Photo By Kyle Coburn/NAPGT :: Story by Matt Byrne/NAPGT
August 7, 2007 (Harvard, MA)—Billy Downes’ best finish of his nineteen year mini-tour career was second place, nearly ten years ago, on a tour that has since changed sponsorship. At 41-years-old, he has seen, done and played nearly everywhere.
And after two rounds of the Shaker Hills Open, Downes—who had never laid eyes on the 6,850 yard course—also happens to have a two shot lead over his nearest competitors Michael Harris and Dustin Cone, eleven and seventeen years his junior, respectively.
“Things change,” he said, and they certainly have. Downes traded tour life for family life after he made the decision last year to stop playing full time after the birth of his son, now nearly two years old.
“I haven’t played a whole lot this summer,” Downes said. He keeps a full time schedule as an assistant professional at Elmcrest Country Club in East Longmeadow, MA.
But the Longmeadow, MA pro still fired a consistent pair of 68’s for a total of 136 for the championship, despite his schedule. He leads the field of nineteen players who made the three-over-par cut going into the final round.
“I think this is the first time all summer I’ve played four days [consecutively], so it’s kind of nice. Obviously I found a little groove. Hopefully that groove stays in tomorrow,” he said.
Downes plans to play a handful of other events this season, but has pared back his competitive schedule considerably. He said he saw some parallels in this week’s competition to his own rookie years, when everyone in the hunt is hungry for the win.
“Obviously when I was young I played a lot of mini-tour stuff and progressed to a pretty high level and came back down and now that’s where I’m at. Hopefully there will be some good players who come out of here like there has been in the past,” he said.
Similar to many mini-tours around the country, the NAPGT roster brims with raw talent plucked from the deep collegiate wading pool.
24-year-old Cone, who is tied for second with Harris at four under par for the championship, is hot off a win at the Crumpin-Fox Open last month and is looking strong again after getting edged out last week in a brutal back nine battle with another veteran Geoffrey Sisk.
And the generations are poised to duel again.
While the youthful field could be intimidating, Downes said he longs for tour life sometimes. “I miss competition, is what I miss. I definitely got a little nervous, even out there today when you get in the heat of things going around. Yea, when you do it your whole life you definitely miss competitiveness,” he said.
And even younger still is 22-year-old Anna Grzebian. The ink had hardly dried on her Duke University diploma when she became the first female NAPGT player. A three time NCAA champion as a Blue Devil, Grzebian shot par today for the first time on a men’s tour, but failed to make the cut.
Tee times will resume tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m.
Final Round Tee-Times
