C. Charles Blanchard III

Charlie Blanchard came relatively late to golf, but certainly has more than made up for lost time. He has become the most successful player in RIGA competition in the 21st century.

Blanchard excelled in both soccer and lacrosse at Rocky Hill School and then at Ohio Wesleyan. He was a two-time All-American in lacrosse at Ohio Weslyan, then played professional lacrosse for the Boston Blazers in Major League Lacrosse from 1990-97. He served as the assistant coach under Mike Pressler for the Bryant University lacrosse program. In 2011, Blanchard became the head golf coach at Bryant, replacing Hall of Famer Archie Boulet, who guided the program for 47 years.

When he shifted his attention to golf, he began piling up championships. The left-hander has earned the association’s Player-of-the-Year award an unprecedented seven times between 2001 and 2012 His greatest season came in 2002 when he swept all five RIGA majors, the only person ever to accomplish that feat.

His list of titles includes dominating the Mid-Am with seven championships in a 12-year period beginning in 1999. No one else has won the event more than twice. He has taken the Stroke Play four times, the Burke Memorial five times including three in a row from 2000-02, the State Amateur in 2002 and 2012 and the Four-Ball twice with partner Bill Lunnie.

Blanchard has also had success competing at the national level. He represented Rhode Island nine times in the USGA State Team Championship, playing all but the first time the event was held. When the event was held at Hazeltine in Minnesota, Blanchard had the low score of the event, a 65. His scorecard is posted at the course, the site of several U.S. Opens, as one of the memorable rounds ever shot at the course.

Blanchard has qualified for the U.S. Amateur twice and the U.S. Mid-Am three times, reaching the Round of 16 in 2012 at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Ill. He has competed in the Northeast Amateur on his home course 18 times.

The Hall of Fame honor is the third for Blanchard. He already is in the Ohio Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Ohio Wesleyan Hall of Fame.