The names surrounding Richy Werenski’s on the PGA Championship leaderboard suggest he found his way to the weekend — Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed.
That is not the case, however. That is what Bethpage Black can do to former major winners like Woods, or players with a world ranking of 206 like Werenski.
All of the above and more missed the cut at the 101st PGA Championship, Friday in Farmingdale, New York.
A tough start doomed Werenski’s round. The South Hadley native started on No. 10 and bogeyed three of the first four holes.
He ran off a string of four straight pars, but bogeyed No. 18 to take the turn at 6 over.
Werenski found a groove on the front nine and closed with nine straight pars but it wasn’t good enough to make the 4-over cut.
He opened with a 2-over 72 (36-36) on Thursday. He went 39-35 on Friday.
Defending champion Brooks Koepka took the lead into the weekend with a 36-hole major record 12 under. He followed Thursday’s 63 with a 65 on Friday.
Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott were tied for second at 5 under.
The PGA Championship was Werenski’s second major tournament. He played in the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and missed the cut as well.
LEND A HAND — South Hadley native John Paquette has spent the past 24 years as the superintendent at Indian Hills County Club in Northport, a village on the northern coast of Long Island.
During that time he has volunteered for the maintenance crew at Bethpage Black when the major championships came to the island.
“It’s just really fun to do these high-end events,” Paquette said.
The 1983 UMass graduate volunteered in 2002 and again in 2009 when the U.S. Open came to Bethpage. He was at the course again this weekend with the PGA Championship.
“I really want to get the Ryder Cup (in 2024) and have my grand slam,” Paquette said Thursday. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
The weather prevented Paquette from doing a lot of work early in the week. When it cleared, the crew aligned 10 wide and mowed the entire course before the first round on Thursday.
“It took an hour and 10 minutes to mow all 18 fairways. Quick,” Paquette said. “We started in the dark and we almost ended in the dark.”
With the tournament in full swing the 150-member grounds crew will stay busy.
“Now we’re really dialed in so everyone’s job is basically the same until it’s over, unless something happens with the weather,” Paquette said. “It’s incredibly well organized. These guys do the best job. Andy Wilson is the park director and Mike Hadley is the Black Course superintendent and they are killing it. This place is perfect.”
Paquette said his crew mowed the greens to a 1/10-inch and as of Thursday morning they were rolling a 13.5 on the Stimpmeter.
The fairways were cut at just under a half inch. “They’re really tight,” he said. “The tuft is perfect.”
The first cut of rough is about an inch. “It gets pretty hairy after that,” he said.
Paquette is on the morning maintenance crew. He leaves in the afternoon and returns to his own course. There is another crew at Bethpage in the evening.
Paquette knew the Werenskis through his brother Brien and was watching the action with Mike Werenski, Richy’s father.