Oct. 16, 2010

First Round Results

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. -- Rhode Island's Taylor Fontaine leads the 83-player field at the inaugural The Classic at Shelter Harbor.

Fontaine fired the only round of the day under par, carding a 70 on a blustery, windy day at Shelter Harbor Golf Club (par 71, 6,695 yards). He played the front nine at 34, before closing with a 36. Harvard's Tony Grillo is one shot back (71), while two others - Brent Besch of Bryant and Matt Smith of Hartford - are two shots back at 72.

Rhode Island sits in a tight pack for the team title, tied for third with Hartford and Pennsylvania with a score of 302. Columbia leads the way, with a score of 299, followed by Harvard at 300.

Branden Chicorka sits in a tie for 16th place with a first round 75, while Patrick Pelletier is in a tie for 24th place, just one shot behind his teammate (76). John Kelly (t60th, 81) and Ben Conway (72nd, 84) round out the Rhody golfers.

In its first year of competition, The Classic at Shelter Harbor features a 16-team field comprised of some of the finest academic and athletic institutions on the East Coast - including all eight Ivy League schools and two United States service academies.

Located in Westerly and Charlestown Rhode Island, Shelter Harbor Golf Club (par 71, 7,006 yards) is an outgrowth of a desire to protect and preserve the natural environment of the area. The Club is situated on approximately 400 acres of open space with a permanent prohibition on development and is the first new private course built in Washington County in over 100 years.

Shelter Harbor has many topographical changes from the lowpoint of 102 feet, to the high point of 187 feet, and rock walls are woven through the whole of the course. One of the most distinctive features of the course are the rustic bunkers shrouded with native fescues reminiscent of those at Pine Valley.

Tomorrow's 18-hole final round will tee off at 9 a.m. and a full recap and results will be available on GoRhody.com.