Local golf: Malone Golf Club opens up lead over Potsdam after first day of Six-Man tourney (VIDEO)

Cap Carey, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Aug. 6—POTSDAM — Malone Golf Club finds itself with a three-stroke lead after a hot opening day of the Northern New York Golf Association Six-Man championship Friday at the Potsdam Town and Country Club.

The event concludes today and the host team, Potsdam, is just three strokes behind Malone (459-462). Canton's Partridge Run is in third at 480 strokes and the River Course in Louisville is fourth with 481.

Each team consists of six golfers, a junior golfer, senior golfer and super-senior. The scores come from the six best among those nine players.

Malone last won the event two years ago at the Carlowden course in Denmark.

Potsdam is looking for its first championship since 1980.

Malone scored four golfers with 75 strokes — 3-over-par — on the opening day, including Patrick O'Connor and Ben Honahan, senior Rich White and super-senior Bob Phillips. Mike Patenaude shot 78 to give Malone five golfers under 80.

"I think we are pretty good," Honahan said of his team. "The guys we have are pretty experienced and we are going to go out there and just play our game. I think we went out there and played our game. Any time you can keep it in the mid-70s, you are playing pretty good golf. I like our chances."

Honahan added of the individual title, "Any time you can put your name in the mix and go out there and have a chance to win it, you always want to do it."

Potsdam was led by Tyler Berkman, who heads the field going into the final round with a 74.

Berkman has been busy of late, recently winning the club championship and then winning the North Country Junior Tour title Tuesday.

"I feel like I know where I am," Berkman said of playing on his home course. "I'm in good shape."

Berkman's dad, Rick, is two strokes back with a 76 and confident he can catch his son today.

"I had a couple loose shots today, but other than that I played solid for about 15 holes, just had a couple bogeys back-to-back," Rick Berkman said.

Chris Taylor shot 80 for Potsdam and senior Tom Smith shot 75 with junior Ian VanWagner shooting 78.

"We have a strong team this year and we are really strong with our junior and our senior players as well," Rick Berkman said. "Taking the top six out of nine gives us a good chance."

Current Watertown city champion Joe Tufo is also contending for the individual title at 75 along with Partridge Run's Adam Szlamczynski.

Tufo wants to add to his accomplishments this summer with the individual title but also redeem himself at the Potsdam course.

"I putted pretty good," Tufo said. "I birdied the first two (holes) right off the bat. I had a little hiccup on the front. I had a couple (double-bogeys) but five birdies. I'm pretty happy."

The last time Potsdam hosted in 2013 Tufo lost on the second hole of a playoff for the individual title to Massena's Anthony Viskovich when one of his tee shots went into the woods.

"That's exactly why I'm here," Tufo said. "In the last 30 days I've had a lot of fun. The following Sunday (after the city championship), I had a hole-in-one, so it's been a pretty good ride."

Go to http://wdt.me/6-Man for video coverage and interviews of Day 1 of the NNYGA Six-Man Tournament.