RYAN LEADS RENSSELAER COUNTY MEN’S AMATEUR by John Craig

TROY – Having grown up along the fifth hole at Frear Park, Patrick Ryan has played the municipal track in Troy countless times. But he hadn’t played a full-round this year. Good thing for muscle memory.

Ryan blistered the back nine, shooting 32, for a 68 and leads the Rensselaer County Men’s Amateur by one stroke over Gary Grimaldi (34-35) and two strokes over Bill Hogan (33-37). They were the only three under the par-71.

“The greens were great, they’re fast,” Ryan said. “They had some tricky pins but it was fair.”

Ryan isn’t old enough to remember when his father, Peter Ryan, Sr., won this event back in 1973. It would be 12 years before Patrick was born. But he’s seen plenty of RCMA finishing days and he is glad to be leading the way.

“I’ve witnessed it every year. It’s great,” Ryan said. “I’m actually just really happy to be there. I’ll make the most of it and I’m happy to play in front of all those people. They’re my type of people.”
FINAL FOURSOME

Ryan, Grimaldi, Hogan, who won this event in 2007 in a playoff, and 2003 Champion Dave Mooradian, who shot one-over 72, are all in the final group Sunday.

Grimaldi, who started on the back-nine, birdied the 10th, 15th and 18th but double-bogeyed the 17th. He birdied the 7th, his 16th hole of the afternoon, for a solid round.

For Hogan, it will be his third straight year in the final group. On Saturday, he hit 15 greens, played the par-3’s even but three-putted four-times including the par-5 7th for bogey.

“I was above the hole and you can’t be there and I know that,” said Hogan of East Greenbush and a member of Berkshire Hills CC. “It’s pretty hard not to hit it above the hole there.”

Hogan plays right-handed but this year has turned around to putt short ones.
“I didn’t turn around in time,” he joked about 7. Playing since he was six years old, Hogan says he won’t fool around Sunday afternoon.

“It’s awful to watch so (Sunday) I’ll be lefty from inside a foot and a half.” Hogan won the 2007 RCMA in a rain-soaked playoff with Eric McLoughlin. Hogan remembers they needed to have someone run to the CC of Troy to get squeegees to keep the greens somewhat dry.

“You can’t believe the amount of pressure there is in front of all those people,” Hogan said. “Plus, it’s rowdy. The whole thing is if you can keep your wits, you can do pretty well. The biggest thing is you don’t want to embarrass yourself.”

He joked that you have to finish before the golfers – this year numbering 204 – are fed.
ANOTHER SON OF A CHAMPION

Jay Cardish, the son of 10-time champion EJ Cardish, shot 72 and will be in the penultimate group. His father shot 78.

Also in that group is Fred Case (73), Joe Comiskey (73) and Dave Bryant (73). Bryant is the only one of the top four that comes from the second flight of golfers. He carries a nine-handicap and is in the “Lucas Glover Flight” (HC 6-9). The rest of the leaders are in the “Angel Cabrera Flight” (scratch-5). The other flights, all named for this year’s major champions, are the “Stewart Cink” (HC 10-13) and “Y.E. Yang” (HC 14-26). The senior division is the “Fred Funk Flight.”

The only other players from the “Glover Flight” in contention are Phil Laya (74), who carries a six handicap, and Mark Worobey, an eight.
DEFENDING CHAMPION SIX BACK

Dan Ireland, a member at both CC of Troy and Burden Lake, is among those at 74. His group will include Tim Flanigan (73), Dave DeGenero (74) and Laya.

Flanigan started on the back nine but didn’t get a birdie until his 10th, the first hole. He added two more (at 5 & 7) and had bogeys at (14, 3, and a double at 16.

Ireland shot 68 in last year’s rain-soaked first round and followed it up with a 71 to win by one over Mooradian (69-71).

“I still got a shot,” Ireland said, happy that he birdied his final hole of the day, the 18th.
“On the back nine, I didn’t get the ball close enough to the hole on a couple holes,” he said.

Ireland played the back nine at Frear Park late Wednesday afternoon but says he didn’t take advantage of the par-5’s on Saturday. He had three bogeys and two birdies on the back.

“I definitely want to win,” he said. “I’ll play to win.”
RYAN’S READY

“I had a game plan to play the front nine conservative,” said Patrick Ryan. “I know the front nine pretty well and it can really eat you up if you make a couple stupid mistakes.”

Ryan birdied three of the last five holes and five of his final 11. He said it could have been better but knew he had something special going when he birdied the 412-yard par-4 14th.

Ryan, 24, was an assistant to Tom Smack at the Sagamore from 2006-2008 until new ownership sent them both packing, Ryan voluntarily. Ryan had gone to HVCC and then earned a degree in Professional Golf Management in Orlando. Now he’s out of the golf business.

“The business wasn’t for me,” he said. “Right now, it seems like the right move, but who knows.”

Ryan played the front nine on Thursday night with four-time champion Mike Callahan (2002, 1994, 1993, 1989), but it was his first full round at Frear this season.

The players better be ready. Callahan, who is on the nine-member committee, changed his clothes and set out Saturday evening to cut cups for Sunday. He had his IPOD locked into his ears with tunes from Barry Manilow and the Beastie Boys.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Defending senior champion John Buono shot 73 to lead the senior division. Richard Jacques is one back at 74, John Keeler is at 75. Ross Edwards and Peter Ryan, Sr. are at 76 followed by Johnny Bobo at 77.

“I’m playing in the seniors now where I belong,” joked Ryan, Sr.
OTHER NOTES

Tim O’Donnell eagled his first hole of the day, the 338-yard par-4. He is tied for 19th with six others at 77.

RCMA Chairman Mike Plowinske, who shot 82 and is tied for 58th with ten others, said, “I can’t say enough about the city for allowing us to have it here.” Frear Park, the municipal course, shuts down to the public for these two days. Plus, don’t try to play Monday or Tuesday. Monday, the back-9 is closed for green aeration. Tuesday, the front-9 is closed for the same thing.

“In our little world, it’s a major,” said Jim McDonald about the RCMA.

Tony Doyle, 62, of Troy has returned to the RCMA after a 21 year absence. “I came out to try it and see what I can do,” he said. He is carrying a handicap the same number as his years away, 21. He shot 91.

Regina Plowinske is the unsung hero of this tournament. She enters the numbers and checks the cards on her laptop along with help from Dottie, her 10-year old German Shorthair pointer. She got the even-tempered dog from “Pepper Tree” rescue group through a Petsmart clinic.

It started spitting rain for about 10-minutes twice Saturday afternoon but it did not affect play like the past two years. The first round in 2007 had to be erased because the weather was so bad.

Tee times begin Sunday at 7:00 AM with another full field and the same guys will play with each other, more or less, until the “celebrity tee times” as it’s called. Those start around 1:00 PM. Things should wrap up by 6:30 PM.

Saturday, the first ball was struck at 7:00 AM and the final putt dropped at the 18th at 6:38 PM.

This is lunch-pail, black-socks-with-white-shoes, mark-it-with-the-putter-head, scrape-by golf.

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