All-Time Champions

Tommy Keane Invitational Champions

2012 -- Nick MacDonald, DJ Lantz

2011 -- Dean Cashman, Chris Hynes

2010 -- Shane MacDonald, Nick MacDonald

2009 -- Shane MacDonald, Andy Hydorm

2008 -- Peter Williamson, Doug Williamson

2007 -- Joe King, Sean Lacey

2006 -- Jake Obar, Rex Whitney

2005 -- Matt Uretsky, Chaki Kobayashi

2004 -- Bart Whitney, Rex Whitney

2003 -- Scott Peters, Mike Peters

2002 -- Co-champs: Scott Peters, Mike Peters; Shane MacDonald, Andy Hydorn

2001 -- Course closed for renovation

2000 -- Scott Peters, Mike Peters

1999 -- Brian Doyle, Craig Steckowych

1998 -- Brian Doyle, Craig Steckowych

1997 -- Brian Doyle, Craig Steckowych

1996 -- Sam Brackett, Charlie Carr

1995 -- Scott Peters, Mike Peters

1994 -- Scott Peters, Mike Peters

1993 -- Jerry LaPlaca, Bill Downes

1992 -- Don Folsom, Brian Doyle

1991 -- Don Folsom, Brian Doyle

1990 -- Don Folsom, Brian Doyle

1989 -- John Esterbrook, Doug Hutchinson

1988 -- Brad Griffin, Rick Woulfe

1987 -- Scott Peters, Mike Peters

1986 -- Brad Griffin, Rick Woulfe

1985 -- Dave Goldstein, Jim Woods

1984 -- Bill Salta, Dan Wilkins

1983 -- Dave Goldstein, Jim Woods

1982 -- Jerry Daly, Tom Mullany

1981 -- Rich Parker, Lafayette Lahaye

1980 -- Art Bemis, John Donnelly

1979 -- Don Beckwith, Pete Moseley

1978 -- Bill Purcell, John Wilkinson

1977 -- Art Bemis, John Donnelly

1976 -- Jerry Daly, Jay Leonard

1975 -- Jerry Daly, Jim Burnett

Scenes From the Keane

The gallery looks on.  (Click on photos to supersize.)

DJ Lantz watches a putt.

Nick MacDonald escapes the sand.

Zack Pollard rolls a putt. 

Pollard escapes the sand.

Tyler Silver reads a putt.

Silver watches his ball.

Spiffy in green.

Late in the day.

Final Brackets

Lantz/MacDonald In 14

DJ Lantz and Nick MacDonald (green) and Zack Pollard and Tyler Silver on the last hole of their match.

HANOVER – Score one for the guys in green.

Steady DJ Lantz and Nick MacDonald won four holes in a five-hole span on the front nine before going on to clinch the 37th annual Tommy Keane Invitational championship match on the 14th green.

Lantz and MacDonald, former University of Hartford golfers who made a fashion statement with their coordinated green-on-black outfits, didn’t lose a hole in the championship final against Tyler Silver and Zach Pollard, recent Lebanon High graduates.

“It was pretty low stress,” said Lantz. “One of us was usually close on a hole, or in a good spot, so the other guy had a run at it. No one was ever really in trouble. It was just a matter of getting putts to go in.”

Lantz and MacDonald, who won the 2010 title with his father, Shane, advanced to afternoon play with a win over Mike Pollard and Doug Daniels in their morning round.

“We played pretty well all day,” MacDonald said. “We hit a lot of greens and didn’t make any bogeys, which is what we did all tournament. We just played solid.”

Silver and Pollard made it to the finals of their inaugural Keane with a win over Jake Obar and Billy Vielleux in their morning match.

After halving the first two holes of the afternoon final, MacDonald and Lantz won No. 3, moved to 2-up when both Silver and Pollard found the sand on No. 5, and then claimed No. 6 with a par.

When Lantz drained the longest putt of the match to date to win No. 7 and put his team 4-up, he and his teammate agreed it was a dagger.

“We were talking about that,” said MacDonald. “It was a key point in the match, getting up four that early. It really put them behind the eight-ball.

“That was big all week. We got two up or three up through five all week. Once you get up that quick it puts a lot of pressure on the other team to hit good shots. And with as tough as these pins were, it’s tough to make putts.”

