Gloucester’s Salah wins NEC golf open

MARBLEHEAD – Gloucester’s Josh Salah is probably better know to people in these parts for being a member of the Fishermen’s 2006 state championship hockey team. But Salah, a junior, is now getting a pretty good reputation with a set of golf clubs in his hands.This past summer, Salah finished second in the New England Junior Amateur Championship by one shot and was a club champion at Bass Rocks in Gloucester.On Tuesday at Tedesco CC, Salah added a second Northeastern Conference Open championship to his resume as his round of 72 easily outdistanced Peabody’s Josh Page by four shots on a perfect day for scoring.In his three tries at the NEC Open, the worst Salah has finished is second last year to Danvers’ Jay Rinaldi. The year before, Salah shared the title with the Falcons’ Brian Sample.With the tournament returning to Tedesco after a year at Beverly Golf & Tennis Club, the familiar surroundings treated Salah well.Missing one fairway all day (on the opening hole, which led to a bogey) and hitting all but two greens, Salah was in complete control of his game.”I was swinging it pretty good,” Salah said. “After that bad tee shot on the first, I hit it well.”After making bogeys on two of his first three holes, Salah steadied his round with a birdie on the fourth and added another at the par-5 ninth sandwiched around four pars to card an opening nine of 34.Playing along with Salah was Rinaldi and Salem’s Beau Theriault. Rinaldi started with three pars and a birdie but bogeyed three of his last five holes to turn in 36. Theriault’s front nine was even more adventurous.The Witches No. 1 player had double bogeys on one, four and five along with a bogey at the second but had birdies on three and six to finish with a 40. Theriault added his fourth double of the day at the 16th to eventually finish with a 79 and a tie for fifth place with Danvers’ John Curran.Salah was just as steady on the back nine, recording seven pars and two bogeys while missing just one fairway to shoot 38 for a 2-over par 72.Rinaldi’s chances for a second consecutive title, and third in a row for the Falcons, evaporated with double bogeys on the 12th and 16th holes that eventually led to a round of 77 and a share of third place.Playing in the group behind Salah, Page also got off to a sluggish start with two bogeys in his first four holes and four in the first seven before birding the ninth for a 37.Page actually got within a shot of Salah’s lead thanks to a two-shot swing at the 12th, where Page birdied and Salah bogeyed. But four bogeys in the final five holes put an end to the Tanners No. 1 player’s chances as he finished with a 76.”This conference definitely has a lot of good players,” Salah said. “It’s definitely an honor to win it twice.”Swampscott’s Spencer Graham was one of only two players to make it around the tough Tedesco layout with out a double bogey – Salah being the other – en route to a 77 and a share of third with Rinaldi.Big Blue No. 1 player Anthony DiLisio survived a nine at the par-4 12th to card an 82 and finish in seventh place. Peabody’s Taylor Shalin and Gloucester’s Tyler Conigliari shared eighth with 83’s.Lynn Classical’s Vinny Amenta was the low Lynner as his round of 85 got him in the top 10, tying for tenth with Salem’s Wes Keon. Amenta’s teammate, Greg Gaudet finished with a 92.English’s Dave Stevens shot 95 and Jim Elwell had a 107.