Hey Everyone,

Spent a couple of days in the insane heat at Framingham CC for the Mass. Amateur. Always enjoy watching great golf, and it’s always on display in the Mass. Am. The talent in this state is insane.

Ricky Stimets and Matt Naumec, last year’s runner-up, are in the final. If you’re reading this Friday morning or afternoon, MassGolf streams the final live on IG.

Also, if you’re looking to play some golf on Thursday, July 18, we have a few spots open at our Crosswinds event in Plymouth. $150 per person. Grab a partner, win some prizes, and meet some fellow golf sickos!

Sign up and details here.

News and Notes:

• Michael Thorbjornsen, the 2021 Mass. Am champ finished T2 in the John Deere, his third event as a pro.

• Was cool to see three Emmerich brothers, Christian, Max, and Aidan, in the Mass Amateur… I believe Molly, Morgan, and Maddie will do the same thing this year in the Mass Women’s Am at Taconic…

• Doug Clapp was out in England competing in the British Senior Am. He missed the cut after shooting 81-77. Clapp was unable to play golf for most of last summer due to a back injury. Good to see he’s back and competing.

• Annie Hayes of Berkshire Hills CC played in the US Adaptive Championship this week in Kansas. She won the seated division with rounds of 90-88-91. MassGolf did a Q&A with her a couple of years ago.

Golf and friendship on display at Mass. Amateur

Massachusetts is not short on excellent golfers. The Mass. Amateur is one shining example of the talent throughout the Bay State. The youngest competitor was 15-year-old Aarav Lavu at 15, and the oldest was 71-year-old Bob Reni.

“Monday and Tuesday are like a reunion,” Lauren Downes, Ryan Downes’ mom, said to me as we chatted in the heat on Tuesday.

I’m not sure of the exact breakdown, but it feels like a lot of the field is comprised of college golfers. Everywhere you look, bags are dotted with logos, mascots, and school names.

On Thursday, as I caught up with the semi-final matches heading to the back nine, one of those college players, Ethan Whitney, was still alive. He was the only one of them left. The 2022 Mass. Am champ, Conner Willett, was carrying Whitney’s bag. Back in ‘22 Willett beat Whitney and the deal they had made was whoever loses first caddies for the other. Whitney tossed on a caddie bib for the rest of the week.

The pair went on a ridiculous run that included an appearance on ESPN’s Top 10, as Willett poured in a long, snaking putt on the 13th hole at Concord CC. It was an emotional week, to say the least. Willett’s father, Rick Willett, had died suddenly the day before the 2022 Mass. Am started. His win was national news.

I attended the morning portion of the 36-hole final in 2022. A bunch of people from Charles River CC, Willett’s club, were there supporting him. But so were a bunch of high school and college golfers. Walking the course and watching their grief-stricken friend play the best golf of his life.

I snapped a picture of the group hanging out on the top of the fifth hole. Two of the players in the picture were Weston Jones and John Broderick.

On Thursday, Jones and Broderick were back out supporting the same duo as in 2022. This time, Whitney was hitting the shots and Willett was on the bag.

I’m sure Jones and Broderick would have loved to be the ones hitting the shots. Broderick lost in the Quarterfinals and Weston bowed out in the Round of 16.

They could have done anything they wanted with their day off. They had battled the stifling, Florida-like heat, all week. A dip in a pool or a nap in an air-conditioned house would have been lovely.

Instead, they were grinding with Whitney, walking with him, cheering him on, and adding a light touch with a joke as Whitney was entrenched in a tough match with the unshakable Ricky Stimets.

Jones and Broderick grabbed a spot on the fairway to watch Whitney and Stimets both sink their par putts. They let out a holler when Whitney made his and gave a big fist bump.

When the match was over, even after a loss, Whitney was jovial, hanging out on Framingham’s patio with his family and Willett. They looked gassed, towels on heads, trying to recover from an absurd amount of golf.

Ricky Stimets, the Mass. Mid-Am champion who just thwarted another Willet/Whitney championship run walked by. Whitney stood up and congratulated him one more time with a hug and handshake.

Genuine sportsmanship.

“You better go win it tomorrow,” Whitney said.

Encouragement, and also a hint of “I want to be the guy that lost to the winner” in Whitney’s words.

These college kids play so much competitive golf, but they all grew up together, competing in junior events and going to school together. They are used to winning and losing, and they know another tournament is waiting.

But there’s nothing like the Mass Am. where the camaraderie shines through even as uber-competitive energy pulses through the golf course.

They love golf, and they love each other.

It really is a reunion with a golf tournament mixed in. A really, really good golf tournament.

Double Click(s)

1. Keegan and the Ryder Cup: There’s a scene in season 3 of The Bear where a character is stuck in traffic while going into labor. She’s alone, frantically calling everyone she can for help, and no one is answering. This is partly how I picture the Ryder Cup captaincy search. Keegan Bradley was the one who answered the call. At best, he was the third option for the 2025 Ryder Cup captaincy. Phil Mickelson took the bag from LIV and lost the chance to be the hero in New York again. Then Tiger Woods turned it down.

