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Welcome To The Premier Golf Web Site
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As our site gets bigger, we are archiving results from past tournaments. Type in key words below to find the information you're looking for.
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Murphy Wins! Again.
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This was a common headline for the better part of thirty years. Chances were better than 50/50 that when Dick Murphy entered a tournament a majority of the time he came out on top.
How many of us can say we entered fifty four-ball tournaments? Dick Murphy has won fifty four-ball titles. His first and most memorable was his first title in 1965 at Greenfield C.C. with partner Ira Kowarsky. Number fifty came in 1998 at Elmcrest C.C. In between is an amateur career matched by noone in Western Massachusetts.
Dick Murphy not only won tournament after tournament in four-balls but an equally impressive singles record. One of the most memorable was the Jenny Open at Utica, New York, beating the likes of tour pros Wayne Levy and Jim Albus.
In compiling those fifty wins Dick had thirteen different partners in the winners circle, at twelve different courses, including, twenty-five wins with partner Ron Goldsmith over the span of thirty years. Adding to the record book was a thirty-four match winning streak, which included, eight four-ball titles in a row and a forty-three match winning streak with partner Ron Goldsmith. Dick also has won six club championships at Franconia, including four of the last five. He has seven holes-in-one, with the last coming last year on the eighth hole at Oak Ridge G.C. Also the winner of two New England Public Links Championships where he still holds the record for lowest score of 67-65 (1966).
Won - Western Mass Amateur 5 times in a row
Won - Rucki's Tri-State at Wyckoff C.C. first four years
Won - Four titles in a row at the prestigious Little Brown Jug Dick's career started as a caddy at Springfield C.C. and Longmeadow C.C. at the age of twelve when they called the ball a "clicker". Dick had a total of twelve clubs, half-wooden and half metal shafts, with only a few of the same brand. Even today if Dick Murphy enters a tournament his chances of winning is great, and I'm sure that in the near future, we will be seeing the headline Murphy Wins! Again! |
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Ron Goldsmith. Five Decades of Tournament Wins.
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This weeks feature player is Ron Goldsmith. Ron is second in this area with 42 Four Ball titles. He partnered with Dick Murphy in 25 of those titles. Their success was attributed to the fact that every time they teed it up they expected to go six or seven under par. There was never an intimidation factor with Ron and Dick, you either play better than your best or hope to win the consolation bracket. Their confidence in each others ability, where they seldom talked, but always communicated, was noted by many. They had a job to do, go out and shoot 64 or 65 and make the competition shoot better. Case in point. In one match at Oxford in front of 1500 spectators, Ed Polchlopec and Ken O'Neill were four under par after nine holes and were four down to Ron and Dick. Ed and Ken also suggested that Ron and Dick play in the prestigious Little Brown Jug in the Berkshires where Ed and Ken were 2 time defending champs. They obliged and won the next four years. Not until Ron and Dick could not defend, did Ed and Ken win again.
Ron won a total of seven titles at Oxford, including four straight. He has five wins at Shaker Farms. Ron won his first title in 1959 at Shaker Farms with partner Walter Kupiec, he was only 16 at that time. At 17, Ron qualified for the Insurance City Open, (now GHO), shooting 71 to get in. That same year he won the Western Mass Schoolboy Championship and the state Junior Championship.
Ron tried to compare his game to the pros he played with, " it seemed they hit all the shots and made all the puts ". Tommy Bolt played in the group ahead of Ron and that year shot 61. Ron qualified two other times missing the cut on all occasions.
Ron was once asked who was the better putter himself, or Dick Murphy, his reply, " it doesn't matter we're partners". Ron's best score of 65 was shot a couple of times, including Wethersfield, but unfortunately not in the ICO. He has but one hole-in-one, on the fifth at Franconia, although he can remember several eagles by holeing out from the fairway on par fours. Ron remembers playing Jim and Gordy Lowe at Ludlow and Ron's team was up by one on 17. Jim Lowe hits to gimme range and Ron yelled to the crowd watching, to pick it up. Ron proceeded to hole his shot and win the match. The next day Ron holes out from the fairway on 18 to beat Ed Bilik, who hit to ten feet. They went on to win the tournament. Ron is the only golfer to win a four ball title in five decades, but added, " don't count Dick Murphy out, its only a matter of time". |
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Shaker Farms Four-Ball History.
20 Years Later.
The year was 1980, final round of the championship round at Shaker Farms. Steve Blaha and his partner Dick Murphy had a tight match going with Rocky Semprebon and his partner Ron Goldsmith. Semprehon and Goldsmith were 1-up going into the 13th hole. Semprebon teed off first and pulled his ball left into the trees. LOST BALL!!! Goldsmith proceeded to lose the hole. This turned to be the turning point in the match. If only Rocky could have found his ball on the 13th hole things could have been different.
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