CSGA Publications: 2014 Championship Annual | Page 41

17 TH NEW ENGLAND SENIOR AMATEUR Laconia Country Club Laconia, N.H. September 16 - 17 LATE BLOOMER Jim Romaniello didn’t pick up a golf club until the age of thirty, but he made up for lost time with a victory at the New England Senior Amateur. A FTER SHOOTING 71 in the first round of the 17th New England Senior Amateur Championship, Jim Romaniello of Shorehaven Golf Club was just one stroke off the lead. He remarked that if he could shoot another 71 in the final round, he would be happy. He didn’t shoot a 1-under par 71 on Wednesday, but he was certainly happy come tournament end because his two-round score of 1-over par 145 was good enough to earn him the Harry B. McCracken, Jr. Senior Amateur Trophy. He finished one stroke ahead of Bruce Carter (The International - MA) for what was Romaniello’s first career NEGA Championship victory. “I played extremely well the first seven holes,” said Romaniello. “And then maybe some nerves crept in, but my short game saved me. I’m pretty excited right now, so it’s hard for me to describe.” The nerves crept in at the beginning of the back-nine, as he suffered a double bogey