Richard Lord | Tee to Green: Mabee Wins Northeast New York Stroke Play Championship | Local sports

It would have been easy for Eric Mabee, after suffering a four-put green Wednesday in No.2 of the final round of the PGA Northeast New York Section Stroke Play at Country Club in Troy, NY, to think it was not the case. This will be his day as he has finished second in the same event three times (2018, 2018, 2020).

Instead, the Pittsfield Country Club Head Pro bounced back with one of those golf shots you’ll never forget two holes later and it helped him secure a two-stroke victory over Justin. Hearley of the Normanside (NY) Country Club. Mabee shot a 72nd final round to finish par 142 in one of the section’s major events.

“I came out 101 yards for Eagle and it got me back in the lead,” Mabee said of his magic third shot on the 531 par 5-yard fourth hole. “It really made me feel a lot better. . “

The four putt over the par 3 second green was a sign of the tough dry and fast conditions all the pros had to contend with. After an opening par, Mabee waited off the tee and watched in astonishment at Saratoga Spa professional assistant Scott Berliner, arguably the most dominant player in the section, who was playing in the squad ahead, five putts for one. triple bogey 6 which knocked him out of contention.

“Scott’s experience speaks to the conditions of the course, you just can’t tackle the bowling,” said Mabee. “The Greens were tough at the US Open on Wednesday. I watched Scott put on five putts, then got down to four for a double bogey. The pin was at the back and I hit it all the way to the top and it came back to me twice.

After his eagle two holes later, Mabee played the remainder of the nine-for-1s to maintain his two-stroke advantage over Hearley. After both golfers made pars at No.10, the final winner had all the leeway he needed on the 527 yards, par 5-11 when he made his second eagle of the day while Hearley made a bogey.

“I had 201 yards and hit a 7 iron at six feet and hit the putt,” Mabee said. “It won me five strokes with eight holes to play.”

And despite a few bogeys following the eagle, he finally won the section victory that had escaped him. Mabee, who became Section 1A alongside Berliner, now has four wins in the section’s biggest medal events with two NENY Tour Championships, one NENY PGA Professional Championship and now a NENY Stroke Play Championship.

Mabee had recently competed in the PGA National Championship at the PGA Village in Port Saint Lucia where, in a field of 312 golfers competing for a championship and one of the 20 spots in the PGA Championship being played this week, he has made two cuts to finish in the top 64.

“Everyone says it makes me better than 250 players to have made the cups, but in the end I was disappointed. I shot a 79 in the final round and didn’t finish any of my rounds well, ”he said.

Still, as he said, Mabee has beaten 250 of the top professional clubs in the country and believes he can eventually earn one of those precious places in the PGA Championship himself.

“I’ve played six of these things now and have become more comfortable in this environment,” Mabee said. “I’m not intimidated, I feel like I belong and I believe it’s only a matter of time before I play at this level.”

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It was a win for the home side last weekend at Waubeeka Golf Links as the duo of Todd Shafer and Geoff Tatro combined for a total of best 2 under 140 balls to capture the first Open Beeka “WOW” d. ‘one shot .

The tournament, which was due to start last year but had to be canceled, drew a full field of 50 teams and 100 golfers to accompany a well-attended demonstration day on the Williamstown course.

Waubeeka owner Mike Deep was optimistic about how the inaugural event went and is excited about its future as an annual event.

“It was a great weekend, the weather was great, the greens were fast and the fairways were lush,” said Deep, who is never short of enthusiasm. “Everyone who came to see me said how much they loved him.”

Indeed, two golfers, Cody Amman and John Yost, who finished third in the Premier League, wrote a thank you note published in Waubeeka’s weekly newsletter that praised the course and how the tournament s ‘unrolled and ended it by saying,’ My partner and I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend supported by the Waubeeka team and we look forward to visiting in the near future. WOW! “

As for the tournament, former Waubeeka club champion Tatro and Shafer opened with a 3 under 68 to build a three-stroke lead, then withstood a second-round charge by Dale Dirk and Ivan du Torrington. (Connecticut) Country Club. Lendl – yes, Tennis Hall of Fame Ivan Lendl – who shot a 68 in the second round to make things interesting. Lendl, who Deep says was injured, has been a frequent contender at Allied Association events and other tournaments in Berkshire County in recent weeks.

The best round of the week was shot by the Taconic Golf Club duo of Toby and Reed Foehl, who shot a second round 67 to capture the Premier League with a total of 143. The other winners of the flight were Shane Hendry and Alex Bringsjord (second), Vic Holcomb and Rick Conns (third) and Joe Vareschi and Jamie Zdon (fourth).

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Local results “WOW” BEEKA OPEN

At Waubeeka Golf Links

Best ball, 36 holes

Championship flight

1. Todd Shafer and Geoff Tatro, 68-72 – 140. 2. Dale Dirk and Ivan Lendl, 73-68 – 141. 3. (tied) Kurt Bartzsch and Chris Martin, 68-74 – 142; Mitch Spooner and Kevin Lamb, 71-71-142.

First flight

1. Toby Foehl and Reed Foehl, 76-67 – 143. 2. Scott Preston and Dan Matica, 76-74 – 150. 3. Cory Amman and John Yost, 74-77 – 151.

Second flight

1. Shane Hendry and Alex Bringsjord, 78-72 – 150. 2. Corey Nichols and Matt Ferris, 78-77 – 155. 3. Joe Macutkiewicz and Paul Waite, 80-76 – 156.

Third flight

1. Vic Holcomb and Rick Coons, 83-72 – 162. 2. Ben Nasman and Sam Canfield, 83-81 – 164. 3. Paul Roeder and Kyle Robitalle, 85-80 – 165.

Fourth flight

1. Joe Vareschi and Jamie Zdon, 88-83 – 171. 2. Mike O’Brien and Doug Trombley, 89-86 – 175. 3. Ralph Razzano and John Boudreau, 88-89 – 177.