HAVERHILL – Super scoring conditions at Crystal Lake Golf Club sent the field of the 2024 Joseph F. Healey Memorial Golf Championship into attack mode.
Par was the target, and the players weren’t about to be denied.
Former Central Catholic and UMass Lowell standout Anthony Gallardo stood atop the leaderboard when Round 1 of the Healey was complete, carding a sizzling six-under par 65 to procure a three-shot lead.
Heading into Round 2 Saturday at Atkinson Resort and Country Club, Gallardo leads Bradford Country Club’s Bill Drohen, who shot a three-under par 68. Defending champ Nick Maccario and Haverhill Country Club’s Ernie Lupi were the others to break par, shooting one-under 70s, while a whopping eight others were even on the day, with 71s.
Tee times at Atkinson begin on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the championship round of the 54-hole event carded for Haverhill Country Club on Sunday beginning at 10:15 a.m.
Gallardo, the UMass Lowell captain in 2009, busted out of the gate with birdies on the first and third holes, plus an eagle on the par-5 fifth, to set the tone for his day.
After bogeying the seventh hole, he would go on to a sizzling, back-nine 32, with four more birdies – on 10, 11, 15 and 18.
Drohen, who just missed match-play at the Mass. Amateur Championship last week, was three-under (32) at the turn with birdies on 3, 5 and 8, then played even on the back side.
There are area notables up and down the leaderboard, who will be jockeying for position on Saturday in Atkinson. Forty-two of the 79 starters in the field broke 80, and 22 players are currently within 10 shots of the lead.
Atkinson CC is the team leader at even par with Renaissance (+4) and Bradford CC (+6), the closest challengers.