Silver did make a 10-footer to halve next hole but when an 8-footer on No. 9 wouldn’t go, MacDonald and Lantz were comfortably in the driver’s seat.

“They had a couple good chances,” said MacDonald. “Tyler made a nice putt on 8. If he had made that one on 9 it would have totally changed the match I’m sure.”

It was pretty much all over but for the final accounting when Lantz canned a bomb on 10 to put his team 5-up.

“It’s super helpful having Nicky around because he knows this place like the back of his hand,” said Lantz, who was playing in his first Keane. “He can look up from the fairway and tell you what the slopes are doing from 150 yards. He has them memorized. I’ve always had trouble reading greens here, but he was helpful with it all week.”

After MacDonald couldn’t make a short putt on 13 to sew up the match, a par on 14 was all the team with the matching red University of Hartford golf bags and green shirts needed to end the festivities.

“It was Nicky’s idea,” Lantz said of the somewhat gaudy shirts.

“We both had the shirt from working TaylorMade demo days, so I said to wear them,” explained MacDonald, who has cut back his golf schedule since going to work for Claremont’s Red River Computer Company. “Then DJ called me back before the first round and said, ‘Hey, bring your Hartford bag.’ “

Lantz, who has tentative plans to return to Hartford to work on his MBA and help out with the Hawk golf team this fall, thoroughly enjoyed his first experience in the venerable Tommy Keane clambake.

“This has been in the works for a few years,” he said. “In the past I worked at Lake Sunapee Country Club and this is the member-guest weekend there. This year I’ve been working for TaylorMade and because Nicky knew I’d be available he called me up and said let’s play this.

“It’s a big weekend at Sunapee but this is much more fun. I had a blast, and I’ll definitely be back.”

The bigger question might be whether the coordinated outfits will make a reappearance.

Lantz is confident they will, if not on he and MacDonald, then on someone else. “Next year you’ll see a lot of matching shirts,” he said with a laugh. “I guarantee it.”

Championship Match Set

It will be upstart June graduates of Lebanon High School Tyler Silver and Zach Pollard squaring off shortly against Nick Macdonald and DJ Lantz in the final match of the Championship flight of the Tommy Keane Invitational.

Silver and Pollard outlasted Jake Obar and Billy Vielleux in one of Sunday's semifinals while Macdonald and Lantz took down Mike Pollard and Doug Daniels.

Check back tonight for full results and a story.

Final Saturday Brackets

(Click brackets to enlarge. Scores from afternoon matches unavailable.)

So Close

HANOVER – It was going to be a dream match.

After the top-seeded team of Nick Macdonald and DJ Lantz cruised past Aaron and Jay Mullen, and Shane Macdonald and Doug Lantz outlasted Chris House and Ryan Fay in Saturday morning matches, a fathers vs. sons showdown on the final day of the 37th annual Tommy Keane Invitational was a very real possibility.

Until, that is, the final hole of one of the day’s final matches when Shane Macdonald’s birdie putt to force extra holes slid just past the cup. With the near-miss it was the team of Mike Pollard and Doug Daniels instead that clinched the right to play top-seeded Nick Macdonald and DJ Lantz Sunday in one of the two championship flight semifinals.

“So close,” Doug Lantz said ruefully afterward. “It would have been something to write about. We had our chance but (Pollard and Daniels) played well.”

Sunday’s other championship semifinal will pit the team of Jake Obar and Billy Vielleux against June Lebanon graduates Tyler Silver and Zach Pollard.

“Both matches should be competitive,” said host pro Alex Kirk. “I wouldn’t be shocked to see any of them advance. I think Macdonald and Lantz are probably the showcase. I mean, they were on the first team worrying about the amateur world ranking, and the guys they played were worrying about rocket balls. And Obar and Villeux are veterans who have been there before.”

Although Silver and Pollard are in their first year in the tournament, Kirk isn’t about to rule them out..

“They are strong players,” he said. “Tyler Silver played strong in the state am and Pollard has been playing competitive golf as well. Zach is going to play at Bentley and Silver is going out to New Mexico.

“Maybe they are a little under the radar because they are new to the tournament but I see them playing a lot of golf.”

Silver and Pollard weren’t the only ones under the radar Saturday as Kirk and his staff kept an eye glued to the Internet as the skies over Hanover Country Club went from overcast to threatening to ominous as the day wore on.

