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4 days ago
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The RI Amateur came down to two putts. Here's how Mike Calef clinched his victory
BARRINGTON — Mike Calef was able to coax home the two putts he absolutely needed to make on Friday. Not much else was finding the hole for him during the afternoon 18 in the title match at the 120th State Amateur at Rhode Island Country Club. The tables turned just in time for Calef to deny Jake Bauer what would have been a rally to his second championship. Advertisement Calef rolled in the tying birdie on the 34th hole and a clutch par to win the 35th, edging his way in front. A solid par from the right rough on the 36th — the uphill par-4 18th that climbs back toward Nayatt Road — clinched a 1-up victory for Calef against a fellow competitor with Portsmouth ties. Bauer lost the first three holes in the morning 18, didn't take his first lead until the 23rd hole and retained that advantage as the action shifted to the shores of Narragansett Bay. The left-hander got up and down out of a greenside bunker to stay 1 up at the par-4 15th, but Calef took the initiative from left of the cup on the following hole. 'Putts weren't really dropping for me, but we just kind of stuck with it,' Calef said. 'Finally made a really good one on 16 — that was great. And then to make one on 17 was fantastic.' Both players hit the green in regulation at the 401-yard par-4. Bauer missed his birdie chance while going first. Calef was up next with an opportunity on a similar line to his putt in the morning 18, and this time he played a touch less break. He pumped his right fist as the ball disappeared into the cup, and Calef was level going to the signature par-3 17th. Advertisement 'I wanted to play a little less break anyway,' Calef said. 'The wind was going to move it to the left. I played a straight putt.' Both players came up short of the elevated green at the following 145-yard tester, with Bauer finding the front bunker and Calef sitting down in some thick rough. Bauer finished about 15 feet below the hole after blasting out and Calef chipped to four feet above, setting up a slippery par putt. Bauer couldn't knock his home while settling for bogey and Calef — with some help from caddie Bob Murphy — managed to find the bottom again. 'He might be the best green reader I've ever met,' Calef said. 'And I've played with some good ones.' Calef started the morning 18 on fire, including a spectacular birdie putt at the par-4 second that curled at least five feet from left to right. Bauer eventually cut the deficit to 1 up before a bogey at the 18th sent him into the lunch break on a sour note. It seemed like Calef could have a chance to pull away early. Advertisement Bauer had plenty to say about that on the back side, starting with a sharp birdie at the downhill par-4 first and playing nicely from there. He jumped ahead with a routine two-putt at the par-3 fifth and again with a nice birdie at the par-5 12th. Bauer jabbed the air with his left fist while connecting from about 20 feet right of the hole, and Calef faced a bit of a gut check into the last few holes. 'If I was making bogeys and doubles, the train could have come off the tracks quickly,' Calef said. 'I was playing steady golf out here. That was my plan; Jake was just playing better.' Murphy nearly wasn't around for the conclusion on this ideal weather day that featured clear views of all three nearby bridges. His son, Matt, is getting married this weekend, and this was initially scheduled to be strict family time. Calef kept making his way through the 32-man match play field and Murphy kept pushing off his expected departure — including an extra stolen hour on the final day. 'We didn't know if he was going to leave on 15 or on 16,' Calef said. 'He said, 'All right, I've got to go on 17.' Then he said, 'No, I'll go on 18.' ' Advertisement Bauer extended the drama to the limit while attempting to match the crown he earned in 2018. Calef instead became the 18th man to win the Amateur here and the third in the last four decades, joining Billy Andrade (1983) and Brad Valois (2006). He outlasted a match-play field that included eight past champions and persevered through some scorching weather over the opening three days, adding this victory to the pair of state amateur titles he captured in Massachusetts in 2012 and 2013. 'There's so much history here,' Calef said. 'To have a little bit of my piece of history here at Rhode Island Country Club, I'm ecstatic for that.' bkoch@ On X: @BillKoch25 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Mike Calef beats Jake Bauer to win the RI Amateur on June 27
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4 days ago
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Which Portsmouth golfer will win the RI Amateur? The winner will be decided Friday
BARRINGTON — This upcoming final match at the 120th State Amateur will double as a battle for Portsmouth bragging rights. Town native Jake Bauer and current resident Mike Calef will meet Friday morning in a 36-hole showdown for the crown at Rhode Island Country Club. Bauer and Calef each won quarterfinal and semifinal matches on a Thursday when the weather proved considerably more merciful than earlier in the week. Mike Calef hits a drive at Rhode Island Country Club during the state amateur tournament on June 26. Bauer ironed out his swing in time to stop Ryan Marcantonio in the morning, 2 and 1, before surging in the afternoon to take out Ryan Porter, 4 and 3. Calef went birdie-par on the last two holes of his first 18 to edge Joey Iaciofano, 1 up, and controlled the back side to turn the tables on Ryan Dacey, 2 up. Advertisement 'I just really had to stay patient with myself and sort of know, 'This is going to be my miss for today,' ' Bauer said. 'Sort of plugged my way around the course.' 'The golf course is hard,' Calef said. 'There are some holes where par is good. You just have to play your way around.' The sizzling heat that sapped the field through the opening three days gave way to a typically fresh breeze off Narragansett Bay, and all six matches played crossed Nayatt Road to the four holes along the water. Calef made a pair of twos at the par-3 17th, some timely execution that helped him keep Iaciofano from pulling even and Dacey from pushing the afternoon 18 to the limit. Bauer won the par-4 15th to snap a tie with Marcantonio and got up and down from behind the green to eliminate Porter. 'You know it's going to be a long week,' Calef said. 'You know there are ebbs and flows. I really should thank my wife for letting me play all day every day.' Advertisement 'For me, it's a little bit of a fun game I play in my head,' Bauer said. 'You're not looking to get into match play and shoot a specific score and go low. Each hole is individual.' Jake Bauer tees off during the state amateur tournament at Rhode Island Country Club on June 26. Bauer is the lone survivor among those who topped the field through two rounds of stroke play, qualifying as the No. 2 seed. Calef was comfortably inside the match play cut with twin 74s on Monday and Tuesday, two strokes ahead of a six-man playoff for the last pair of 32 spots. Porter posted a 1-up victory Thursday morning against defending champion Bobby Leopold and ensured someone else would become the 18th man to win here, a list that includes Billy Andrade (1983) and Brad Valois (2006). Bauer captured the 2018 version the last time he entered this event, prevailing in the title round at Ledgemont. The left-hander has split residences in recent years between Boston and the Rhode Island area but was a Johnson & Wales-Miami recruit after a strong high school career with the Patriots. His local roots were readily apparent through the white Matunuck Surf Shop hat Bauer wore throughout the fourth day of this event. Advertisement 'He's a great guy,' Calef said. 'I'm looking forward to it. He's a real good player.' Calef was a back-to-back Massachusetts amateur champion in 2012 and 2013 before a move to Texas. His family now lives just a few short minutes from his home club at Wanumetonomy, and Calef found he had plenty in common with Bauer when they were grouped together in a recent U.S. Open local qualifier at GreatHorse. They'll be alongside one another again for a 7:30 a.m. start. 'I didn't even know he lived in Portsmouth,' Bauer said. 'He told me his neighborhood and I was like, 'I know where that is.' It's a really small world.' bkoch@ On X: @BillKoch25 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Portsmouth golfers Jake Bauer, Mike Calef battle for RI Amateur title
