The most prestigious event on the state’s golf calendar roars back next week.
The 112th Massachusetts Amateur Golf Championship begins Monday, and the five-day event will be played over two courses — The Kittansett Club in Marion and The Bay Club at Mattapoisett.
The tournament features 36 holes of stroke play — 18 at each course, with the field rotating between Monday and Tuesday. Kittansett will be the only course used once the field is cut down to match play following Tuesday action, as the top 32 players will be slotted into a single-elimination bracket until the champion is crowned on Friday.
Here’s a breakdown of the event:
South Deerfield’s Jacob Zaranek, who plays out of the Country Club of Greenfield, headlines the local contingent. The Fairfield University standout reached the match play portion of the event for the first time in 2019, and lost in the Round of 32 in a back-and-forth match to Bradford’s Nick Maccario, 1-Up. He also competed in the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship.
“It’s going to be a great field,” began Zaranek, who earned an exemption into this year’s field thanks to qualifying for match play a year ago. “Mass Golf events are so competitive, so many good players in the field. It’s definitely a challenge but I feel up for it.”
Fellow South Deerfield resident Jonathan Elkins, who plays out of Springfield Country Club, qualified for his third straight Mass. Am, and the 19-year-old soon-to-be freshman at Villanova University is hoping to join Zaranek as a match play participant after falling below the cut line the past two years.
“I think in general, I just have to play really, really boring golf,” he explained. “I’ve got to survive the first 36 holes. I don’t care if I come in 32nd or first place, you get to play in the same tournament as everyone else after that if you get (into match play). So if I can play extremely boring golf and just hit fairways and greens, I think I’ll be in the mix.”
Northfield’s Jesse Morgan is a Mass. Am veteran, though he hasn’t played in the event since 2017. The reigning Northfield Golf Club champion has his eyes set on reaching the match play bracket for the first time in his career.
“To try and measure yourself with the best in the state, that’s the challenge,” Morgan began. “As amateur golfers, that’s what we do, we play for prestige. To get a chance to play on these storied, typically private courses, it’s awesome to be a part of this event. The format is the best; it’s like two different tournaments basically with match play involved. Qualifying is so hard with so many great Mid-Ams and college kids. The competition is probably the highest in the state here.”
The Kittansett Club was the original site for the tournament, though Mass Golf announced in June that with COVID-19 forcing increased social distancing and safety initiatives, The Bay Club would be added as all golfers need to tee off No. 1. Therefore, half the field will play each course on Monday, then switch for Tuesday’s round.
Founded in 1922, The Kittansett Club has held a regular spot on Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses in the Country list, checking in at No. 78 this past year. An oceanside, links-style course, it was the product of course architect William Flynn, who also designed Shinnecock. The views are breath-taking, the wind can be brutal. It’s about as far from Franklin County as it gets.
It’ll be the sixth time Kittansett will host the Mass. Am. The last time this tournament was played there in 2008, the cut line was 11-over.
“The only way I can really describe it is it has the wind of an Ireland course, but the greens and bunkering of The Country Club (in Brookline, site of last year’s Mass. Am),” explained Elkins, who played a round with Morgan and a member earlier this week. “Small, small greens with deep, deep bunkers. You’re penalized more for missing the green than missing a fairway.”
Morgan said the weather will certainly be a factor for golfers at Kittansett, particularly if the wind wreaks havoc for a specific portion of the field during stroke play.
“It was hard. Very hard,” he said with a laugh. “I kind of have a photographic memory so it was really good to see everything. I see patience being very important at that course. I’ll try and hit a lot of greens in regulation, or at least give myself a short or simple chip to get up and down. You’ve got to be a little creative but it’s just quite an impressive venue, to be honest. Just being there and playing is going to be pretty memorable. You’re looking right out at Buzzards Bay. What a treat.”
Zaranek said he’s never played a round at Kittansett before, but has heard about the potentially imposing elements.
“From everything I’ve heard, wind will be a big factor, being that it’s on the ocean, so that’s going to be a focus, for sure,” he said. “You’ll see some pretty big variations. But I have to have a steady plan in mind for both courses because you can get through that challenge but there’s an entirely different course you have to play the other day as well.”
Located about 10 miles down the road, The Bay Club opened in 2004, and measures in at over 7,000 yards. Bent grass fairways and greens and British-style fescue are hallmarks of this classic New England parkland course, which is just a mile walk from Mattapoisett Town Beach.
“We have two great venues that will set the perfect stage for the return of championship golf in the Bay State,” said Kevin Eldredge, Mass Golf’s Director of Rules & Competitions. “The staff at both The Kittansett Club and The Bay Club have done a wonderful job keeping their courses in pristine conditions and preparing their facilities to allow us to conduct a safe and enjoyable championship for all.”
The Kittansett Club will be set up at approximately 6,934 yards and will play to a par of 35-36–71. The Bay Club at Mattapoisett will be set up at approximately 7,008 yards and will also play to a par of 35-36–71.
Defending champion Steven DiLisio, who recently finished his collegiate career at Duke University, will defend his title as one of the favorites in the deep and talented field.
Dedham’s Patrick Frodigh, the 2018 champion, and Brockton’s Matt Parziale, the 2017 champion, are also in the field, as is two-time champion Mike Calef (2012, 2013). Former NHL defenseman Ryan Whitney, who plays out of Old Sandwich GC, is back in the field after competing in 2019.
With some national events canceled for 2020, expect the Mass. Am field to be as deep as ever. Just three alternates were taken into the field, as of earlier this week.
“When we played (Kittansett earlier this week), Parziale was right behind us, Herbie Aikens was two groups behind,” Morgan explained. “I try not to worry about other people because you don’t really have control over that. Just try and play the course and not make too many big numbers. It’s survive and advance. It seems at Kittansett, par is very, very good.”
John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC), who won the Mass. Am the last time it was played at Kittansett, is also in the field.
All three local golfers will play The Bay Club on Monday before switching over to Kittansett on Tuesday.
Zaranek goes off at 8:18 a.m. on Monday, and Elkins follows shortly at 8:54 a.m. Morgan tees off in the afternoon with a 12:06 p.m. start.
On Tuesday at Kittansett, Morgan starts his day with a 9:30 a.m. tee time, followed by Zaranek at 11:06 a.m. and Elkins at 11:42 a.m.
“I’m assuming the earlier the better, but that’s just semi-educated guess,” Morgan said of the Kittansett weather impact.
Spectators have previously been allowed to attend the Mass. Am free of charge. However, due to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Guidelines for Outdoor Competitions & Tournaments, no spectators will be permitted to attend the event this year. Fans can follow online with live hole-by-hole scoring at massgolf.org.