Although rain began to fall in the late afternoon, thunder and lightning stayed away.

“I feel very fortunate we were able to get everything in based on what I saw this afternoon,” said Kirk. “The morning and mid-afternoon looked great but then the forecast was thunderstorms by 4 or 5 o’clock. I was getting worried that the storm was going to roll in and we were going to have to pull people in and then maybe finish tomorrow morning.

“Sometimes things hit the river and head north. For some reason everything kind of shined on HCC today. We got lucky and thank goodness we got through Saturday. Now we are looking forward to Sunday.”

Even if the potential dream match will have to wait for the 38th Tommy Keane next July.

6:10 Final Bracket Set

All the brackets are set. They will be updated with scores tonight. There will also be a story so be sure to come back later.

6 p.m. Update

Championship and Second Flight Done:

5:30 Bracket Update

4:30 Update

Only updates from the afternoon matches. Rain still holding off . . . barely.

3:15 p.m. Update

Nothing much to report. Team of Maziar/Slavin defeats Jim Keane/Brownell. Maziar/Slavin are Dartmouth College golfers.

In other news, the rain is holding off. Radar looks dire but so far, so good. More at 4 . . . hopefully.

2 p.m. Brackets

Sky is looking ominous . . .

1 p.m. Brackets

No new updates on second flight as of 1 p.m.

On The Hour

Bracket updates will resume at about 1 p.m. to keep them on the hour. Check back then.

11:30 Bracket Update

No results in as of 11:30  from the championship flight.

Ready To Go

All set up at Hanover Country Club for another busy day at the Tommy Keane. The first groups went out at 7 this morning and the first group in the championship flight at 8:04 so results should be coming in soon. The brackets will be updated hourly. If you have trouble making out the type, click them (or click twice on a Mac) to make them more readable.

Back with more when the results start coming in!

Brackets For Saturday a.m.

Click or double-click to enlarge.

A Tournament To Remember

Fred Kelley (green shirt) shakes hands with Tim McCarthy after Friday's round. At left is Fred's son and teammate Mike. The former head trainer at Dartmouth, Kelley flew in from Florida to play in the Tommy Keane Invitational. Fred Kelley has played in all 37 TKI tournaments.

HANOVER – The pond on the eighth hole at Hanover Country Club doesn’t have a name. Better make that it doesn’t have an official name.

After his qualifying round Friday for the annual Tommy Keane Invitational tournament, former Dartmouth athletic trainer Fred Kelley reminisced about a nickname for the pond that dates back to one of one of the early TKI tournaments.

“John Curtis was the Dartmouth freshman football coach, a left-handed player with a volatile temper,” Kelley recalled. “Coming into what was then the ninth hole, John put his third shot into the pond. That didn’t sit too well with him, and then he proceeded to ‘Tin Cup’ three more into the pond. That was followed by an orange bag that he used to carry. An orange Spalding bag. He flung it right into the middle of the pond.

“From that day forward it was known as Curtis’s Pond.”

Chances are not many of the 96 players who teed it up Friday knew the story. Kelley knew it because he was there, just as he has been for every last one of the 37 editions of the Tommy Keane, which honors the memory of the legendary Hanover professional and coach of Dartmouth golf from 1922 until his retirement in 1966.

Kelley, 75, flew in from his retirement home near Kissimmee, Fla., to team up with son Michael in the TKI. And it won’t be the last time he makes the trip if he has anything to say about it.

“There are years when you are not playing well that you don’t want to get on a plane and come up,” he said with a laugh. “But as long as the tournament is still in existence I will make it in some way, shape or form.

“The last few years I have played with my son as my partner and that is always a treat. I offered to let him out of his contract this year but he declined. He told me he would give me one more year, so we are still having fun with it.”

The treat, son Mike confided later, is all his.

“In his book ‘Who’s Your Caddy,’ Rick Reilly wrote about wanting to play one more round of golf with his father,” the younger Kelley said under the scorer’s tent while Fred reminisced with friends on the HCC deck. “This is special.”

As is the tournament to Fred Kelley, who ran the TKI for a few years in the 1980’s and fondly remembers the inaugural event when some of the originals had to chip in $150 apiece when it was over to cover expenses.

