WOODSTOCK, Vermont – Paul Parajeckas, of Pleasant Valley Country Club, posted three birdies and an eagle to climb his way to the top of the leaderboard after 18 holes in the 2019 New England PGA Senior Championship held August 20 at Woodstock Country Club.
Parajeckas, who won the Senior Championship in 2004, ’05 and ’06, made just one bogey and posted 4-under 66. He played the four par-5s in 4-under par, making birdies on No. 1 and No. 6, and an eagle on No. 10. He also birdied the par-4 8th hole and was 5-under par before making his only bogey of the day at the par-3 13th.
John Paesani, Webb Heintzelman and Jeff Seavey took very different paths but all wound up at the same spot, tied for second two strokes behind Parajeckas with matching 68s.
Paesani, of Bay Club at Mattapoisett, fired the most stress-free 68 of the group, as he opened with nine consecutive pars before making an eagle on the par-5 10th. His lone hiccup came at No. 12, but he made up for it with a birdie at No. 17 before finishing with a par on 18, his 15th par of the round.
Henitzelman, of Turner Hill Golf & Racquet Club, had a round of two tales. He made back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes and was 2-over at the turn. He bounced back on the back nine, carding five birdies to shoot 31 and finish the day at 2-under par.
Seavey, of Samoset Resort, set himself back early with a bogey on the third and a double-bogey on No. 5. After making par on the par-5 sixth, Seavey closed the front nine with three consecutive birdies to get back to even-par at the turn. A fourth straight birdie on No. 10 put him into red figures for the day, and he closed a run of five birdies in a seven-hole stretch with a birdie on the par-3 13th to get to 2-under for the day.
Despite four rounds under par, it was Dave Johnson, of Newport National, who was the talk of the clubhouse. Johnson aced the par-3 11th hole, his first career ace, en route to a 3-over 73.
“I just hit a nice smooth 9-iron,” Johnson recalled, detailing the hole-in-one. “It was looking good the whole way and it hit, and it trickled, and it went in. I looked at John Rainone and said ‘You’ve got to be kidding me, did that just go in?’ and he started laughing and said ‘Yeah, it did.’
“We were all in shock,” Johnson continued. “It was my first one, I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t going to jump around, I was too tired at the time.”
Rick Karbowski, of Auburn Driving Range, Bill Andrews, of Portsmouth Country Club, and Thomas Tobey, of Sandwich Hollows Golf Club, were tied for fifth at even-par.
The final round of the 36-hole tournament was scheduled on Wednesday August 21 at Woodstock Country Club but due to inclement weather was cancelled. The tournament is reduced to an 18-hole event, with Paul Parajeckas, of Pleasant Valley Country Club, winning for the fourth time in his career (2004, ’05, ’06) after a 4-under par 66 in Round 1.
Parajeckas, 69, wins nearly 10 years to the day after his 2009 NEPGA Section Championship win.
Six New England PGA Professionals punched their tickets to the 2019 Senior PGA Professional Championship, Oct. 3-6 in Austin, Texas joining Kirk Hanefeld who holds a lifetime exemption as a past champion. Parajeckas, John Paesani (Bay Club at Mattapoisett), Jeff Seavey (Samoset Resort) and Webb Heintzelman (Turner Hill) qualified outright, while Thomas Tobey (Sandwich Hollows), Rick Karbowski (Auburn Driving Range) and Bill Andrews (Portsmouth CC) went into a playoff for the final two spots, with Karbowski and Tobey advancing. Andrews will be the first alternate.
Six players from the Championship will qualify for the PGA Senior National Championship, joining Kirk Hanefeld (Salem CC) who is already exempt into the tournament.
2019 New England PGA Senior Championship
Woodstock Country Club (Woodstock, VT), Par 35-35–70
FINAL RESULTS
1 Paul Parajeckas, Pleasant Valley: 32-34–66 -4* $1,450.00
T2 Webb Heintzelman, Turner Hill Golf & Racquet: 37-31–68 -2* $1,173.33
T2 John Paesani, Bay Club at Mattapoisett: 35-33–68 -2*
T2 Jeff Seavey, Samoset Resort: 35-33–68 -2*
T5 Bill Andrews, Portsmouth: 36-34–70 E(1) $865.00
T5 Rick Karbowski, Auburn Driving Range: 35-35–70 E*
T5 Thomas Tobey, Sandwich Hollows GC: 36-34–70 E*
T8 Scott Allen, George Wright: 38-33–71 +1(4)
T8 David Dionne, Beverly Golf & Tennis: 36-35–71 +1(3)
T8 John Hickson, Mere Creek: 38-33–71 +1(2) $643.33
T11 James Burke, Ponkapoag GC – #2: 33-39–72 +2(6) $440.83
T11 Greg Farland, Marlborough CC: 35-37–72 +2
T11 David Grygiel, Tee N’ Tee Golfland: 36-36–72 +2
T11 Rusty Gunnarson, Rochester GC: 39-33–72 +2
T11 Kirk Hanefeld, Salem CC: 36-36–72 +2^ $440.83
T11 Jim Sheerin, Abenaqui: 35-37–72 +2
T11 Robert Tramonti, Triggs Memorial GC: 37-35–72 +2 (5) $440.83
50-54 DIVISION RESULTS
1 Jeff Seavey, Samoset Resort: 35-33–68 -2 $1,173.33
2 Thomas Tobey, Sandwich Hollows GC: 36-34–70 E $865.00
3 David Dionne, Beverly Golf & Tennis: 36-35–71 +1 $643.33
T4 James Burke, Ponkapoag GC – #2: 33-39–72 +2
T4 Greg Farland, Marlborough CC: 35-37–72 +2 $440.83
T4 Robert Tramonti, Triggs Memorial GC: 37-35–72 +2
T7 David Johnson, Newport National- Orchard: 39-34–73 +3 $100.00
T7 Todd Scarafoni, Bass Rocks GC: 40-33–73 +3 $100.00
T7 Dave Tiedemann, Shelter Harbor GC: 36-37–73 +3 $100.00
55-59 DIVISION RESULTS
1 Webb Heintzelman, Turner Hill Golf & Racquet: 37-31–68 -2
T2 Scott Allen, George Wright: 38-33–71 +1 $643.33
T2 John Hickson, Mere Creek: 38-33–71 +1
4 Rick Durocher, Cyprian Keyes GC: 37-36–73 +3 $425.00
5 Chip Johnson, Hatherly: 36-38–74 +4 $330.00
60-69 DIVISION RESULTS
1 Paul Parajeckas, Pleasant Valley: 32-34–66 -4
2 John Paesani, Bay Club at Mattapoisett: 35-33–68 -2 $1,173.33
T3 Bill Andrews, Portsmouth: 36-34–70 E
T3 Rick Karbowski, Auburn Driving Range: 35-35–70 E $865.00
T5 David Grygiel, Tee N’ Tee Golfland: 36-36–72 +2 $440.83
T5 Rusty Gunnarson, Rochester GC: 39-33–72 +2 $440.83
T5 Kirk Hanefeld, Salem CC: 36-36–72 +2
T8 Mike McBroom, Furnace Brook: 37-36–73 +3 $125.00
T8 John O’Connor, Far Corner Golf Course: 37-36–73 +3 $125.00
70-plus DIVISION RESULTS
1 Jim Sheerin, Abenaqui: 35-37–72 +2 $400.00
2 Robert Green, Tedesco CC: 42-37–79 +9 $300.00
3 Pete Matthews, Westernview: 39-41–80 +10 $200.00
CREDIT: New England PGA Staff
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