The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Rainaud once again aiming to return to PGA Championship
Adam Rainaud will be looking to qualify for the PGA Championship for the third time in the last four years beginning Sunday.
Rainaud, the head pro at Country Club of New Canaan and a Chester resident, is one of 312 players teeing it up in the PGA Professional Championship being held through Wednesday at the Bayonet Black Hourse Courses in Seaside, California. The low 20 scorers will earn a berth in the PGA Championship Aug. 9-12, at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri.
“My top-5 finish last year got me into the event (this year),” Rainaud said. “My brother is on the bag again this week and my wife is out here so we are looking forward to enjoying some time together out here.”
This is Rainaud’s first year at CC of New Canaan. He was previously the assistant pro at the Black hall Club in Old Lyme and last year was an assistant at Winged Foot GC in Mamaroneck, New York.
Kyle Baehler of Greenwich and Bryan Truszkowski of New Milford are also competing this week as is Billy Downes, representing the Connecticut Section PGA from Western Massachusetts.
Another player with state ties competing is former Kensignton resident Brent Paladino. After qualifying last year, Paladino accepted a position as executive director of the Kentucky Golf Association and the Kentucky PGA Section.
This is his third straight year qualifying for the event.
“It’s been hard to practice a lot with the new job and moving to Kentucky, but it’s been an exciting few months since winning (the Connecticut Section) Player of the Year last year and I’ll hopefully add to the excitement this week,” Paladino said. “Having played the past couple of years, I feel more comfortable. … The key for me will be positioning off the tee.”
With the PGA Championship moving to May next year — Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, will host — the PGA Professional Championship will be held April 28-May 1, 2019 at Belfair CC in Bluffton, South Carolina.
JAMES QUALIFIES
Ben James qualified to play in the U.S. Junior Amateur last week by shooting 69 at Grayslake in Chicago Thursday. He earned one of three qualifying spots at the site.
James, a Milford resident who is entering the ninth grade at Hamden Hall Country Day School, will compete in the national tournament July 16-21 at which will be held at Baltusrol CC in Springfield, New Jersey. James chose to qualify in Chicago because he is playing in the Western Junior to be held Monday through Thursday at Evanston GC in Skokie, Illinois.
The state’s Junior Amateur qualifier will be held Tuesday at GC at Oxford Greens. Two spots are available.
Some of the competitors include: Joe Ensign from Xavier High (10:10 a.m.), Matt Doyle from Madison (10:40), Tyler Woodward from Durham (11:40), Chris Fosdick from Middlefield and Xavier, the 2016 Register’s Area MVP for boys golf (12:20 p.m.), Kevin Lynch also from Xavier (12:40) and Finn Boynton, last year’s Register Area MVP who now plays at UConn (12:50)
TRAVELERS QUALIFIER
A number of former PGA Tour pros will join a number of state golfers trying to nab four spots Monday into this week’s Travelers Championship.
The ex-tour pros trying to lock up spots have the later tee times for the 18hole qualifier at Ellington Ridge CC: Ricky Barnes (9:40 a.m., 1st tee), Brian Davis and Daniel Chopra (9:40, 10th) and Ben Crane (9:50, 1st).
Zach Zaback is back to try and qualify to play his home course (TPC River Highlands) for the second straight year (8:40, 10th). Eric Dietrich from Cheshire (8:50, 1st) and Blake Morris from Waterbury (8:40, 1st) are among those in the field.