Fairlee
Nor should it surprise anyone that Evan Russell is next at 66, with the onetime Grantham resident matching Berberian’s six birdies while making bogey on 1 and 16. The former U.S. Amateur qualifier finished 12th at Lake Morey last year.
While Berberian is a Vermont Open fixture and Russell is no stranger near the top of the leaderboard on the par-70 layout, Spencer Mellon is making his first appearance at the event. But given that the former University of Cincinnati player helped Pennsylvania’s Oakmont Country Club — yes that Oakmont — to the World Club Championship in Jeju, South Korea, last spring, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s tied for second with Russell at 4-under.
What is more surprising is the two other newcomers just one shot further back after carding 67s.
Yaroslav Merkulov, a 2014 Duke graduate who once walked away from the game, finished with a flourish, going birdie-birdie-birdie on his final three holes to finish at three-under. Jeff Evanier, a 2014 graduate of Division II Eckerd and minitour veteran who failed to even qualify for last week’s Mass Open, also shot 67.
“I’ve seen the scores from the past and any time I’ve played a tournament where the scores are typically low I’ve always felt pressure to play really well,” said Merkulov, who comes from Penfield, N.Y., a Rochester suburb. “This time I thought if I didn’t put that pressure on myself things would happen. I guess it was a pretty good strategy.”
Merkulov, who earned a psychology degree from Duke in 2014 and returned for a master’s in management studies, had put golf on the back burner after finishing school.
“I took two years off and only got back into playing last year,” he said. “A lot of people were telling me, ‘You are throwing it away. You’ve got to give it a chance. Do it while you are young.’ So I came back and this is kind of my hurrah, so to speak.”
Merkulov spent last winter working as a busboy in Dallas to support his practice habit.
“I was sacrificing a little bit of lifestyle trying to make something happen,” he said with a shrug. “If it doesn’t, I’m not going to be too bummed about it because I gave it a shot.”
The winter in Texas very nearly paid off as he made a strong run at a spot on the Canadian Tour only to miss by qualifying by one shot.
“It’s been a wild few months,” he said. “My dad had a stroke and just had surgery this morning so hopefully this news will help him.”
Merkulov had never seen Lake Morey before Monday.
Evanier got his first look at the layout during Sunday’s low gross event, shooting 67 to tie Berberian for 10th place.
“This is a fun golf course,” he said. “I’m able to use my driver a lot and I’m driving it great. I gave myself a lot of opportunities around the green today and got a few putts to fall.”
Evanier, who trickled in a 25-foot eagle putt on 2, calls a second place finish in a West Florida Golf Tour event in December his pro highlight so far.
“I’m on the state open grind right now,” The Weston, Conn., resident said with a grin. “It’s a lot of traveling around, but I’m enjoying it.”
While the first-timers and others made runs at the score Berberian put up in his morning round, the assistant pro at New Hampshire’s Windham Country Club has been around long enough to appreciate that absolutely nothing has been decided.
“It doesn’t matter if somebody shoots 59,” he said after his morning round. “If somebody beats 64, good for them. They deserve it. I’m just going to keep playing the way I’m playing because it’s three days of golf.”
Russell, who placed sixth in the New England Open at Quechee this spring, feels as if he’s finally hitting his stride on the deceptive Lake Morey track. But like Berberian, he’s taking it day by day.
“Before last year it was a bit of a struggle,” he admitted. “It took a while to get used to the course. It’s pretty tree-lined and I realized I have to play aggressive.
“I’m right where I want to be. I’ve put myself in good position and we’ll go from here.”
Alex Rainville, a St. Johnsbury Academy product, is the low amateur after opening with a 68. … Leading the senior Division after shooting 70 is Bart McCarthy, director of the 360 Professional Golf Tour out of West Springfield, Mass. … The low 60 plus ties after Tuesday’s round will make the professional cut. … The low 14 amateurs will play on.
The 2016 Vermont Open is the first in many years without John MacKay buzzing between the upstairs office in the clubhouse and the scoreboard in the Lake Morey cart shed to type scores into the computer and post them online.
MacKay, a Navy veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and lived in Windsor, died on Oct. 11 after a short illness. He had spent the better part of two decades working at Lake Morey under head pro Bill Ross.
“When technology came aboard he’s the guy who took us from paper to computers and then live on the internet,” Ross said. “He was very intelligent and quick.
“As retired military he just did what he had to do to be helpful. He never questioned. He knew what to do to make the whole organization work well and that’s a pretty neat trait. I’d ask him, ‘Did you do this? Did you do that? Did you do this?’ His answer was always, ‘Got it. Got it. Got it.’ We really miss him.”