Winning foursome finds laments were premature

The team of Brenda and Mike Nardolillo, Cissy Grady and George Donnell win the OSWGA Mixed Team Championship by 3 shots.

01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, May 11, 2004

BY PAUL KENYON
Journal Sports Writer

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- As they were finishing play yesterday in the Ocean State Women's Golf Association Mixed Team Championship, Brenda Nardolillo and Cissy Grady began commiserating with each other.

They were partners, part of the four-person team with Mike Nardolillo, Brenda's husband, and George Donnell. For much of the day, they had played very well.

"But we thought we gave it away at the end," Brenda Nardolillo said. "We were talking about how we left shots out there. We felt bad."

They shouldn't have. To their delight, they turned out to be wrong.

The foursome combined for a 9-over-par 149 in the event, in which the low score from the two women, and the low score from the two men determine the team total on each hole. Their total beat the foursome led by former champion Marisa White, and partners Michael Petrarca, Michael S. Petrarca and Tracey Petrarca, by three shots for the title at North Kingstown Municipal.

It was a perfect example of how trying to predict what might happen in a one-day tournament, in which no one knows anyone else's score until after play is completed, can be a waste of time. White said her group did the same thing.

"My brother (Michael Petrarca) asked me what score had been when I won (last year)," White said. "He started to figure it out, saying we need to finish birdie, birdie. . . . I told him to stop and just play. You can't do that."

She was right. North Kingstown plays tougher than Hillside, (where White's team won with a 4-over-par total), especially when the wind comes up as it did for the second half of play yesterday.

Nardolillo, the OSWGA president, and Grady, regularly one of the top players in the association, and partners took advantage early on. Mike Nardilillo had three birdies, including one on each of the par-5s on the front side, to put the team in good position. Donnell, as is his style, played steadily. The women more than held up their end.

"We yinged and yanged," Grady said. "We both played well."

"She played well on the front and I played well on the back," Brenda Nardolillo said.

Understandably, the team began thinking about winning. As so often happens, that only led to problems. Grady got mad at herself for causing the only real problem of the day.

That came at the par-4 16th, a dogleg left. There, Brenda Nardolillo had driven into trouble. Grady hit a good drive and was in position to cut the corner. That is a dangerous shot, though, because there is a fence and out of bounds on the left side.

"I hit a good shot," Grady said. "I thought it was just what I wanted. But it hit the very last branch of the tree there and fell on the other side of the fence. It was stupid because I knew Brenda was in trouble. I should have played it safer."

Both women double-bogeyed the hole, the team's only double of the day. Mike Nardolillo got one back with his third birdie on the next hole, but the foursome still felt disappointed coming in. Until they saw the other scores.

The competition for low net in the Championship Division was where one shot turned out to make a difference. Four teams finished at 7-under 133. The Petrarca-White team was one, but it took second gross.

On matching cards, the net title went to the team of Jesse Furtado, Paul Mattos, Nancy Diemoz and Terry Minior. The team of Cosmo Minicucci, Dave Stenhouse Jr., Donna DeBlasio and Geri Lisa took second, and the team of Mark Oliveira, David Duarte, Jeanne Oliveira and Judy Duarte third.

In the A Division, the title went to the team of Tony Caprio, Brian Cesario, Linda Tudino and Linda Paolozzi, at 157, 12 shots better than the team of Frank Kelly, Ron Leone, Patricia Malone and Lynne Fandetti. The net title was won by the team of Catherine and David Wild and Helen and Raymond Keough at 134, one stroke better than Audrey and Ron Correia and Edie and Everett Cabral.

The B Division crown went to Scott Larue, Steve Boyles, Barbara Davis and Catherine Parente, at 166, seven better than the team of Rob Bogosian, Alan Gittleman, Ellen Gittleman and Jacquie Benson. The net title, a 19-under 121, was won by Bill D'Angelos Jr., Kevin Carter, Maureen Dion and Ann Lizak. Denise and Norm Drainville and Joanne and Sam Stiness took second at 133.