That’s a far cry from today’s tournament, which features a catered dinner under white tents.

“My wife Sue and I used to make sandwiches in our kitchen to sell at the tournament,” Kelley recalled. “It wasn’t catered back then, except by the Kelley’s. “I did not know that it was going to turn into what it has evolved into. But I’m certainly glad that it has.”

What it has turned into is both a top-flight better ball tournament and a reunion of sorts.

“The Tommy Keene as it was established was for guys to have fun, enjoy camaraderie and make new friends,” explained Kelley. “Now there are young turks that are taking over at the championship flight, which is terrific. I am all for that.”

Two of those young turks are University of Hartford golfers Nick Macdonald and DJ Lantz, who shot a 66 Friday to claim medalist honors and the top seed in the championship flight. Coming in at 67 were the teams of Jake Obar and Billy Vielleux, Mike Pollard and Doug Daniels, and brothers Scott and Mike Peters.

One shot back were the pairings of Shane Macdonald and Doug Lantz, and Michael Blaisdell and Jude Volek.

The tournament continues today with morning and afternoon matches in the three flights. It wraps up Sunday with morning and afternoon matches. 

 The Kelleys won’t be playing for the TKI title Sunday, but they combined for a 78 Friday, good enough for a spot in the first flight.

“I’ve never been in the championship flight but I have won other flights with various partners,” said the older Kelley, who still plays to an 8-handicap. “To some that might be a deterrent, but not to me.

“As much fun as the championship flight is the same amount of fun is had in the second and third flights. That was the purpose of the Tommy Keane. Get people together who enjoy the game of golf, who know how to play it, know the rules, are gentlemen and can have a good time. As long as we keep on doing that it will continue to be a success.”

Even if no one has ever heard of Curtis's Pond.

Playoff Finishes

Mullen-Mullen wins playoff for final spot in the championship flight. Brackets, story and full scores later tonight.

Everyone In

4 teams at 74 to vie for last spot in championship flite. One more scoring update coming after the march. Then story and brackets later tonight. Stay tuned.

