Bob Kalinowski Captures New England Open

By: Tom Gorman on 00/00/00 12:00 AM

DURHAM, H.H. – A number of remarkable events occurred at the 35th annual Sovereign BankNewEnglandOpen at LakeWinnipesaukeeGolf Club in Durham, New Hampshire.

For example, Tom Tobey of Bay Pointe CC made the 36-hole cut shooting 67 in the second round after opening with 79, on the magnificently-designed 6,753-yard, par 72 course. While 54 players made the cut (146), which guaranteed a paycheck, fromthe lucrative $125,000 purse.And, the 2005 New England Open champion Ron Philo played flawless golf for three days posting an impressive 11-under (66-74-65-205), but did notwin, although cashing a check for third place for $8,000.

This year’s Championship featured 132 talented players, with the winner determined in an unforgettable nine-hole sudden death playoff between Bob Kalinowski, a former two-time All-America at the University of Colorado, who resides in Lynnfield, Mass, and Michael Welch, a recent Johnson & Wales University graduate, of Quincy,Mass.

Both players finished the 54-stroke play event at 12-under, 204. Kalinowski and Welch each made eight straight pars to open the two-man playoff before Kalinowski converted a 12-foot birdie putt on the 350-yard, uphill, dogleg right eighteenth hole.

MichaelWelch, a two-time New EnglandAmateur champion, fired rounds of 68-69-67, departing with a check of $12,000, while the top prize was $25,000. Although disappointed, he summed up his week with positive thoughts.

Rounding out the top-10 players are Charles Meola (69-71-67-207) finishing fourth collecting $5,500; Rob Labritz (69-73-66-208) earning $4,300 for fifth; young gun Kyle Gallo of Kensington, Conn (71-70-68-209) for sixth place check of $3,800. Shooting 210, finishing in a fiveway tie for seventh pocketing $3,050 the players were: Chip Sullivan (69-72-69), New Bedford’s Kevin Silva (68-72-70), Marc Spencer (74-66-70), Jesse Smith (71-66-73) and John Elliot (69-66-70).World traveler, vagabond pro and former Blue Hill CC legendAndrewMorse shot 74-72-68-214 to collect $925.

LakeWinnipesaukeGolf Club hosted the Sovereign BankNewEngland Open for the fourth year is in talks with New England PGA Executive Director Nathan Robbins and with the bank to continue the tradition next September.The golf course is owned byBernardChiu andwas listed byGolf Digest in the top ten of “America’s Best New Private Courses for 2004.”