Naples golf pro wins U.S. Open local qualifier at Vineyards County Club

A little local knowledge served local golf pro Michael Welch well in a U.S. Open local qualifying tournament on Monday, May 11.

Welch, the lead instructor at Kensington Golf and Country Club, went down the street to Vineyards Country Club and shot a 6-under par 66 to win medalist honors at the local Open qualifier, beating out a field of 74 players and moving just a step away from a spot in the U.S. Open next month.

After his only bogey of the day at No. 8, Welch went on to post five birdies on the second nine on the 6,955-yard par-72 layout. Welch had a total of seven birdies on the day.

Carter Page and Seth Smith finished tied for second at 67, each just a stroke behind.

Carter Page of Jupiter finished second in a local U.S. Open qualifier at Vineyards Country Club in Naples on Monday, May 11 and moved to the final qualifier in June.

Nicholas Prieto and Oscar Crowe came in fourth and fifth, respectively. The top five move on to the next stage.

“I thought I played nicely today. You can’t shoot a 66 and not have a lot of clubs working well,” Welch said. “I only missed one or two greens, so I didn’t miss many. I drove the ball pretty well, so that helped set up a lot of iron shots. I thought I also putted well – I made 2-putts on a lot of long putts.”

Ty Patterson and Nolan Harper are the first and second alternates, respectively.

Page carded a 34 on Monday’s first nine and did one stroke better on the second nine. His round included five birdies, with three coming on the second nine.

“I’m happy to be moving on,” Page said. “I kept the ball in front of me and hit a lot of fairways and greens and rolled in a lot of putts. The course was generous off tee, so you had to hit wedges and short irons well. I just tried to stay relaxed and have fun out there. My fiancée caddied for me, so that was fun as well.”

Harper enjoy the experience of a big qualifying tournament.

“I am a little disappointed to have a 3-putt in the playoff,” Harper said. “But I loved competing against these guys. I just wish it would’ve ended differently.”

The top 5 in Monday’s field go on to the final qualifying round BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday, June 8. The U.S. Open is at historic Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., from June 18-21.