Men's Golf Wins Blazer Invitational
ELMS
COLLEGE WINS BLAZER INVITATIONAL
Daigneault wins dramatic one-hole
playoff
CHICOPEE, MA, April 25, 2008 - Elms
College senior Neil Daigneault (Ludlow, MA) carded
a 5-over par round of 76 and earned medalist honors in a dramatic
one-hole playoff to help lead the Blazers to the team championship
of the Blazer Invitational men's golf tournament at Chicopee
Country Club on Friday afternoon.
Elms College shot a season-best 320 to outdistance Castleton (325), MCLA (325), WNEC (334), Franklin Pierce (361) and Newbury (407) in the seven-team field.
Daigneault and Husson freshman Chris Hamel (Waterville, ME) each fired identical rounds of 76 to advance to the sudden-victory playoff.
On the par-4 first hole, Hamel sent his drive just right of the fairway then dropped his approach shot on the right fringe, just short of the green.
Daigneault, meanwhile, rocketed his drive left of the fairway and did well to place his approach just off the green, but remained 30 yards away from the pin.
Daigneault, who was playing in his final collegiate-career home invitational, saved his best for last, as he then chipped in for birdie.
Hamel had one last chance to tie, but left his 50-foot birdie putt five feet right of the hole.
The moment was a flashback in time for Daigneault, who chipped in from 20 feet for birdie on the same exact hole nearly four years ago to-the-day (April 29, 2005) to earn his first collegiate-career title as a freshman. The birdie also helped secure the team title for Elms College in the Blazer Invitational with the identical score of 320.
In Friday's invitational, MCLA junior Brandon Sullivan was solid, as he finished third in the 35-player field with a round of 78 (39-39).
Castleton senior Bryan Smith (St. Albans, VT), who won the ECAC Division III New England Championship at Chicopee Country Club in the fall, tied for fourth with a 79 with WNEC junior Mike Roy (Plymouth, MA) (42-37-79) and MCLA's Ed Cano (41-38-79).
The Blazers had two other players crack the top 10, including freshman Andrew Sullivan (West Springfield, MA) (tied-7th, 39-41-80) and sophomore Ben Kwiatkowski (Chicopee, MA) (tied-10th, 42-39-81).
Franklin Pierce senior Kevin Rossi (Kingston, NY) (43-37-80) and WNEC sophomore Steve Adamshick (Milton, NY) (42-38-80) also tied for seventh.
Elms College returns to action on Wednesday, April 30 in the Franklin Pierce Invitational at the Shattuck. Tee times are set for 11:00 a.m.