Published: 10/17/2022 5:31:53 PM
SPRINGFIELD – A 68 glistens on any golf tournament scoreboard, let alone a Western Massachusetts Division 1 Championship card.
In Monday’s soggy, wet and windy conditions at Franconia Golf Course, Northampton junior Galen Fowles’ three-under round looked sterling. He took second individually behind Longmeadow ace Ryan Downes, who fired a 5-under 66 to claim the title for the second year in a row.
“I’m satisfied with what I did. I felt like I could have given myself a shot with the way I played,” Fowles said. “All in all, a 68 in these conditions? I’m happy with that.”
Fowles fired a blistering 33 on the front nine, better than Downes’ 35. His 35 on the back was tied for the lowest non-Downes nine-hole stretch of the tournament.
“It’s a remarkable achievement. He manages his game like a far older player,” Northampton volunteer assistant Bob Boulrice said. “For a junior in high school to be in such control of his game in such challenging conditions as this is a remarkable thing.”
The Blue Devils improved their score from last year’s championship round by 11 strokes and shot a 303. Reilly Fowles had a 74, while Ben O’Connor had a 79 and Jack Mattison-Gulotta shot an 82 to round out the scoring. Sophomore Jack Carpenter also carded an 82, while Gus Fallon turned in a 93.
“We performed better than the way we hoped we would have,” Northampton coach Michael Chapdelaine said.
Northampton placed second as a team to qualify for the state tournament for the second year in a row. That event is Oct. 25 at Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill.
Minnechaug captured the title with a 295. North Middlesex also qualified for the state tournament with a 305.
“That’s a good showing for us. Normally that low of a score would win it for us,” Galen Fowles said. “Hats off to Minnechaug, they played really well. We’ll see if we can beat them back at states.”
Amherst’s Piet Hartman will join them in Haverhill. The junior played in Galen Fowles’ foursome. They’ve faced off regularly as No. 1s in match play for their entire careers and see plenty of each other on the junior golf circuit.
“Playing good competition always makes you better,” Hartman said. “He got the better of me (Monday).”
Hartman got the better of most everyone else in the field. Hartman’s 74 tied for seventh and qualified him for his second consecutive state tournament.
“I think I hit the ball fairly well considering how cold it was,” Hartman said. “I hit it well off the tee all day. It was difficult to judge whether a flyer would happen because of the wetness.”
Hartman birdied the first hole and the 18th, chipping out from under a tree within a foot after snaring his club on a root. He shrugged like Michael Jordan walking to the green for a tap-in while his competitors praised the effort.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.
.