Randall advances to finals of R.I. Amateurs
July 12, 2012
Cumberland's Jamison Randall will play Charlie Blanchard in the finals of the 107th R.I. Golf Association Amateur Championship today at Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club.
MIDDLETOWN – The finals of the 107th R.I. Golf Association Amateur Championship will feature the old guard vs. the new guard. Charlie Blanchard, a seasoned pro who’s certainly no stranger when it comes to making waves on the links during the summer, will take Cumberland native Jamison Randall in a 36-hole derby set for Friday at Wanumetonomy Golf &Country Club.
The first 18 holes of this stroke play format will take place beginning at 8 a.m. with the final 18 commencing shortly after 1 p.m.
Each finals participant traveled divergent paths in earning the distinction as the last two players standing. Randall, an Old Dominion product who calls Alpine Country Club his base course, breezed to a 7-and-5 quarterfinal round triumph against Jason Barrow, Meadow Brook Golf Course.
The Cumberland High graduate (Class of 2011) kept his foot on the gas pedal in the Round of 4, ousting Potowomet’s Bobby Leopold, 4-and-3.
Randall enjoyed a four-hole advantage against Leopold as the pair made the turn. A birdie by Leopold on No. 14 cut into Randall’s advantage, but the match ended a hole later with Randall paring the 408-yard, par-four with Leopold managing a bogey.
Randall’s triumph against Barrow was highlighted by four consecutive birdies on Nos. 10-14, the last under-par performance coming on 13.
While Randall coasted, Blanchard was forced to grind out a 19-hole semifinal epic against Seamus Fennelly of Foster Country Club. The two replayed the first hole with Blanchard notching par while Fennelly was forced to settle for a bogey.
Blanchard, presently the head golf coach at Bryant University, was up two holes with three to play before Fennelly roared back with wins on 16 and 17. The two halved 18, thus resulting in the match being decided in sudden death.
