2008 TOURNAMENT DATES
July 30 - Wollaston Golf Club
July 31 - Framingham Country Club
August 1 - Woodland Golf Club
41st Ouimet Tournament at
Wollaston, Charles River and Woodland
The 41st Francis Ouimet Memorial Tournament opens at Wollaston Golf Club on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, continues at Framingham Country Club on Thursday, July 31, and concludes at Woodland Golf Club on August 1.
“Wollaston and Framingham are both very fine tournament tests and they have also been great supporters of the Ouimet Fund. Its also great to go back to Woodland, where Mr. Ouimet played as a member, for our final round, as we always do. We were at Wollaston last year and Framingham in 2005 and we’re delighted to return to these clubs,” said Richard F. Connolly, Jr., the Ouimet Memorial Tournament Chairman who is serving in his 30th year in that role.
Mr. Connolly explained that the Ouimet Memorial would again have three divisions in 2007 – the Championship, Eddie Lowery (seniors), and a limited field women’s group.
Mr. Connolly went on to speak of the 2007 championship in which Darren Bolton of Larry Gannon set an amateur course record 66 in the first round at Wollaston and went on to a four shot margin of victory over four time champ Frank Vana, Jr. of Marlboro and Kevin Quinn of Charles River. Jack Weeks of Wollaston took the Eddie Lowery Seniors Division while Susan Choi of Ponkapoag won the Women’s Division title. The special women’s invitational has one round – the final round at Woodland.
The Ouimet Tournament is a 54-hole stroke play amateur-invitational, for players with handicaps of three or less. It is played on a rotating series of courses in Eastern Massachusetts with the field cut to low 40 and ties for the final round at Woodland. Proceeds of the event benefit the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund.
The Ouimet Memorial started in 1968 after the death the preceding year of Francis Ouimet. Ben Murphy of Norfolk won the inaugural. Champions over the years have included prominent national-level players such as Ed Tutwiler (1969), and Jerry Courville (1973). Ouimet Champions who went onto the PGA TOUR include Bill Mallon (1972), Bruce Douglass (1976), Brad Faxon (1980), and Fran Quinn, Jr. (1987). Bob Bradley (1985 & 1988), Frank Vana, Jr. (1998 & 2001, 2002 and 2006) and Jim Renner (2003 & 2005) are the only multiple winners.