Leaders Caffrey, Blinn now taking the
game for what it really is
01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 12, 2005
NEWPORT -- There were more than 70 golfers competing
yesterday in the opening round of the five-day Rhode Island Women's State
Amateur Golf Championships at Newport National, all with the hopes of finishing
with one of the top 16 scores in order to compete in today's first round of
match play in the Championship Division.
If they couldn't do that, then
their goal was to at least attain one of the top 64 scores and not be
eliminated from the tournament altogether. Ironically, two of the youngest
golfers shot the lowest rounds of the day -- 19-year-old Ally Caffrey
(36-38-74) and 24-year-old Valerie Blinn (38-37-75).
In essence, Caffrey and Blinn
don't really care if they win. After recent tragedies, both just want to enjoy
life to the fullest. Losing someone close to you will change your outlook on life.
Winning a golf tournament suddenly doesn't seem all that important.
Caffrey (from Wannamoisett), a
three-time All-Stater from Bay View who won the 2002 Rhode Island and New
England Championships and finished second at the State tournament in 2003, lost
two of her closest friends in a 19-day span the second semester of her freshman
year at the University of Richmond (Virginia). Caffrey tied two ribbons to her
bag, each with one of their names on it.
She played through the
heartache, set a new low-round record (70) and three-round scoring mark (220)
at Richmond, and was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the
Year.
"It was a lot harder than
I thought it would be but I still had a lot of fun," said Caffrey, who was
also selected first team All-Conference with the third lowest conference
average (77.6).
"My mother was psyched
when I got Rookie of the Year, which is just a nice touch," she said.
"I was the baby out there and was playing with a lot of big hitters who
had the confidence, so it was nice to get a little recognition. . . . I'm
working on breaking 70 now. That will be my goal for the next three
years."
Blinn (from Triggs), the 2004
Ocean State Women's Golf Association Player of the Year who has already won the
Nathalie Price Memorial Spring Open, the OSWGA Founders Invitational and the
Rhode Island Women's State Presidents Cup, lost her father last month.
"Everyone has been very
supportive," said Blinn, of Seekonk. "I can't believe my dad touched
so many people. I've just changed my whole outlook on life. I just want to
enjoy it. This is like a vacation for me. Now I have to go off and face the
real world and try to run my father's (insurance) business."
Yesterday, Caffrey and Blinn
teed off together and both had solid rounds while enjoying each other's
company.
"Val has kind of adopted
me as a little sister," Caffrey said.
"I have to keep her in
line," Blinn joked.
Caffrey was even at the turn
after rolling in birdie putts on the par-5 first and the par-4 fifth. She
bogeyed three and nine. On the back, she birdied the par-5 11th but bogeyed 12,
15 and 18.
"With the exception of
the last hole (two-putt bogey), I played pretty well," Caffrey said.
"I played better than I did last week. I definitely left a lot of birdies
out there, but I'll pick them up throughout the week. I putted really well, and
that's what is going to be really important in match play."
Blinn shot a 2-over 38 on the
front and a 1-over 37 on the back.
"I did OK," Blinn
said. "I think I three-putted three or four times. I'm hitting the ball
well but my putting was a little off today."
Jennifer Hendricks (78, Valley
CC), and Kibbe Reilly (79, Agawum Hunt) were the only other golfers to break
80. Today's action will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.
Championship Division
Qualifiers
Caffrey36-38 -- 74
Blinn38-37 -- 75
Hendricks38-40 -- 78
Reilly38-41 -- 79
Warner44-37 -- 81
Bullock41-42 -- 83
Clarey40-43 -- 83
White40-43 -- 83
Sabitoni43-42 -- 85
Adams43-44 -- 87
Crawford46-42 -- 88
Hunt44-45 -- 89
Beaudette46-44 -- 90
Grady45-45 -- 90
K. Dufault50-41 -- 91
Diemoz46 -- 91
TODAY'S MATCHES
7:30 a.m. Shotgun
Championship
1A -- Caffrey vs. Diemoz;
Blinn vs. Dufault; 1B -- Clarey vs. Sabitoni; White vs. Adams; 18A -- Reilly
vs. Beaudette; Hendrick vs. Grady; 18B -- Warner vs. Hunt; Bullock vs.
Crawford.
First Division
17 -- Corio vs. Correia; Kelly
vs. Reavey; 16 -- Rickard vs. Kim; Stensing-Woods vs. Wilson; 15A --
MacLaughlin vs. Paolozzi; Korber vs. Martin; 15B -- Gravier vs. Maack; Grove
vs. Dufault.
Second Division
14 -- Lavoie vs. Ok; Kim vs.
Cherry; 13 -- Dolan vs. Rego; Booth vs. Dion; 12A -- Olson vs. Finizia;
Mendelson vs. D'Ambrosio; 12B -- Buckley vs. Sweet; Kosten vs. Drescher.
Third Division
11A -- McNeil vs. Villani;
Bourque vs. Palumbo; 11B -- Shanley vs. Miller; Courtemanche vs. Johnson; 10A
-- Scowcroft vs. Chorney; Rainone vs. LaRue.