Clarey-Oliveira on the ball in OSWGA
women's event
The team of Carol Clarey and Jeanne Oliveira combines for a 71 and
takes low-gross honors in the best-ball tourney at Triggs.
01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 1, 2005
PROVIDENCE -- Whether competing as an individual
or with a partner, Carol Clarey has enjoyed considerable success on the local
golf circuit in recent years, and yesterday was no exception.
She formed yet another winning
combination with new teammate Jeanne Oliveira, capturing the R.I. Women's State
Jr./Sr. Championship, hosted by the Ocean State Women's Golf Association at
Triggs Memorial Golf Course.
"I was lucky I had a good
partner," said Clarey, who combined with Oliveira for a 71 to take low gross
in the best-ball format. "We played well, kept each other going (by)
yelling at each other."
Ann DeStefanis, a member at
Triggs, and Carolyn Pacheco, who plays out of West Warwick, secured first net
in the Championship Division with a 63.
Clarey, the newly appointed
president of the OSWGA, approached Oliveira, the organization's treasurer,
about playing in the tournament during a board meeting over the winter. When
Oliveira found out her usual partner for this tourney would be out of town, she
agreed to join forces with Clarey.
It turned out to be a smart
decision.
"She was hot today,"
said Oliveira, who plays out of Montaup.
A three-time OSWGA Player of
the Year (1997-99), Clarey racked up a number of victories last year. Both the
R.I. Women's State Seniors Champion and the State Par 3 Champion in 2004, she
also teamed up with Karen Dufault to win both the State Four-Ball and the
Women's State Team titles for the second straight year.
Using a new driver she picked
up two weeks ago and a putter she bought over the weekend, Clarey, who will
celebrate her 60th birthday in December, provided a tremendous boost for her
team as she birdied the first hole and parred the next five, recording a 74 on
her own ball. Oliveira provided just the right amount of support to give the
team the top score for the day.
"This is a great golf
course," said Clarey, a member at Segregansett. "The design is a
Donald Ross, and he's a master. You don't have to hit the ball really far to
score well here. They're very generous fairways, and the greens are very heavy,
so they roll a little slower, but they're very true."
One of the first groups to
finish their round yesterday, Clarey and Oliveira had to wait several hours
before learning that their score had indeed held up against the field, which
featured 124 golfers competing in three divisions.
Donna Warner and Brenda
Nardolillo, who won back-to-back titles in 2001 and '02, got off to a slow
start, bogeying five of the first six holes, but finished up strong, recording
five birdies between them on the back nine to take second low gross (74) in the
Championship Division.
Jennifer Hendrick, whose
family owns the Exeter and Richmond Country Clubs, and Maureen Ford, who plays
out of Exeter, took second net in the top flight behind DeStefanis and Pacheco
with a 66.
Low gross in the A Division
went to Kathleen McKenna and Ellen Stensing-Woods, both of whom play out of
Fall River. They combined for an 81 while Sue Falcone and Jackie Bennett, both
of Triggs, won first net with a 67.
Montaup partners Joyce
Westcott and Ann Borges took top honors in the B Division with a low gross
score of 91 (matching cards), while Stephanie Rego of Firefly and Jill Meschino
of Triggs claimed first net at 62.
Championship
GROSS -- Carol Clarey-Jeanne
Oliveira, 71; Brenda Nardolillo-Donna Warner, 74 m/c; Trudy Dufault-Karen
Dufault, 77. NET -- Ann DeStefanis-Carolyn Pacheco, 63; Maureen Ford-Jennifer
Handrick, 66; Jean Maack-Carol Wilson, 67.
A Division
GROSS -- Kathleen
McKenna-Ellen Stensing-Woods, 81; Ellen Gittleman-Diane Kelly, 88 m/c; Donna
DeBlasio-Carolyn Brown, 88 m/c. NET -- Sue Falcone-Jackie Bennett, 67; Denise
Drainville-Joanne Stiness, 68; Jackie Booth-Diana Dinsmore, 69.
B Division
GROSS -- Joyce Westcott-Ann
Borges, 91 m/c; Leony Hartnig-Susan Haake, 91 m/c; Valerie Tessier-MaryAnn
MacLaughlin, 91 m/c. NET -- Stephanie Rego-Jill Meschino, 62; Ann Hoglund-Kathy
Chorney, 64; Carol Savage-Deborah Luppi, 65.