Old scorecard spurs Hearley
Last year’s information helps golfer rally for win
A trip to the basement may have given Justin Hearley the edge he needed to win the Northeastern New York PGA’S first points event of the season.
Hearley, an assistant pro at Normanside, used an eagle and two birdies on the back nine to shoot a 3-under-par 68, good for a one-stroke victory in the NENYPGA’S Pro Classic 2 Monday at Pinehaven Country Club.
Local knowledge can help on Pinehaven’s narrow fairways, and Hearley unwittingly came upon a cheat sheet.
“Last night I was looking for a scorecard holder,” Hearley said. “I couldn’t find one, so I went in my basement and went through 12 bags I had down there. The first one I found was the scorecard holder that had all the information, including my round, from last year here at Pinehaven. I said to my wife, ‘Wouldn’t it be ironic if I won and had all the information from last year’s round in my scorecard holder?’ It worked out well.”
Scores were posted only after the turn, when Hearley was 1 over par and three behind Chris Sanger of Woodstock. Hearley posted a 4-under 32 on the back.
“The biggest turning point of my round was I birdied 9 to get to 1 over,” he said. “I hit it long on 10, duffed my chip just on to the green and made about a 12-footer with a 4-inch break to save par. Then it was, all right, turn on the
jets, hit fairways, hit greens and try to make some putts.”
Sanger began his round with three birdies, then parred 14 of the final 15 holes to card a 69, tied with Dal Daily of Battenkill.
“Chris played great,” Daily said. “I just tried to keep pace with him.”
Players continued to follow protocols put in place by the PGA section, although they have been relaxed some since the opening tournament two weeks ago.
While the one-golfer-per-cart rule remains, flagsticks could be removed from the hole.
“It was nice being able to take the f lag,” Sanger said. “I don’t like putting with the flagstick in, even though I’m used to it. Single-cart rider keeps the pace of play up. You just try not to shake hands, and to social distance.”
Golfers were told not to sign scorecards, that they should be verified orally and then read to a NENYPGA official, although that, like many things in the COVID-19 pandemic era, has taken some getting used to.
“The single-rider carts is definitely different,” Hearley said. “We’re hopefully going to approach some point this summer or early fall where we can go back to people who aren’t in the same household to be able to ride together in a cart.
“Today I was in my own zone. We talked a lot, Glenn (Davis) and Chris (Ferraro), we had great conversations all day, but that camaraderie of just riding around, talking with each other, you miss that.”
The tournament served as a tuneup for the first NENYPGA major of the season, the Donald Ross Classic, to be played Sunday at Sagamore and Monday at Glens Falls. The Classic originally was scheduled for June 7-8.
“That’s just about my favorite tournament,” said Daily, who noted he barely broke 80 Sunday in a practice round at Pinehaven. “If I learned anything today, it’s that somehow I need to get to Glens Falls this week and play a practice round.”