Kevin Daly has played a ton of golf throughout his well-accomplished career. But rarely does he ever keep a scorecard from any particular round.
He can only recall holding on to one card over the years, and considering the score he shot that day it’s easy to understand why he’s still got it.
That scorecard was from September, 19 2010 when Daly matched the course record of 64 at the always challenging Beverly Golf & Tennis Club.
A four-time club champion at Beverly during his member playing days, Daly was a Salem State All-American who has also taken home seven club championships at Thomson Country Club in North Reading and eight more (as well as two senior titles) at Salem Country Club, where he now plays. He is currently the two-time defending men’s and senior men’s champion at Salem.
Of that unforgettable day at Beverly G&T, Daly said “It was a pretty normal round for the first 10 holes, and then I just started to roll in every putt. I don’t recall any real long putts; I just made them all.”
Daly has had his share of low rounds over the years. But what makes his 6-under par outing 15 years ago so special was the fashion in which he did it.
Playing alongside Bennett Blau, John Rodolico and Jeff Kintish, Daly started on the back nine and made the turn to hole No. 1 at even par with one birdie and one bogey. He proceeded to par the par-4 first hole — which features a daunting, sloping green with notoriously challenging pin placements — before making birdie on No. 2 after sticking his blind shot approach.
Following another par on the uphill par-3 third, Daly caught absolute fire to etch his name into Beverly Golf & Tennis history forever. He birdied hole Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 to come in with a sizzling 29 on the front (his back nine).
“The unusual thing is I was never really thinking about a course record until the seventh hole, so my 16th hole,” admitted Daly. “I was going for my fourth birdie (in a row) there and I knew the record was six under. So I really didn’t get nervous at all, and it was actually good that I started off pretty slow. It just felt like a regular weekend day of golf.
“But I knew on seven if I made birdie, I had a chance with the eighth and ninth holes coming up,” he continued. “I thought I left my birdie putt short on nine, but it dropped in on the last roll and that was that.”
Daly had no chip-ins, no eagles, no ‘gimme’ putts and really no signature shots throughout the day. He simply drove it well, stuck his irons close to pins and rolled in the putts with regularity.
For him, it was the perfect recipe for a memorable round of golf at a course he loves and still tries to play at as frequently as possible.
According to sources at the club, including head golf professional David Dionne, Daly shares Beverly’s course record with three other golfers: Chris Piumelli, Alan Shah and Tom Mahan Jr. The Garden City track continues to get a ton of play as one of the more popular options for golfers on the North Shore, but it’s not likely we’ll see another round of 64 any time soon.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.