June 11, 2009

A Conversation with Brendan Livingston

Brendan Livingston (Westford, MA), a senior-to-be on the UMass Lowell golf team, qualified for the Massachusetts Golf Association Amateur Tournament July 13-17 at The Country Club of Brookline.

Livingston placed in a tie for fourth in the qualifier at Foxboro Country Club on June 3, one of 12 qualifying tournaments from June 3-11. The top 11 players at each tournament qualify for the Mass Amateur while two alternates are selected at each site.

Livingston carded a four-over 76 for his round at Foxboro CC. He fell short in his first attempt at qualifying a year ago.

"I had been playing well and working with my instructor (Skip Guss of Golf Rite)," Livingston said. "I was very happy to finish tied for fourth. It was a very good field. I am really excited to play at The Country Club of Brookline. It's a really prestigious course in Massachusetts."

Livingston opened on hole No. 10 and birdied two of his first five holes: the 565-yard/par 5 11th and the 339-yard/par 4 14th. He double-bogeyed the par-4 second hole, but finished with five pars, a birdie on the 524-yard/par-5 fourth and a bogey on the par-4 fifth.

"I started off well which helped with my confidence for the rest of the day," said Livingston. "I had a pretty good round going all the way until the second hole.

"On the last hole, I hit a nine-footer for par for a 76," he added. "I thought a 76 would get me in. I was actually tied for first when I finished. The scores were really good that day."

Livingston enjoyed a stellar junior year with UMass Lowell with an 80.22 average, which included a 79.17 for the fall and an 81.27 for the spring.

He highlighted the fall by earning Northeast-10 Conference First Team honors when he placed third (among 60 players) with a 67-79--146.

Livingston also helped the River Hawks to the NCAA East/Atlantic Super Regional Tournament in May where he finished tied for 51st (among 108) with an 88-77-77--242.

At the golf banquet on May 15, he was named captain of the 2009-10 season.