Mass. Women's Am Preview: The Players

The 122nd Massachusetts Women’s Amateur is heading to Concord CC from August 11-15. The 79 player field will be challenged at the Donald Ross design that has most recently hosted the championship in 2014.

The field will play 36 holes between Monday and Tuesday and the field will be cut to 32 players for match play to decide a champion.

This year, a new trophy is up for grabs. The Osgood Trophy will be awarded to the player(s) who earn medalist honors in the stroke play portion of the event.

In addition, the winner of the championship will earn a berth in next summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Honors Course in Tennessee.

RELATED: Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Preview: THE COURSE

Schedule for the week

• Monday and Tuesday, August 11/12 - Stroke Play

• Wednesday, August 13th – Round of 32 (a.m.) and Round of 16 (p.m.)

• Thursday, August 14th – Quarterfinals (a.m.) and Semifinals (p.m.)

• Friday, August 15th – Finals (18-holes)

Past champions

Shannon Johnson (2018), Catie Schernecker (2021), Rebecca Skoler (2023), Morgan Smith (2022 and 2024)

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Players to Watch

Emma Abramson - Sandwich, Mass.

Emma Abramson emerged as one of the Cape’s top young talents at Sandwich High School. She just wrapped up her sophomore year at Williams College where she has been a steady presence for the Ephs. The 2022 Mass. Girls’ Junior champ reached the Round of 32 in last year’s Mass Women’s Amateur.

Pheobe Brinker - Boston, Mass.

A rising star who just moved to Boston after graduating from college, Phoebe Brinker is one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in the country. A standout at Duke University, Brinker helped lead the Blue Devils to deep postseason runs and notched individual victories along the way. In 2021, she won the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invite. She is currently ranked No. 49 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She finished 10th in the NCAA National Championship this spring before graduating. She has also competed in numerous USGA events and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Mekhala Costello - Canton, Mass.

Costello enters the week leading the Player of the Year points race after a 2nd place finish in the Women’s Stroke Play and 4th in the New England Women’s Amateur. The rising sophomore at Amherst College had a strong spring season where she notched four top-ten finishes in four regular season events and then a 14th in the Division III National Championship. She was ranked No. 11 in the nation by Clippd/Scoreboard. She is a dual athlete who also plays soccer for the college. Last year, Costello was the medalist in the Mass. Women’s Amateur and reached the semi-final before losing to Julia Imai.

Isabel Brozena - North Reading, Mass.

The summer of 2024 was the summer of Isabel Brozena. She dominated in the 2024 Ouimet Memorial by eight shots and also won the Mass. Girls’ Junior, beating Lillian Guleserian in the championship match. On top of that, she reached match play in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, losing in the Round of 64. Her first season at Xavier was also a success. She helped her team win the Big East Conference Championship and competed in the NCAA Regionals in Columbus, Ohio.

Megan Buck - N. Easton, Mass.

One of the most respected mid-amateurs in New England, Megan Buck has built an impressive record over the past decade. She won the 2022 Mass. Women’s Player of the Year award and has notched two Mass. Women’s Mid-Amateur championships (2022 and 2024). She has competed in numerous USGA events, including multiple appearances at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

Annie Dai - Longmeadow, Mass.

Annie Dai is part of a strong wave of Massachusetts juniors rising through the ranks. The 2021 winner of the Massachusetts Girls’ Junior Amateur, Dai is known for her steady swing and competitive mindset. Dai has consistently posted strong scores in New England PGA junior events and is committed to continuing her golf career at Harvard University, where she’ll join one of the nation’s top academic and athletic programs.

Kylie Eaton - Greenville, R.I.

Kylie Eaton burst onto the scene as the 2024 Women’s Eastern Amateur champion, shooting 3-under 213 (73‑70‑70) to win by three shots at Buck Hill Golf Club in Pennsylvania. She first gained attention as the 2022 Rhode Island Women’s Amateur champion and 2023 New England Junior Amateur champion, leading Team Rhode Island to the girls’ title at Mt. Washington Golf Course. Last month, she won the Rhode Island Women’s Amateur while wearing a walking boot due to a bone bruise. Eaton is a rising sophomore at Illinois and competed in one event for the Illini in the Illini Women's Invitational at Medinah.

Lillian Guleserian - Westwood, Mass.

Lillian Guleserian has been in the mix on a consistent basis over the last couple of summers. In 2024, she reached the Round of 32 in the Massachusetts Women’s Amateur and also played in the Mass. Girls’ Junior Championship Match against Isabel Brozena. This summer, she finished third in the New England Women’s Amateur at Haverhill CC, two shots outside of the playoff between Maddie Smith and Amelie Phung.

