Bowker, Everett and Dickison Survive Cold, Wind and Rain to Lead Respective Divisions of Players Invitational
Newbury, NH – After three days with 90-degree temperatures, the 40 degrees combined with rain and wind was a shock to the system for the 32 golfers who teed it up in the first round of the Players Invitational. Despite the weather conditions, Joe Bowker (Pembroke Pines CC), Bill Everett (Laconia CC) and Amy Dickison (Breakfast Hill GC) all emerged as leaders of their respective divisions following the first round of play. Bowker held a steady even-par round of 72 to lead the Regular division by three strokes, Everett finished with a 76 (+4) to lead the Senior division by two and Dickison carded a 78 (+6) to hold a two-shot lead as well in the Women’s division.
Bowker was the first to tee off in the day and was also the lowest round of the day at even-par. Even through off and on rain and wind, he was able to play the best front nine of any of the competitors with two birdies accompanied by all pars, to make the turn at two-under par. The back nine was up and down, as he bogeyed the 10th hole but turned around and made birdie on the 11th. With a bogey on 15 and an unfortunate double bogey on the 16th, he found himself at one-over par with two left to play. Ending the round on high note, he birdied the 18th and heads into the final round with a three-shot lead.
Sitting at three-over par behind Bowker are Cam Salo (The Shattuck GC) and Ryan Blossom (Concord CC). Salo had a bumpy front nine with three bogeys along the way but managed to pick up a couple birdies on the back nine along with two more bogeys to finish his day with a 75. Blossom, however, joined Bowker with red numbers on the front nine as he made two birdies with a bogey in the middle to make the turn at one-under par. But his bogeys outnumbered his pars and birdies on the back nine to finish up at four over for the day with Bowker in his sights for the final round.
In the Senior division, a familiar name is back at the top of the leaderboard, Bill Everett. Everett is a two-time past champion of this event and is currently looking to defend his title from last season. He’s off to a strong start with a good round, despite the rain, wind and cold temperatures that are tough to compete in.
Reflecting on his round, Everett stated, “I started off two over par. It was rainy when we started, and it was honestly pretty miserable. Then I got two nice up-and-down pars on 3 and 4 that kind of settled me down.”
While he did open his round with back-to-back bogeys, he held it steady for the next four holes. He did put another bogey on his card on the 7th hole and turned just three-over par, one shot back of the leader after nine holes, Dave Larrivee. With three more bogeys but two birdie highlights on the back nine, Everett finished the day with a 76 (+4) to take a two-shot lead.
With a steady round in the books regardless of whether, Everett’s score reflects his love of the golf course. He said, “I love this golf course, this is my favorite golf course in New Hampshire.”
Two strong competitors sit just two shots back of Everett on the leaderboard, Phil Pleat (Nashua CC) and Dave Larrivee (Manchester CC) at 78 (+6). Pleat’s card was consistent on both sides, he made three bogeys on the front and three bogeys on the back nine for a six-over par round. Larrivee’s round was up and down, especially on the front nine where he had two birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey, yet still had the lead at the turn. He carded two more bogeys early on the back nine but held steady until the 18th hole where he made double bogey to set himself two shots back of the lead. He, along with Pleat and the remainder of the Senior division, will hope to chase down Everett as they head to the final round.
Amy Dickison leads the Women’s division in their first year competing in the Players Invitational. With a 78 (+6) she had a solid and consistent round overall. She said, “I played pretty steady; I just had a few missed greens and a few times not being able to get up and down.”
Those missed greens and missed up-and-down opportunities resulted in some of the bogeys on her card, but for not having seen the golf course before, she was able to manage well. She even managed the weather conditions well, saying “I try to grin and bear it, it’s not my favorite playing conditions but you just have to do what you have to do.”
Dickison had three bogeys on the front nine, making the turn with the lead in the Women’s division. With four bogeys and one birdie on the back nine, she finished up at six-over par. She stated, “I’m happy with how I did today, I’ll just know a few of the greens better tomorrow.”
Heading to the final round Dickison will have Julianna Megan (Hoodkroft CC) looking to track her down being two strokes behind with an 80 (+8). Megan had a tough front nine being seven over par, but her two bogeys and one birdie on the back nine kept her within range of Dickison as the final 18 holes are ahead of them.
The Players Invitational brings together the top Men and Women from the previous year’s Player of the Year point standings to compete in a 36-hole championship at Baker Hill Golf Club. Despite the cool temperatures, wind and rain, Baker Hill always proves to be a true test of golf for each competitor teeing it up. The final round of the competition will begin at 7AM on Sunday, June 4th.
Regular Division | Leaderboard
Senior Division | Leaderboard
Women’s Division | Leaderboard