This is the big season for golf, with five leagues and 31 teams compared to 19 teams in the spring. Ward Melville has two of the best golfers in Suffolk with individual winner Joe Guarascio and Craig Capello (5th). Defending league champion Smithtown has John Tong (8th). Longwood has Sean Ferguson (4th) and standout Christy Grzymala.
Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 16 Sep 1998
Jason Rosand shot a 3-over 40 at Timber Point Country Club to lead East Islip past Longwood.
East Islip 7 1/2 Longwood 1 1/2 Lindenhurst 7 Bellport 2 Ward Melville 6 1/2 Connetquot 2 1/2. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 09 Sep 1998:
Golf Commack 9 East Islip 0 Clarke 8 Bethpage 1 Rocky Point 7 1/2 Lindenhurst 1 1/2 Longwood 8 1/2 Bellport 1 1/2. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 10 Sep 1998
Mark Mueller shot a par 36 and Christy Grzymalla shot a 37 in Longwood‘s victory over Hampton Bays at Calverton Links . . . Mike Springer shot a 2-over 38 at Rock Hill CC to lead Eastport past Cente Moriches . . . Matt Fallon shot a 4-over 40 for Patchogue-Medford in its win over Bellport at Middle Island . . . Kevin Loftus shot a 1-over-par 33 at Rolling Oaks Country Club for Rocky Point, which lost to Port Jefferson . . . Craig Capello shot a 1-under 35 and Joe Guarascio had a 37 to lead Ward Melville past Glenn.
Patchogue-Medford 8, Bellport 1; Eastport 9, Center Moriches 0; Longwood 7, Hampton Bays 2; West Islip 8, Lindenhurst 1; Mattituck 7 1/2, Shoreham-Wading River 1 1/2; Westhampton 9, Ross School 0; Half Hollow Hills West 8, Connetquot 1; Port Jefferson 6 1/2, Rocky Point 2 1/2; Ward Melville 8, Glenn 1; Southampton 8 1/2, Shelter Island 1/2. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 18 Sep 1998:
Sean Ferguson shot a 1-under par 35, which included six birdies, to lead Longwood past Stony Brook at Middle Island CC . . . Pat Stasiukiwicz shot a 2-over 37 to lead Mattituck to a win over Riverhead at North Fork Country Club.
Greenport / Southold 7 Rocky Point 2 Connetquot 8 Lindenhurst 1 Mattituck 6 Riverhead 3 Port Jefferson 8 1/2 Shoreham-Wading River 1/2 Half Hollow Hills West 6 Ward Melville 3 Longwood 9 Stony Brook 0 Scoreboard. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 30 Sep 1998
Correction: Brian Hale shot a 1-under-par 71 to lead Longwood High School to the Division III championship Tuesday at Indian Island Golf Club. Connetquot’s Joe Paciella shot an 80. Hale’s last name and Paciella’s first name were misspelled in a sports roundup in some editions yesterday. –Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 27 May 1998
Division III – Brian Hale (Longwood) 71, Sean Ferguson (Longwood) 74, Peter Grillpo (Brentwood) 77, Pae Paciella (Connetquot) 80, Jason Paul (Patchogue-Medford) 82, Brian Gerhauser (East Isip) 82, Dan Bohnslaw (Connetquot) 82, Brian Scelfo (West Islip) 82, Chris Matarese (Bellport) 82, Brad Keckler (Bay Shore) 84. Team Scores – Longwood 410, Connetquot 426, Patchogue-Medford 447, Bay Shore 452, East Islip 457, Bellport 465.Division III – Brian Haler (Longwood) 71, Sean Ferguson (Longwood) 74, Peter Grillpo (Brentwood) 77, Pae Paciella (Connetquot) 80, Jason Paul (Patchogue-Medford) 82, Brian Gerhauser (East Isip) 82, Dan Bohnslaw (Connetquot) 82, Brian Scelfo (West Islip) 82, Chris Matarese (Bellport) 82, Brad Keckler (Bay Shore) 84. Team Scores – Longwood 410, Connetquot 426, Patchogue-Medford 447, Bay Shore 452, East Islip 457, Bellport 465. May 26
Patriots’ Guarascio Wins County Crown:
By Matthew Ciesluk. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 May 1998
The talk heading into the second round of yesterday’s Suffolk County boys golf championship was about Brian Hale. The senior from Longwood carried a 6-shot lead over Ward Melville freshman Joe Guarascio into the final round after shooting a 1-under-par 71 Tuesday at Indian Island in Riverhead.
But golf is a strange game, and its complexion can change rapidly. Windy conditions, difficult pin placements and high scores held many of the competitors hostage, including Hale, whose 79 forced him into a sudden-death playoff with Guarascio. The Patriot, whose sizzling putting helped him shoot a 73 through 18 holes, grabbed the advantage on the first playoff hole – the 437-yard, par-4 hole No. 1.
After Hale’s 7-iron second shot got caught up in a group of trees 170 yards from the green, Guarascio (77-73-150) put himself in position to two-putt for the county title. When his 3 1/2-footer for par rolled into the cup, the 15-year-old became one of the youngest ever to capture his first Suffolk title.
“I was really nervous heading into the playoff,” said Guarascio, who registered three birdies and had five one-putt greens. “I just wanted to hit a solid second shot to put the pressure on him {after he hit the trees}. In the morning, I would have never thought I’d end up in a playoff at the end of the day. My putting did it for me. I was glad it was on today.”
Said Ward Melville coach Stu Glass: “I told him he was going to be a county champion, but we just didn’t think it was going to be this year.”
Hale (150), who bogeyed the playoff hole and missed many greens, said he underestimated the course yesterday. “I played too conservatively; I figured if I shot 80, I would win,” said Hale, who will play golf at St. Bonaventure on a scholarship next year. “It was a lack of concentration on my part.”
The top nine finishers qualified for next weekend’s NYSPHSAA state championship at Cornell. Chris Cyr of Babylon (76-152) was third, while a playoff broke ties and determined fourth and sixth through eighth places. Ward Melville’s Craig Capello (76-153) claimed fourth, followed by Dennis Simon of Kings Park (76-153), Cameron Cassidy of Northport (75-155), Peter Grillo of Brentwood (77-155) and Smithtown’s John Tong (76-155). Matt Scott (75-158) of East Hampton finished ninth.
In the team race, Smithtown’s Tong, Chuck Ruoff, Andrew Larsen, Bob Harmon, Bryan Harmon and Matt Salzer combined to score 828 to give the Bulls their first-ever Suffolk crown. Sachem was the runner-up (840), followed by Kings Park (849). The Bulls will play Syosset, the Nassau champion, for the Long Island championship at the Huntington Crescent Club on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
“It’s been our senior leadership that has helped us this year, but it was our sophomores who came through for us today,” Bulls coach Tom Kane said. “The course played tough today. I told the kids `Don’t try to shoot a number; just play each shot.’ It was a real test of survival.”