Adam Rainaud wins PGA Match Play Championship in debut appearance

 

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Adam Rainaud of South Hadley, Massachusetts, found the formula to dissect the Dye Course Friday at PGA Golf Club, collecting birdies on four of the seven par-3 holes he played on the way to capturing the 52nd PGA Match Play Championship presented by Premier Golf and GOLF ADVISOR.

 

Rainaud, 28, who was an All-American at the University of Louisville in 2008 and earned PGA membership last April, defeated Rich Berberian Jr. of Derry, New Hampshire, 5 and 4, in the Championship match. He built momentum in the morning semifinals by easing past Brian Cairns of Walled Lake, Michigan, 4 and 2. In the other semifinal, Berberian downed three-time Champion Rick Schuller of Chester, Virginia, 4 and 3.

 

Rainaud (“Ray-NO”) earned a first-place check of $5,000, while Berberian took home $3,000.  

 

This was the Match Play Championship debut for both Rainaud and Berberian, who might be the youngest finalists in the history of the event. Berberian, 27, was elected to PGA membership last June and is a PGA Assistant Professional at Windham (New Hampshire) Country Club. He will compete this June in the PGA Professional National Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. 

 

“This winter was the first time I’ve played the Dye Course, and I really like it,” said Rainaud, a PGA Assistant Professional at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Connecticut. “It’s really tricky around the greens. I’m a good chipper and putter and that gave me an advantage this week.

 

“The reason I was successful today was because I played so well on the par-3s, and the Dye has a lot of tough par-3s. I’m going to enjoy this as I head back home and wait out the snow.” 

 

Rainaud, who finished third in the national 2010 PGA Assistant Championship on the nearby Wanamaker Course, applied the pressure early on Berberian by winning two of the first three holes and was 3-up after six holes. Berberian rolled in a 15-footer for birdie at No. 9 to trim the deficit, but it was a short reprieve.

 

He hit his second shot on the par-5 10th hole wide right into an environmental area and could not make a drop that allowed him a clear shot to the green. “I was in between clubs on No. 10 when I hit a hybrid from 250 yards,” said Berberian. “I got over the ball and wanted to kill it. That hole really slowed me down. It’s tough to come back. I had not been behind in a match all week, not once.”

 

Berberian then lost the 11th hole with a double bogey and birdied the 12th before Rainaud hit a lofty 6-iron to 15 feet and won the par-3 13th hole to go 4-up. Rainaud closed out the match when he split the fairway with a big drive before Berberian pulled his tee shot into a hazard left of the 14th fairway and conceded the hole and match.  

 

“The guy who was going to win today was going to keep the ball in play, hit the greens and two-putt. That’s what Adam did,” said Berberian.

 

The 52nd PGA Match Play Championship, the final event of the PGA Winter Championship season, featured a total purse of $23,500.

 

52nd PGA Match Play Championship

Presented by Premier Golf & GOLF ADVISOR

PGA Golf Club – Port St. Lucie, Florida

Dye Course – Par 72, 7,017 yards

 

Semifinals: 

Rich Berberian Jr., Derry, N.H.  def. Rick Schuller, Chester, Va., 4 and 3

Adam Rainaud, South Hadley, Mass. def. Brian Cairns, Walled Lake, Mich., 4 and 2 

 

Championship:

Rainaud def. Berberian, 5 and 4