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By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s RPC sporty shout out is sent to Putnam resident Ernest “Cliff” Aubin. A former rugged running back at Killingly High School and a slugging outfielder on the great Weiss’ Market and Deary Bros. softball teams, Aubin now confines his athletic endeavors to relaxing rounds of golf at Quinnatisset Country Club.
Now that the weather appears to have settled down and summer is here, golf is dominating the sports headlines. There are a number of positive items to report on as activities on the links are producing interesting news stories.
Connecticut National Golf Club, which is quickly becoming a golfing destination as well as the preferred site for tournaments, played host on June 17 to a full field of golfers attempting to qualify for four spots in the Travelers Championship that took place at River Highlands from June 20 through June 23.
The qualifier was open and free to the public. Connecticut National Golf Professional Jim West estimated that approximately 200-plus people came out to follow some known names on the pro tour and some locals who were attempting to get into the prestigious Travelers Championship. The low qualifiers were well known pro Frank Lickliter from Ponte Vedra, Fla., and Jay McLuen of Forsyth, Ga. The pair fired three under par rounds of 67. The other two golfers to gain entry into the Travelers were Fran Quinn, an on again, off again pro from Holden, Mass., and David Bradshaw of Tampa, Fla. They were one stroke off the pace with rounds of 68.
Of local interest, Matt Smith, the former Tourtellotte Memorial High School All- State product and former member and captain of the University of Hartford golf team, missed the cut by two strokes, coming in at even par 70. This past winter Smith, who hails from Thompson, played on a minor tour in Florida as he preps to qualify for the web.com tour.
Jon Cote, the former pro at Willimantic CC and Griswold High School grad, also shot a 70. Fletcher Babcock of Danielson came in at a very respectable 72, while Greg Pike of Pomfret Center carded a 74. Will Machnicki of Putnam, who is often found on the links at Harrisville Golf Course, shot a 79.
Locals Fare Well at New England HS Championships…
Putnam High School golfer Warren Salvas continued his torrid golf play as he fired a 75 at the New England High School Golf Championships, which were held at Bretwood Golf Club in Keene, N.H. Salvas finished tied for 14th place in the highly competitive field.
Earlier this spring Salvas was the medalist in the Constitution State Conference Championships and finished second behind Parish Hill’s Nick Harrington in the State Open. Harrington finished tied for 31st at Bretwood, shooting a 78. Another local product, Killingly High School freshman Drew Aitken tied for 37th place when he carded a 79.
In the female championships, former Putnam resident Nicole Scola finished in a four-way tie for first place in the New England’s. Scola, who plays out of the Prout School in Rhode Island, was among four finishers who carded scores of 75. Collette Schmidt of Lebanon, N.H., was the eventual winner, capturing the title in a playoff. Next year Scola will be attending Quinnipiac University in Hamden, on a golf/academic scholarship.
Former Marianapolis Players to Play in the MAAC…
Tom Moore, basketball coach at Quinnipiac University, announced last week that the Bobcats will be departing the Northeast Conference to begin play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Quinnipiac has been a member of the NEC for the past 15 years. The move to the MAAC is seen as a step up for QU, which has been improving as an NCAA Division I school in all men’s and women’s sports.
In making the announcement, Moore highlighted the fact that two of his frontcourt performers, Ike Azotam and Ousmane Drame are, “MAAC-ready frontcourt.” Azotam and Drame are former Marianapolis Prep players, who honed their hoop skills under former Golden Knights coach Dave Vitale.
Azotam, who is a very efficient, high percentage field goal shooter, was Quinnipiac’s leading scorer and rebounder last season as a junior. Moore is looking to Azotam to emerge as the team leader on and off the court in his senior season. Junior forward Drame came off the bench for the Bobcats and was a scoring and rebounding force. He averaged 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season. Both players expressed the fact that the challenge in the MAAC will be more competitive but the team appears ready for it.
Carbo Sighting in northeastern Connecticut…
Former Boston Red Sox outfielder and one of the heroes of the 1975 World Series, Bernardo “Bernie” Carbo was spotted at a number of locations in northeastern Connecticut recently. He was the speaker at Woodstock Academy for the spring sports banquet and followed that up with a two-hour segment on WINY Radio with co-hosts Paul Coutu and sports director John Wilbur. According to sources close to the Putnam Town Crier, Carbo is an ice cream lover and enjoyed some time with a cone in hand at Fort Hill Farm in Thompson.
In 1975 the highlight of the series for Boston was Carleton Fisk’s home run that curled around the left field foul pole and into the net above the “Green Monster.” The shot was so famous that the left field foul pole is now affectionately referred to as the Fisk Pole in Red Sox Nation. The fact that is sometimes forgotten, as the years pass, is that Fisk would never have had the opportunity to gain fame had it not been for Carbo. Called off the bench to pinch hit, Carbo delivered a titanic home run to dead center field to send the game into extra innings. His shot enabled Fisk to win the game for Boston in dramatic fashion.
Carbo is also remembered for his wild lifestyle and his fear of flying. It’s reported that on flights around the country Carbo was often accompanied by a big teddy bear that occupied the seat next to him on the plane. After a few bumps in the road, today, Carbo has found his lord and savior and is clean as a whistle. His talks to young people now include promoting a clean living style free of drugs and alcohol, which is nicely mingled with baseball anecdotes, where he drops the names of his many teammates over the years.
From The Annals Of Putnam Sports History…
May 1912: Putnam High School defeated Becker Business College of Worcester in baseball, 13-4. Frank Keaney is coaching Putnam. (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: A pessimist is someone who complains about the noise when opportunity knocks.