66 Nick Macdonald, DJ Lantz

67 Scott Peters, Mike Peters

67 Mike Pollard, Doug Daniels

67 Jake Obar, Bill Vielleux

68 Shane Macdonald, Doug Lantz

68 Michael Blaisdell, Jude Volek

69 Mike Hathorn, Mitch Cable

69 Josh Hilderbrand, Josh Wilson

70 Dean Cashman, Chris Hynes

70 Ben Peters, Shane Wolter

71 Tyler Silver, Zach Pollard

71 Chris House, Ryan Fay

72 Jim Jankowski, Andrew Jankowski

73 Peter Robitaille, Tyler Hosser

73 Charlie Carr, Steve Lyon

74 Henry McGannon, Jim McGannn

74 Aaron Mullen, Jay Mullen

74 Robbie Brown, Travis Mulvihill

74 Jim Keane, Bob Brownell

75 Chris Lincoln, Jay Harvey

75 Roger Demment, Tag Demment

76 Jason Gardner, Duane Vielleux

76 Rowley Hazard, John Donnelly

76 Tom Keane, Kevin Johnston

77 Ted Byrne, Jim Jones

77 Doug Williamson, Paolo Bentivoglio

77 Joey Maziar, Dan Slavin

77 Dillon Sass, Chris Keane

77 Bill Downes, John Scanlon

78 Fred Kelley, Mike Kelley

78 Joe Dalimonte, Don Dunworth

78 Ken Blaisdell, Kevin O'Hara

79 Keith Pattison, Paul Vandenheuvel

80 Dana Silver, Dan Dransfield

80 Daniel Fitzgerald, Bob Jacobs

80 Matt Keane, Jonathan Keane

80 Thomas Keane, Kevin Keane

81 Tim Winslow, Andy Mello

81 Dennis McCarthy, Kevin Sullivan

82 David Barlow, Nick Sebo

83 Bob Donahue, Tim McCarthy

83 Jeff Frechette, Terry Hall

86 Julian Harrison, Paul Spera

87 Dominic Candido, Barry Snyder

88 Jonathan Vincent, Jim Seidensticker

88 Michael Noonan, Charlie Mandrachia

95 Lars Whitman, Marc Whitman

107 Justin Mock, Christian Mock

5 p.m. Update

67 Scott Peters, Mike Peters

66 Nick Macdonald, DJ Lantz

67 Mike Pollard, Doug Daniels

67 Jake Obar, Bill Vielleux

68 Shane Macdonald, Doug Lantz

69 Mike Hathorn, Mitch Cable

69 Josh Hilderbrand, Josh Wilson

70 Dean Cashman, Chris Hynes

70 Ben Peters, Shane Wolter

71 Tyler Silver, Zach Pollard

71 Chris House, Ryan Fay

72 Jim Jankowski, Andrew Jankowski

73 Peter Robitaille, Tyler Hosser

73 Charlie Carr, Steve Lyon

74 Henry McGannon, Jim McGannn

74 Aaron Mullen, Jay Mullen

74 Robbie Brown, Travis Mulvihill

74 Jim Keane, Bob Brownell

75 Chris Lincoln, Jay Harvey

75 Roger Demment, Tag Demment

76 Jason Gardner, Duane Vielleux

76 Rowley Hazard, John Donnelly

76 Tom Keane, Kevin Johnston

77 Ted Byrne, Jim Jones

77 Doug Williamson, Paolo Bentivoglio

77 Joey Maziar, Dan Slavin

77 Dillon Sass, Chris Keane

78 Fred Kelley, Mike Kelley

79 Keith Pattison, Paul Vandenheuvel

80 Dana Silver, Dan Dransfield

80 Daniel Fitzgerald, Bob Jacobs

80 Matt Keane, Jonathan Keane

80 Thomas Keane, Kevin Keane

81 Tim Winslow, Andy Mello

81 Dennis McCarthy, Kevin Sullivan

83 Bob Donahue, Tim McCarthy

83 Jeff Frechette, Terry Hall

86 Julian Harrison, Paul Spera

87 Dominic Candido, Barry Snyder

88 Jonathan Vincent, Jim Seidensticker

88 Michael Noonan, Charlie Mandrachia

95 Lars Whitman, Marc Whitman

107 Justin Mock, Christian Mock

David Barbow, Nick Sebo

Bill Downes, John Scanlon

Joe Dalimonte, Don Dunworth

Michael Blaisdell, Jude Volek

Ken Blaisdell, Kevin O'Hara

4 p.m. Update

67 Scott Peters, Mike Peters

67 Mike Pollard, Doug Daniels

69 Mike Hathorn, Mitch Cable

69 Josh Hilderbrand, Josh Wilson

70 Dean Cashman, Chris Hynes

70 Ben Peters, Shane Wolter

71 Tyler Silver, Zach Pollard

72 Jim Jankowski, Andrew Jankowski

73 Peter Robitaille, Tyler Hosser

73 Charlie Carr, Steve Lyon

74 Henry McGannon, Jim McGannn

74 Aaron Mullen, Jay Mullen

74 Robbie Brown, Travis Mulvihill

75 Chris Lincoln, Jay Harvey

75 Roger Demment, Tag Demment

76 Jason Gardner, Duane Vielleux

76 Rowley Hazard, John Donnelly

77 Ted Byrne, Jim Jones

77 Doug Williamson, Paolo Bentivoglio

77 Joey Maziar, Dan Slavin

