Zolotas captures North Shore Amateur crown
Aug. 17—BOXFORD — When Danvers' George Zolotas waltzed off the 18th green at Far Corner Golf on Wednesday afternoon with a disappointing bogey, he realized he had just blown his chance at a North Shore Amateur victory.
Or so he thought.
Upon arriving back in the clubhouse to report his final score, however, it was brought to his attention that he was actually one stroke ahead of the pack and would be taking home the title after all. Zolotas fired consecutive 72s in his two rounds of the 47th annual event, earning top honors for the first time in his career.
"I missed that little shorty and I thought it was going to cost me," admitted Zolotas, who tucked his chip shot close to the pin on 18 but misjudged a short par putt before settling for the tap-in bogey.
"I thought it was over. But luckily they switched (hole) 14 to a par 3 today. So I was pretty relieved when that happened. Overall I played pretty well coming down the stretch and it feels nice to come out on top."
Playing in the final group alongside Day 1 leader Shuvam Bhaumik, Zolotas showed precision with his irons and a soft touch around the greens. He and Bhaumik were nip and tuck all afternoon, and although Zolotas admittedly struggled on some of the par 3s, he managed a trio of birdies on his back nine (holes Nos. 11, 12 and 16) to aid in the victory.
It was a long time coming for Zolotas, who recently returned to competitive golf after a lengthy absence. The 36-year-old Tedesco Country Club member hadn't appeared in the North Shore Amateur field since his teenage years, and was thrilled to finally be able to string a couple of strong rounds together.
"I've been back playing competitive golf for a bit now, started playing last year with some tournaments again," explained Zolotas, a former St. John's Prep star who competed in this year's Massachusetts Amateur Championship, among other events.
"I've been playing well recently and I was excited to play here; I felt like I could compete this week. I've never actually played all that well here so it was nice to finally put a couple good rounds together."
While Zolotas ultimately took home the top prize, which included a $1,000 gift card to the club's pro shop, it certainly didn't come easy. Reigning champion Ki Kwon, who has called Far Corner his home course for quite some time now, fired an impressive 69 in Wednesday's finale to jolt up the leaderboard and hold the outright lead until Zolotas wrapped up.
Kwon was coming off a 76 in Tuesday's opener and flipped a switch 24 hours later to give himself a puncher's chance.
"I came into today thinking I probably have to shoot like 4-under after that first round," said Kwon, a Methuen resident. "I came up a little short but I played well. The course is in excellent shape considering the (weather) conditions; the greens were fabulous and it just came down to making some putts today. I hit some solid irons shots and made a few putts which was great."
Kwon didn't leave empty handed, taking home $500 in credit to the pro shop after another fine performance on his home track. Bhaumik, Colin Brennan (Indian Ridge) and Kevin Daly (Salem CC), the tournament's low scorer for the senior division, shared third place honors and were granted $150 in credit, while Jeff Weishaar (Renaissance), Matt Mazurkiewicz (Crystal Lake), Keith Stone (Far Corner) and current St. John's Prep standout Terry Manning (also of Far Corner) rounded out the leaderboard.
The rain held off throughout the day, making for yet another memorable finish to the quintessential summer affair.
"Bill Flynn was like a mentor to me; fabulous guy and such a professional," Kwon said of the late Far Corner owner and operator, who started the North Shore Amateur back in 1975 before passing it down to his son and current owner, Bob Flynn and his staff.
"For Bobby to carry on the tradition is just fantastic. Bobby, John O'Connor (the head professional), the superintendent Torrey (Kovalesky) and the assistant Timmy (Cosgrove) just do an excellent job so it's always a pleasure to play this golf tournament and see the regulars every year. It's a great event."
Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
