Saladino bounces back with 66 to lead qualifiers

Joe Saladino felt like the luckiest golfer at the Baiting Hollow Club Thursday. It wasn't because he shot 5-under-par 66, earned medalist honors and played his way into the U.S. Mid-Amateur to be held on Long Island later this month. He was just happy that he had a tournament in which to play so soon after last week.

Only eight days earlier, Saladino had a tough loss in the U.S. Amateur, after having been up two on top college player Eugene Wong with two holes to go. He lost on an extra hole.

"You feel fortunate to have an event so close, otherwise you sit and you can dwell on it a little bit," he said. "I said, 'OK, you fall off the horse, you definitely have to get back on. Let's get into this.' That's golf. You lose a lot more than you win."

He gave credit to Wong of Oregon University, chosen by NCAA coaches the Nicklaus Award winner as player of the year, for having made a 15-foot putt on the 16th hole just to keep their match alive at Chambers Bay in Washington state last week. Saladino made solid shots on 17 and 18 out there, but caught the wrong sides of sloping greens. "It was a tough way to lose, but I definitely gained a lot from it," said the golfer from Huntington.

What he took was confidence that, at 30, he still can hit far enough to compete with anyone. He showed it Thursday, leading the 74-member field on a course that yielded only one other score under par, a 70 by Jamison Friedman of Water Mill.

Saladino made six birdies and finished with an eagle on the par-5 18th, lacing a 7-iron 175 yards, landing it 6 feet from the hole.

"It was kind of nice, walking up, knowing I was probably in, but wanting to finish up well," he said.

He will be in the field Sept. 25-30 for the national Mid-Amateur at Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton (with some qualifying rounds also at The Bridge). So will Friedman, who said he entered, "because I live 4.3 miles from Atlantic." Steven Tarulli of Rockville Centre qualified with a 71. Scott Osler of Cutchogue and Curtis Woodworth of New York City each made it with 72.

The Mid-Amateur is open only to golfers 25 and older, which means that almost all of them must balance golf with other responsibilities. Saladino runs the Drive 495 golf spa in Manhattan with his brother Don and feels lucky to have a flexible schedule.

"I give a great appreciation to a lot of these guys, who have a couple kids and have to take them to sporting events on the weekends, then try to fit in golf," said the medalist who was recently married. "I'm sure my day will come. I've got 10 nieces and nephews, so I've seen how it goes."