Every month, we highlight the players from New England who impressed both in the region and beyond. The shortest month of the year gives golfers small signs that the season is closer than it appears, along with the brutal reminder that we are still knee-deep in winter.
Events begin to pick up in the southern states for talented mid-ams, college events come fast as teams round into shape, and seniors bask in the Florida warmth and play competitive golf.
The three players who were chosen were among a handful of solid performers in February. Some honorable mentions come from the college scene. Prakruthi Sastry showed no signs of winter rust when she won Merrimack's first spring event — The Monument Golf Oldfield. She fired rounds of 76-71-69 to win by six shots. Matt Doyle (Madison, Conn.) caught fire and shot a closing 65 in the Advance Golf Partners tournament, launching him up the leaderboard into a tie for second place. Stanford's Michael Thorbjornsen (Wellesley, Mass.) finished in third place in The Prestige. Also at The Prestige, James Imai (Brookline, Mass.) finished tied for ninth. Finally, Ben James shot 69-68-67 in the Dorado Beach Collegiate to finish tied for fourth. Patrick Welch, the former Rhode Islander, was great in the Southern Highlands Collegiate. He finished tied for ninth in an incredibly strong field. His Oklahoma team finished in fifth place.
MassGolf Hall of Famer Tara Joy-Connoly led a cadre of New Englanders in the Women's International Four-ball. She paired up with Courtney McKim for a fourth-place finish. Sue Curtin recorded a sixth-place finish and Shannon Johnson and Megan Buck also earned a top-ten finish.
But these three players stood out from the crowd and earned Player of the Month honors for February.