FITCHBURG, Massachusetts (September 30, 2024) – On this, the final day of September, players 65 years of age and older were greeted by comfortable weather, foliage betraying the first shades of change, and a pristine, challenging golf course in Oak Hill Country Club.
A week after finishing in a tie for sixth at the Massachusetts Senior Amateur, the only player in this field to place in the top-20 at Salem Country Club, Steven Tasho (Thorny Lea) kept his strong play going with an opening round of 69. Tasho was 1-over with four holes to play, before carding consecutive birdies on the 6th and 7th (his 15th and 16th). This is Tasho’s first appearance in the Super Senior. He’s looking to add to his considerable trophy case, which includes two Massachusetts Amateurs (1981,1985) and a Massachusetts Mid-Amateur (1998).
With just his second swing of the round, 2021 champion Don Reycroft (Bayberry Hills/Bass River) hit the shot of the day, holing out from the fairway for a two on the par-5 10th (his opening hole). His ball was actually in a divot, and while the pessimist may have viewed that as a bad omen, Reycroft stepped up with his 3-wood and knocked it in the cup. Reycroft held strong at the 3-under mark for much of the afternoon, but surrendered bogeys on four of his last six holes to post 1-over, good for solo second, and two shots off the pace.
Leaderboard Through Round 1
1 – Steven Tasho; 69 (-1)
2 – Don Reycroft; 71 (+1)
T3 – Robert Reni; 72 (+2)
T3 – Keith Smith; 72 (+2)
T3 – Dave Knipe; 72 (+2)
Defending champion Keith Smith (Franklin CC) is lingering, but he’ll rue a hot start squandered. Smith birdied the first two holes and added another on the 7th to get to 3-under, but he played the final 10 holes in 5-over, finishing the day tied for 3rd at 2-over. Robert Reni (Country Club of New Bedford) notched the low round of the morning wave with a 2-over 72, which also has him atop the Legend’s Division (players 70 and over) by a comfortable four-stroke margin. Dave Knipe (Hopedale Country Club) joins them in a tie for third, one year after he finished T6 with rounds of 80-70.
Despite measuring just a hair over 6,100 yards from today’s tees, Oak Hill is a brawny golf course. The land movement can be severe at times, as the routing steadily traverses up and down its namesake hill, but the real challenge is in the greens. As you’ll find at many a Donald Ross layout, your ball is best left below the hole, as the surfaces tend to slope severely from back to front. Many of the greens at Oak Hill sit tilting on swollen shoulders; they look inviting from the fairway, then menacing upon approach. Swales ripple across certain greens, while others bulge with mounds that wreak havoc, and still others are a clattering pile of exacting shelves. You’d better be on the level.
For awhile, I sat eavesdropping on the competitors from the morning wave in the lunch room as they rehashed their personal highlights (and more often, lowlights (they are golfers after all)). The difficulty of the greens was a common refrain. One player, shortly after recounting a triple bogey, a stab at his salad with each shot tallied, summed it up with admirable measure: “It’s a great golf course. The greens are really hard, but they’re consistently hard.”
Another, in the evening, upon learning that he made the cut on the number: “So you’re saying I have to come back tomorrow and try to putt again?”
Those that played in last week’s Senior Amateur at Salem Country Club could surely use a break from Mr. Ross’ diabolical handiwork.
Though, perhaps not Steven Tasho. He looks to be pretty simpatico with Donalds dastardly designs. So far, anyway.
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