NEWPORT — Three of the state’s emissaries to the golf world came home this weekend.
Billy Andrade, Brad Faxon and Brett Quigley all spent the last few days on the grounds at Newport Country Club. Andrade and Quigley both played in the U.S. Senior Open and made the cut. Faxon served as lead analyst for the NBC coverage and was in the booth alongside the 18th green.
It made for some nostalgia on a gorgeous Monday morning here. Sunday’s storms gave way to bright sunshine and an ideal summer day. Andrade finished his tournament at even par and Quigley checked in at 2-over. That’s a long way down the road from playing junior golf together in the 1980s.
“Simply amazing,” Andrade said. “Everything that I imagined. It was just an unbelievable course, setting. Rhode Island, Newport — it just makes me feel very proud.”
“Just an incredible week,” Quigley said. “The show coming to town here and coming to Rhode Island was fantastic. I thought Rhode Island and the golf course showed incredibly well.”
Andrade got up and down for par at the 18th, pitching onto the green from about 50 yards and coaxing home a quick downhill putt. He qualified for this tournament thanks to his place on last year’s PGA Tour Champions money list, and his appearance here kicked off three straight weeks at his Bristol home. Andrade has played in the Walker Cup, at the Masters, in 18 editions of The Players Championship but none of his previous weeks were like this one.
“It’s pretty cool,” Andrade said. “At 60 years old I’ve been doing this my whole adult life. To have a tournament like this at this stage of my career is real special.”
Andrade came firing out of the gates with a 6-under 64 before the venue showed its teeth. Only 30 players broke par here this week, and only 20 finished within 10 shots of the pace set by winner Richard Bland and runner-up Hiroyuki Fujita. Varying winds and the rolling seaside landscape proved a challenge all the way into a dramatic finale.
“I think this golf course stacked up great,” Andrade said. “I haven’t heard one complaint from one player, and that’s odd. Usually there’s somebody who’s not happy.
“I think it would be awesome to come back here.”
Quigley shot par or better in each of his first three rounds before closing with a 74. A pair of bogeys in the challenging morning conditions cost him a higher finish, including into the wind at the uphill par-4 18th. The majority of the field that finished on this extra day needed something more than an iron approach to have a chance of reaching the putting surface.
“It has to (come back), it absolutely has to,” Quigley said. “I think it showed well. I think the USGA had a great championship.”
Quigley has won tournaments as far away as Morocco and posted top-10 finishes at each of his last two PGA Tour Champions majors in 2023. He planned to visit the beach with his family later on Monday and will remain on vacation away from his Florida home for a few days. Quigley played in the group behind Andrade during his fourth round and was stealing a glance or two at his old friend throughout both days.
“We were kind of looking at each other and smiling,” Quigley said. “Just thrilled to be part of the whole thing.”
Newport hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 2006 and waited 18 years to stage its next USGA event. It was the 1,001st for the organization — the first was the U.S. Amateur in 1895. Senior Open locations are currently booked through Spyglass Hill in 2030, but the USGA has openings to fill in 2031, 2033-37 and 2039-41.
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