RI NOTEBOOK Leopold Preparing for Northeast Amateur He has been impressing folks around here the past few years with his stellar amateur play. He’s reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur in each of the past two years; he’s won two R.I. Mid Am titles, was R.I. Player of the Year in 2011 and has won the Hornblower Memorial in Plymouth, Mass. (2011). So 28 year-old Bobby Leopold, an English native, who plays out of Potowomut, sees no reason he can’t continue his solid play this season. However, since last we saw Leopold, his life has become a tad more complicated, but in a good way. He is now a daddy. Son Grayson came into this world last December 10th. And since then there has been precious little time for golf. “We made a trip to England, there’s less sleep. He’s doing well; he’s very active, my wife (Taylor) has returned to work. Things have just been hectic,” said Leopold. So what about your game, Bobby, and your dream of last year of getting selected to this year’s Walker Cup team?
world. The Walker Cup? Maybe its farfetched but its better to have a far fetched goal than none at all. If it doesn’t work out this year, maybe in a couple of years.” In the meantime, for Leopold, there are not only tee shots, approach shots, chip shots and putting to figure out but diapers to change and a young, potential golfer to keep healthy.
working to get himself back in golf shape for later this summer. “I’m going to try to qualify for the senior British Open, senior U.S. Open and the senior PGA. If I can get into those events, they will help me regain some status on the tour for September and October,” Horgan explains. “ I just loved being out there last summer. I was playing some of the best golf of my life so it was kind of bittersweet. There’s nothing worse than playing in pain.”
OSWGA Holds First Tournamnt of the Season The Ocean State Women’s Golf Association held its first tournament of the 2013 season at Kirkbrae and the team of Annie Corio, Gail Hanna, Kibbe Reilly and Nancy Diemoz captured the annual Natalie Price Memorial Spring Open in the Championship Division with a first place gross total of 113. Reilly wowed her partners when her third shot, a gap wedge from 55 yards out, rolled into the cup for an eagle three on the par 5, 14th. First net honors of 109 went to the team
By BOB DICKSON of Maureen Ford, Kay Bullock, Robin Gatley and Danielle Gamache.
USGA News Word comes to the RIGA as well as all the other statewide golf operations across the country that the USGA is creating a new men’s National Four-Ball Championship starting in 2015. Also added will be a U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Sites for the inaugural championships have not been announced yet At the same time the USGA is saying it will retire the national amateur Public Links Championship after its final event in 2014. The national public links titles for men and women are being retired, says the USGA, because they no longer serve their original mission because of the widespread accessibility that public course golfers now enjoy in USGA championships. The U.S. Amateur Public Links event was first played in 1922 and is the oldest championship run by the USGA.
Horgan Resting Up After Another Injury
Bobby Leopold “My game is decent now but I need to do a lot more practicing. I did play in the Terracotta event in Naples this winter and finished around 48th (rounds of 74, 82 and 74). The first two rounds were rained out so we had to play 36 holes one day and 18 on the final day. I was tired and lost a little concentration,” he said. As for his Walker Cup chances? “Well, I’m concentrating on being 100 percent ready to shoot a good number at this year’s Northeast Amateur in June at Wannamoisett and to qualify for the U.S. Open and again the U.S. Amateur,” says Leopold. “Shooting a good number at the Northeast is key for me because that event is such a prestigious one in the amateur
A year ago Newport’s P.H. Horgan was very excited about returning to competitive professional golf where he had spent 10 years on the PGA Tour (19891994 and 1997-2000). The reason for his excitement was that he had finally rid himself of health and injury problems that had plagued him for five years. He even had overcome cancer in one of his eyes. So there was the former Rogers High and URI standout, at age 51, competing well enough on the Champions Tour in 2012 to win some money. However, in August he tweaked his right elbow so badly that he barely could hold a club. Here we go again, he said. Horgan gamely tried to make it through Champions Tour Q-School by loading up on anti-inflammatory meds to keep the pain level down. Didn’t work. He finished 19th at the school. Only the top 5 got back on the tour. What to do? Surgery or rest. He chose rest and therapy. “If I had surgery I would have been out 13 months,” he stated. Horgan took 3 1⁄2 months off. He says he feels better. There is still some pain in the elbow but its tolerable. He’s now
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND GOLFER / May 2013 / 401-464-8445 / www.snegolfer.com
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