Shawn McLoughlin
S
hawn McLoughlin of Ridgewood Country Club made history when he captured the 2013
New England Senior Amateur Championship on September 17th-18th with a two-round
score of 5-over par 145.
Not only did the 70-year-old from Newtown win the overall title, but he was also handed
the Super Senior Division trophy which is reserved for those who are 65 years and older. It
marks the second time that he has won the overall title (2000) and the third time he has
claimed the Super Senior Division title (2009, 2012). No player has ever claimed as much
NEGA hardware.
“This was way beyond my expectations,” said McLoughlin. “This [event] was my first real
win as a senior. I have won a number of tournaments after that, but this was the first one so
it really feels good to come back and win again. This is where it all started for me.”
Following the first round of play, McLoughlin found himself just three strokes off the
overall lead and – surprisingly – in a tie for the Super Senior Division title with 65-year-old
Robert Currey (Oyster Harbors Club – MA). As the second day wore on, it became clear that
McLoughlin and Currey were in a horse race.
“I just didn’t get too wound up,” said McLoughlin about what went right this week. “If I
hit a bad shot, I just pressed on. I didn’t let the stuff build up. I used to get really, really mad
but I realized that I was not doing so good when I was mad. You know that you are going to
hit bad shots, so you just have to try and not hit two bad shots in a row.”
On a day when good shots were at a premium, McLoughlin came through when he
needed it most. He was 2-under par through his first five holes on Wednesday, and a string
of pars ? H?X???[?K[?? Y[??H?X?X[ ?]?H? H N ??Y ??H[??Y??? B??X??K??????X??\?H???[?\?[ ??M??????X?X?]?]H???\????X][???