   This selection is as close as we might ever get to the “zany” choices people were tossing around after last year’s Zach Johnson embarrassment. Names like Michael Jordan and Coach K were menitoned. Of course, Bradley isn’t that crazy of a choice, but when the Ryder Cup starts in 2025, Bradley will be 11 years removed from hitting a shot in any Ryder Cup. He was 28 in 2014. He’ll be the youngest captain since Arnold Palmer, who was 34 in 1963. Incredibly, that Ryder Cup was Palmer’s second Ryder Cup ever. So Keegan has more Ryder Cup experience than Palmer did.

2. Having a guy from New England leading a team into battle on Long Island as a St. John’s alum who snuck onto Bethpage Black a lot in college is content gold.

3. In May, I wrote that Tiger would be crazy to only take the Bethpage Ryder Cup. Ireland is the Holy Grail because he can win on the road and add to his legacy. As he ages, those opportunities are dwindling. JP McManus also owns Adare Manor. He’s a close friend of Tiger’s, too. So it all makes sense that Tiger will take the reigns in 2027…. wouldn’t it be delicious if Bradley is an incredible captain and gets some backing as captain in Ireland.

4. On a podcast this spring, my colleague at New England Golf Journal, Jim McCabe, floated, half-jokingly, that Rory McIlroy could be the Euro captain in Ireland. Brendan Porath also mentioned it this week on Wednesday’s Shotgun Start. Tiger v. Rory would be blockbuster stuff.

5. Speaking of Rory… he has returned… loved hearing him talk about getting nervous and looking around and reacting to Bryson Dechambeau’s shots on the closing holes at Pinehurst, which he could see, especially on the closing holes.

   Golf is never described as a “reaction” sport. It’s slow and deliberate. The ball isn’t moving, but your mind certainly is. There is no one on the other side of the net hitting the ball back.

   Also, how about the fact that Bryson’s drive on 18 made McIlroy less aggressive on that par putt because he was worried about mssing a bogey putt? A double-bogey to miss a playoff was spinning through his head, and it was spinning through his head because he missed that short putt on 16.

   Golf, man.

6. I enjoyed this quote from Rory… ultimately, I believe McIlroy wants win a major with his best friend on the bag.

7. Liked this thread about The Law of Reversed Effort: The more effort you put in, the less reward you get.

Just a quick reminder that if you found this newsletter through a link or a friend, you can subscribe to this newsletter and receive it in your inbox every Friday.

When I’m not golfing…

I’m reading…

• Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe has been on my reading list for a while. An incredible book about The Troubles in Ireland.

• We’re a quarter of the way into this century, so lists will start to pop up. NYTimes did a 10 best books of the century and then also asked some folks for their own selections, which was also interesting.

I’m listening to…

• I enjoyed the first part of Rick Rubin’s discussion with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig on the podcast Tetragrammaton.

• This was a good Fried Egg pod with Joe and Andy digging into the golfer’s careers and if they are going to get shorter in the future. Listen here.

• Popped on some PigPen Theatre Co. this week. The Way I’m Running is always a good listen. A bunch of fun songs on there.

I’m drinking…

• Trillium had an event with Porter Square Books on Saturday. We walked down to the Seaport to check it out. Trillium’s Leisurely Lager with lime is a great summer beer.

I’m eating…

• We went to Kava in the South End on Friday because the city empties out for 4th of July. It took 10 minutes to drive from Charlestown… Kava only takes reservations the day before, and it’s a small place.

  • I’m not sure I’ve had a better meal this year. The zucchini chips were insane. We didn’t even order entrees, just small plates. Their spinach spanakopita and lamb meatballs were also delicious.

• On Sunday, I had to get my inspection sticker done because it was a week overdue… the one place I found was next to Sofra in Cambridge. We had their breakfast sandwich, raspberry and pistachio croissant, and brown butter tahini donut.

I’m watching…

• Presumed Innocent is dragging us along with weekly releases of episodes. Excellent show.

• The Bear is a great show, but I have mixed feelings about this season. It’s beautifully shot and the actors are superb. We haven’t finished it yet, but I’m hoping for a little more plot movement in the final few episodes.

• The Open Championship is next week. I liked this Iona Stephen video where she plays five holes at Troon with the Dir. of Golf

New here? Reached the bottom?

Hell Yeah.

You should subscribe.

Bay State Archives

I'm (shamelessly) plugging...

• Bay State Picks: Best courses you can walk for less than $60.

• Bay State Picks: Nine-hole courses to play before or after work

• Bay State Picks: 18 public golf that is worth your time

• Bay State Picks: Easy 18-hole public walks

• Bay State Deep Dive: Myopia Hunt Club

   

• "On Course" New England Journal Podcast

  • LISTEN HERE (and subscribe!)

  • WATCH HERE (and subscribe!)

• Amateur Golf Podcast

  • LISTEN HERE (and subscribe!)