NORTON, Mass. – True as it is what they always say – that golf is hard – on certain occasions talented players make it look remarkably easy.
OK, maybe “easy” is a stretch. But a couple of youngsters who went out early Monday and positively set things in motion at the 113th Massachusetts Open could definitively tell you that there are days that are stress-free.
“I kept making it pretty simple,” said Joey Lenane, who posted a bogey-free 6-under 66 at TPC Boston to seize a one-stroke, first-round lead. “I hit 16 greens and made it pretty easy on myself.”
Minutes before Lenane had posted his torrid effort, Jack Boulger two-putted for birdie at the par-5 18th to complete a round of 67 that never had him on edge.
Boulger had just one bogey against an eagle at the par-5 12th and four birdies and what passed as anxiety was a missed green at the par-4 fourth, though he easily got it up-and-down to save par. “Probably my best ball-striking round in a while,” said Boulger, a native of Walpole, Mass., who is a member at TPC Boston.