable putts, and converted about half of them. It’s been a long, hard road to get here, so I’m happy I’m competing at a world-class level.”
Collin Morikawa, a junior-to-be at Cal-Berkeley, sat alone in second with a 64, one that included an eagle two at the par-four 11th, four birdies and a bogey. Three others were tied at four-under 65, among them Greenwich, Conn. native and Vanderbilt University senior-to-be Theo Humphrey; Scottie Scheffler, a University of Texas standout who tied for third at the NCAA D-I Championships and took the same spot outright in the Texas Regional; and Doc Redman of Raleigh, N.C.
Five more knotted for sixth place, and one was Auburn golfer Jacob Solomon of Dublin, Calif. He dropped an ace on the 137-yard third for a front-nine score of 32.
“It’s my first time out here, but I feel comfortable on this course,” said Morikawa, who finished second at last week’s Sunnehanna Amateur event and fell to third in world amateur rankings. He lost to Ole Miss standout and NCAA D-I men’s champion Braden Thornberry in a playoff.
“The tee shots fit my eye; it’s just one of those courses where, when I step foot on it, I feel relaxed, that it’s beatable,” he continued. “I came out here the last couple of days and was able to learn more about it, at least as much as I could. The greens are tough, especially on the front, so it was all about getting the proper positioning on the fairways.
“I can’t be surprised (by the 64). My game has felt solid, so I just want to remain consistent.”
Humphrey happened to be one of those who drew an afternoon tee time, but refused to glance at the mighty low scores notched in the morning.
“I didn’t look; with the wind gusting the way it was, I didn’t have to,” stated Humphrey, who played a key role in Vandy winning the Southeast Conference team crown. (The Commodores nevertheless lost in the semis of the NCAA tourney).
“I knew it was going to be a tough day, that we were going to be at a disadvantage,” he added. “I just took it one shot, one hole at a time, and accepted that there would be some challenges, some tough breaks.”
He still managed birds on the fourth, sixth, 10th, 13th and 18th holes.
“The wind was hard to handle; it was a major factor on every shot.”
Excepting Chatfield, the top localite proved to be Coventry’s Bobby Leopold, who delivered a 1-over 70.