Julia Imai - Brookline, Mass.

Julia Imai has become a regular name on Mass Golf leaderboards in recent years. In 2024, she was the Mass. Women’s Amateur runner-up at Taconic GC. She finished 10th in the Ouimet Memorial and 15th in the New England Women’s Amateur. Imai had a very strong freshman year at U. of Wisconsin - Stout. She was named to the 2025 Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) NCAA Division III Region 3/Central Team. She won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship this spring and PGA Works Collegiate Championship. She was named WIAC Player of the Year.

Shannon Johnson - N. Easton, Mass.

One of the most accomplished amateur golfers in the country, Shannon Johnson has been a dominant force in Massachusetts and beyond. She won the 2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and was runner-up in 2016. A longtime standout on the Mass Golf circuit, Johnson has multiple wins in the Mass Women’s Stroke Play Championship for the Baker Trophy and consistently makes deep runs in the Mass Women’s Amateur. She won the 2023 Ouimet Memorial and reached the Round of 16 in last year’s Mass. Women’s Amateur before losing to her friend and four-ball partner, Megan Buck.

Ryley Regan - Granby, Mass.

A rising player in the junior and amateur ranks, the 13-year-old Regan has made her mark in Western Massachusetts and is competing more and more around the region. She has recorded five top-five finishes in junior events this year, including a T3 in an AJGA event in March and a victory in a Hurricane Junior Tour event in April. She made match play in Mass. Girls’ Junior Amateur last month.

Rebecca Skoler - Needham, Mass.

The 2023 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur champion from Needham, Rebecca Skoler has made a habit of playing her best when it matters most. At Dedham Country & Polo Club, her precision and short game helped her outduel Molly Smith 2&1, sealing the win with gritty pars down the stretch. She is also a two-time Mass. Girls’ Junior Amateur champion (2018 and 2020). A recent graduate of the University of Virginia, Skoler was a dependable force for the Cavaliers. She secured her place in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes with a 71 at Pine Brook.

Maddie Smith - Westford, Mass.

The youngest Smith sister is making quite a mark in the wake of her sister’s success. She won the 2023 Mass. Girls’ Junior and triumphed this year in the New England Women’s Amateur in a playoff over Amelie Phung. Along with her two sisters, she advanced to match play at the 2024 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur but lost in the Round of 32. She also joined her sisters Morgan and Molly in making history by all qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur. They were the first trio of siblings to play in the same USGA event.

Molly Smith - Westford, Mass.

One of the most talented players to come out of Massachusetts in recent memory, Molly Smith has a wealth of experience competing at the highest level in and out of Massachusetts. Molly has played in U.S. Women’s Amateurs. In 2023 and 2024, she qualified for the Mass. Amateur Championship, the first female in history to book a spot in that event. She reached the final of the Mass Women’s Amateur in 2023. This summer has been quiet for Smith, as she hasn’t competed in any event aside from the Lowell Cities on the men’s and women’s side and the Canadian Womens’ Amateur. It will be interesting to see how she settles into the competitive flow at such a challenging course.

Morgan Smith - Westford, Mass.

Morgan Smith has made slow and steady gains over the last four years, and the result has been a collection of trophies. She announced her presence in 2022, winning the New England Women’s Amateur and then the Mass. Women’s Amateur later that summer at The Orchards in dramatic fashion, winning the last three holes to edge out Rebecca Skoler. In 2024, she reclaimed the Mass Women’s Amateur title over Julia Imai at Taconic GC. Her Mass. Women’s Amateur victory earned her a spot in this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes.

Mackenzie Whitney - Westminster, Mass.

A steady presence in the Massachusetts amateur ranks, Mackenzie Whitney has played in multiple Mass Women’s Amateur Championships and consistently qualifies for regional events. A collegiate player at Sienna, she won the Crusader Invitational this past year. Whitney also finished 6th in the New England Women’s Amateur.

Featured Groups

9:50 am/12:35 pm

• Catie Schernecker (The Country Club)

• Lillian Guleserian (Blue Hill Country Club)

• Isabel Brozena (Indian Ridge Country Club)

9:39 am/12:24 pm

• Rebecca Skoler (Pine Brook Country Club)

• Megan Buck (Thorny Lea Golf Club)

• Phoebe Brinker (George Wright Golf Course)

10:01 am/12:46 pm

• Shannon Johnson (Thorny Lea Golf Club)

• Mekhala Costello (Blue Hill Country Club)

12:46 pm/10:01 am

• Katherine Ng (Nehoiden Golf Club)

• Annie Dai (Orchards Golf Club)

• Morgan Smith (Mount Pleasant Golf Club)

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