78 Fred Kelley, Mike Kelley

79 Keith Pattison, Paul Vandenheuvel

80 Dana Silver, Dan Dransfield

80 Daniel Fitzgerald, Bob Jacobs

81 Tim Winslow, Andy Mello

83 Bob Donahue, Tim McCarthy

83 Jeff Frechette, Terry Hall

86 Julian Harrison, Paul Spera

87 Dominic Candido, Barry Snyder

88 Jonathan Vincent, Jim Seidensticker

88 Michael Noonan, Charlie Mandrachia

95 Lars Whitman, Marc Whitman

107 Justin Mock, Christian Mock

Still On Course

David Barbow, Nick Sebo

Matt Keane, Jonathan Keane

Thomas Keane, Kevin Keane

Tom Keane, Kevin Johnston

Dillon Sass, Chris Keane

Dennis McCarthy, Kevin Sullivan

Jim Keane, Bob Brownell

Jake Obar, Bill Vielleux

Chris House, Ryan Fay

Nick Macdonald, DJ Lantz

Shane Macdonald, Doug Lantz

Bill Downes, John Scanlon

Joe Dalimonte, Don Dunworth

Michael Blaisdell, Jude Volek

Ken Blaisdell, Kevin O'Hara

3 p.m. Update

Scott Peters, Mike Peters 67

Mike Pollard, Doug Daniels 67

Mike Hathorn, Mitch Cable 69

Dean Cashman, Chris Hynes 70

Ben Peters, Shane Wolter 70

Tyler Silver, Zach Pollard 71

Jim Jankowski, Andrew Jankowski 72

Peter Robitaille, Tyler Hosser 73

Charlie Carr, Steve Lyon 73

Henry McGannon, Jim McGannn 74

Aaron Mullen, Jay Mullen 74

Robbie Brown, Travis Mulvihill 74

Jason Gardner, Duane Vielleux 76

Rowley Hazard, John Donnelly 76

Ted Byrne, Jim Jones 77

Doug Williamson, Paolo Bentivoglio 77

Joey Maziar, Dan Slavin 77

Fred Kelley, Mike Kelley 78

Dana Silver, Dan Dransfield 80

Bob Donahue, Tim McCarthy 83

Dominic Candido, Barry Snyder 87

Jonathan Vincent, Jim Seidensticker 88

2 p.m. Scoring Update

Scores starting to trickle in . . .

67 Peters-Peters
67 Pollard-Daniels
69 Hathorn-Cable
70 Cashman-Hynes
72 Jankowski-Jankowski
74 McGannon-McGannon
76 Gardner-Vielleux
77 Williamson-Bentivoglio

Peters Brothers Set Early Pace

Mike and Scott Peters are in with a 67. The brothers are six-time TKI champions.

First Groups In

On the scene and the first group just came in. Scores will be posted hourly. Keep checking back.

For what it is worth, after heavy rain last night and battleship gray skies this morning, the sun is threatening to pop through.

Friday Tee Times

Editor's Note: These times are as of Tuesday morning and may well have changed.



8:30
Scott Peters
Mike Peters
Ted Byrne
Jim Jones

8:40
Mike Hathorn
Mitch Cable
Dean Cashman
Chris Hynes

8:50
Jim Jankowski
Andrew Jankowski
Henry McGannon
Jim McGannn

9:00
Mike Pollard
Doug Daniels
Jason Gardner
Duane Vielleux

9:10
Rowley Hazard
John Donnelly
Peter Robitaille
Tyler Hosser

9:20
Doug Williamson
Paolo Bentivoglio
Joey Maziar
Dan Slavin

9:30
Tyler Silver
Zach Pollard
Dana Silver
Dan Dransfield

9:40
Charlie Carr
Steve Lyon
Aaron Mullen
Jay Mullen

9:50
Dominic Candido
Barry Snyder
Jonathan Vincent
Jim Seidensticker

10:00
Ben Peters
Shane Wolter
Robbie Brown
Travis Mulvihill

10:10
Fred Kelley
Mike Kelley
Bob Donahue
Tim McCarthy

10:20
Chris Lincoln
Jay Harvey
Daniel Fitzgerald
Bob Jacobs

10:30
Jeff Frechette
Terry Hall
Keith Pattison
Paul Vandenheuvel

10:40
Julian Harrison
Paul Spera
Josh Hilderbrand
Josh Wilson

10:50
Justin Mock
Christian Mock
Lars Whitman
Marc Whitman

11:00
Tim Winslow
Andy Mello
Michael Noonan
Charlie Mancrachia

11:10
Roger Demment
Tag Demment
David Barbow
Nick Sebo

11:20
Matt Keane
Jonathan Keane
Thomas Keane
Kevin Keane

11:30
Tom Keane
Kevin Johnston
Dillon Sass
Chris Keane

11:40
Dennis McCarthy
Kevin Sullivan
Jim Keane
Bob Brownell

11:50
Jake Obar
Bill Vielleux
Chris House
Ryan Fay

12:00
Nick Macdonald
DJ Lantz
Shane Macdonald
Doug Lantz

12:10
Bill Downes
John Scanlon
Joe Dalimonte
Don Dunworth

12:20
Michael Blaisdell
Jude Volek
Ken Blaisdell
Kevin O'Hara