Salah claims third NEC Open title

MARBLEHEAD – Recording hat tricks is something that Gloucester’s Josh Salah is used to as a member of the Fishermen’s hockey team during the winter months.But on Thursday at Tedesco Country Club, the senior pulled off the feat on the links.Firing a round of 2-over par 72, identical to his winning score from last year, Salah claimed his third Northeastern Conference Open title with a three-shot win over Danvers’ Jay Rinaldi. Swampscott’s Max Patkin was third on his home course with a round of 76.For a photo gallery from the NEC Open, please click http://photographers.mycapture.com/event.asp?new=yes&eventid=616121″>here.In all, six players managed to crack 80 on the challenging Marblehead layout.In four years of competing at the NEC Open, Salah finished no worse than second (to Rinaldi in 2006 at Beverly Golf & Tennis Club), winning all three of his crowns at Tedesco (2005, 2007, 2008)For the second straight year, Salah navigated the 6,200-yard, par-70 layout without a double bogey – Patkin was the only other player to follow suit – as he overcame a sluggish start to win.After bogeying the third and fourth holes, Salah bounced back to steady his round with back-to-back birdies at five and six. Three straight pars closed a front nine of even-par 34. Rinaldi, meanwhile, was on pace with Salah through four before a two-shot swing at the fifth and seventh holes put the Danvers senior four shots off the pace. But birdies at the eighth and ninth holes got Rinaldi to the turn in 36.Patkin also was very steady on the opening nine, recording five bogeys and four pars to make the turn in 39. Beverly’s Ryan Lally also had an adventurous opening nine, shooting a 37, which featured two birdies, an eagle and a triple bogey at the par-3 seventh.Salem’s Peter Cavallaro went out in 38, making it a dogfight on the final nine holes. Cavallaro disappeared from contention on the 11th, where he made a triple-bogey seven, eventually shooting 78 to finish in fourth alone. Lally also fell by the wayside on the back nine thanks to four bogeys and a double bogey at the 17th, shooting 79 to share fifth with Danvers’ Troy Thibodeau.Rinaldi opened his final nine with back-to-back bogeys while Patkin had three pars and Salah two pars and a bogey. But Rinaldi played the next six holes in 1-under while Salah and Patkin were 2-over in the same stretch to make things interesting.Patkin birdied the 18th to come home in 1-over 37 and take third alone. Rinaldi’s chances officially ended on the home hole when he made double and Salah parred to account for the three-shot margin.Classical’s Sean Winchell had a stellar day, finishing in a tie for eighth with Gloucester’s Jay Destino and Peabody’s Pat Dumas thanks to a round of 82 that saw Winchell shoot a stellar 38 on the back nine. Winchell’s teammate, Jeff Gaudet, came home 14th.Saugus’ Anthony Howell shared 12th with Beverly’s Nick Pinciaro, while Max Kane of Swampscott and Peabody’s Ryan English were 14th and 15th, respectively.Revere’s Kerri Roach and Jonathan Ciarelli were 19th and 24th, and English’s Dave Stevens and Jim Elwell shared 21st.