Inspiring night at Ouimet Fund Dinner

+ News, Notes, and weekly favorites

Author

Sean Melia
April 25, 2025

Hey Everyone,

I attended the Ouimet Fund annual dinner at the Encore Casino on Monday night. It was a very cool event with 1,700 people in attendance.

The night’s honoree was Dick Connolly; he has been a fixture and driving force for Ouimet fundraising. His name will be included along with the names of Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Barbara and Jack Nicklaus. Since 1997, the Ouimet Fund has celebrated one person for Lifelong Contributions to Golf each year at this dinner. Connolly was an Ouimet Fund Scholar who paid it forward and has helped hundreds of students attend college through the Ouimet Fund.

Jaelyn DeBoise and Dick Connolly (Credit: Nicki Pardo photos)

In addition to a “fireside chat” with Rich Lerner and Dick Connolly, a Ouimet Scholar is picked to speak. Jaelyn DeBoise was this year’s speaker; she is the topic of this week’s newsletter.

We’ll get to her in a bit.

News and Notes

Pro Golf

🏌️ Michael Thorbjornsen finished runner-up at the Corales Puntacana after rounds of 69, 63, 70, 73. A bogey on the final hole put him one shot behind the winner, Garrick Higgo.

This week, he’s playing with former Stanford teammate Karl Vilips at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. The duo shot an 8-under 64 in the first round, best-ball format. They will play alternate shot today.

🏌️‍♀️ The LPGA Tour has its first major this week down at Calton Woods in Woodlands, Texas. Megan Khang and Alexa Pano both shot 73 and sit T61.

College Golf

It’s conference championship season in college golf. Once all the results are in for the men and women, I’ll put together a recap post that will include individuals playing outside of Massachusetts.

Men’s Results

MAAC - April 17-19 (Merrimack finished 7th)

A10 Conference - April 22-24 (No Bay State teams, but Rhode Island finished 6th)

Big Ten Conference - April 25-27

Ivy League - April 25-27

Patriot League - April 25-27

ACC - April 24-26

Women’s Results

Ivy League - April 18-20 (Harvard finishes second)

 Patriot League - April 18-19 (Boston University finishes second, Holy Cross finishes fifth)

 ACC Women’s - April 16-17 (Boston College finishes 11th)

 MAAC Women’s Conference Championship - April 17-19 (Merrimack finishes fourth)

Northeast Conference Women’s Championship - April 11-13 (Stonehill finishes fifth)

Amateur Golf

🏆️ Ricky Stimets and Kevin Blaser won the Seagulls Four-Ball at Hyannisport Club last weekend. They beat Kyle Van Kleef and Jon Clancy in the final 1-up. The event was pushed back a week because of horrendous weather. A good call given the beautiful weather we had this past weekend.

🏃‍♂️ Shoutout to Conor McCormack, who reached the semi-final on Saturday and then turned around and ran the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Plugs

🚗 My latest YouTube video highlights 10 courses you should absolutely try to play in Massachusetts this year… or any year.

🎨 I interviewed Maria Cianchette this week for the podcast. She is a freelance artist (Sometimes Draws) I found on Instagram because of her golf art. Little did I know, she competed in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am last year. You can listen here. I have some great interviews in the can for the coming weeks. Please consider subscribing!

An inspiring night at the Ouimet Fund Dinner

The next time you stand over a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for that $5 Nassau, remember to think of Jaelyn DeBoise.

Draining a long birdie putt in the MIAA Boys Regional Championship might have shifted her future. All she knew was that she needed to make the putt to reach the MIAA Boys State Championship. She didn’t know that it would open the door to a college scholarship, and she certainly didn’t think it would put her on a stage speaking to 1,700 people at the Ouimet Fund’s annual dinner.

Since 1949, the Ouimet Fund, named after the amateur Francis Ouimet, has been helping young people attend college. Hundreds of them were scattered about the ballroom on Monday night.

One of those scholars is Jaelyn DeBoise, a junior at Stonehill College and the captain of the women’s golf team. DeBoise was the student speaker at the dinner and shared her story that started as a kid from Springfield, Mass. She started playing golf with her father; he suffered an injury on the job as a correctional officer, and one of the only activities he could do was play golf. Jaelyn was just a first grader and was thrust into the role of caretaker to help her father mend his shattered knee.

“It's funny how life works, something that could have broken us built a bridge to one of the greatest passions we now share,” DeBoise said. “If that moment hadn’t happened, I may not be standing here with you today.”

Her path to Stonehill was long and winding. She fell in love with golf and found work at Springfield CC to pay for tournament entry fees.

She knew that she and her father stood out on any course.

“As I got older, a young Puerto Rican female golfer from inner city Springfield paired up with her single father wasn't the regular pairing on the tee sheet,” DeBoise said.

College didn’t feel like it was in the cards for DeBoise. No one in her family had earned a college degree.

Jealyn DeBoise and her father, Cortez DeBois (credit: Nicki Pardo)

She attended Pope Francis Prep (Springfield, Mass.), as her father sacrificed to make ends meet and help her get an education away from the violence of the public school.

“She came home one day, and said that they arrested a girl and she had a knife on her,” Cortez DeBoise said. “That was kind of the point where we didn't know where we were going, but we knew we weren't going back there.”

DeBoise continued to compete on the golf course and played on the Pope Francis boys’ team. As a senior, she was selected as a captain.

Then, that 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in the MIAA Regional Championship shifted her future.

She didn’t just punch her ticket into the State Championship; she also hopped on the radar of college programs.

Stonehill College was one of those schools. The Division 1 program seemed like a good fit. She could compete for a school that also matched her Catholic faith. However, the scholarship wasn’t enough for DeBoise.

Her future was up in the air.

Enter the Ouimet Fund.

The extra help from Ouimet made DeBoise's future brighter and clearer, and she became a first-generation college student and athlete.

The game of golf was the catalyst for all of this, and it continues to drive DeBoise forward. She will work as a Foot Lab Intern for Footjoy this summer because, as the saying goes, most college athletes go pro in something other than their sport.

“If I were to give advice to any young person facing doubt, I would say that where you come from or the challenges you face do not define you. What matters is that you keep going. Keep fighting. Keep believing in yourself. Your story is worth it, just like mine.”

Following a standing ovation, DuBoise was called back for one more recognition. The Ouimet Fund would pay off the remaining debt from her college expenses.

More giving.

In a room full of givers, she reminded everyone why they give. And now, with her future clear, Jaelyn DeBoise seems poised to return the favor to future generations.

WORMBURNER COMICS

Already a subscriber? You can upgrade your subscription to help support my work and receive bonus content.

When I’m not golfing…

I’m reading…

🐋 Chipping away on Moby Dick

I’m listening to…

I’m watching…

🏘️ We started Your Friends and Neighbors on AppleTV this week. John Hamm is involved, so you know it’s going to be good.

Know someone who might enjoy this newsletter… send it along to them!

Bay State Archives

Reply

or to participate.