By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
OSTERVILLE, Massachusetts (June 9, 2024) – If the salt-tinged breeze rolling in from the West Bay and Nantucket Sound feels a little brisker this week at the Wianno Club, perhaps it’s Edith Noblit Baker checking in on her tournament.
“Boss Baker,” as several past players called her, founded the Massachusetts Women’s Stroke Play Championship for the Baker Trophy in 1950 with a clear vision: a 36-hole medal play event held in the summer at a seaside resort, something working women and younger golfers could plan a vacation around. A five-time state champion and former president of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts, Baker elevated the event with her uncompromising standards and her commitment to bringing multiple generations of women golfers through competition. This October, she will be inducted into the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame, a well-deserved honor for the visionary who transformed her idea into a beloved annual tradition now in its 75th year.
“In some ways that’s been special for me because I’m a teacher, and it has always been held in really wonderful locations,” said Natalie Galligan (Pocasset Golf Club), a past champion (2001), who finds herself in solo second place after Round 1 on Monday. “It’s a great tournament, lot of camaraderie, and I am just pleased with how I played today and to be part of it.”
Riding the hot hand with her putter, Galligan carded a 3-over-par 73 to find herself two strokes behind Cindy Cao (Youth on Course/Mass Golf), a junior golfer who attends the Taft School in Connecticut. Galligan made birdie on the 17th and nearly finished with another on 18, but the steadily increasing gust at her back wasn’t enough to wasn’t enough to get it to drop.
“I could read the greens, and I got the speed down, so I saved a lot of pars,” said Galligan, sporting a timely U.S. Open pullover and a Royal Aberdeen hat, the latter a nod to the iconic Scottish links course perched along the North Sea, not unlike Wianno, with its coastal setting and ever-present winds.
“Fortunately for me, this is a course that I like because I stay in the fairway, and there’s wide fairways, which is very beneficial for me.”
Having senior standouts near the top of the leaderboard at defending champion Tara Joy-Connelly (The Kittansett Club) took the title last year in a playoff victory at Cummaquid Golf Club. However, juniors and college golfers have held the title four times in the past five years.
After participating in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Qualifying at Captains Golf Course last year, Cao sought an opportunity to return to the Cape and compete against an experienced field from Mass Golf. While Cao said it was looking like a birdie-free round, she saved her best for last. She hit a 48-degree wedge to 12 feet, made the birdie putt, and almost holed out for eagle on the 18th, giving her a short 3-footer to finish with a 1-over 71.
“I said I have to make this putt because I want this birdie desperately, and then I made it, which I was really happy about,” Cao said of the 17th. “You really have to think about where you land your shot. The distance is really comfortable for me, not that long, and also not that short.”
Mekhala Costello (Blue Hill Country Club), who helped Team Mass Golf win the Griscom Cup two weeks prior at Cape Cod National, will look to rally back on Day 2. The medalist at the 2024 Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship made a pair of birdies on her first nine and on the 1st hole after making the turn, but she gave a few back to finish with a 74, three strokes ahead of the defending champion.
Speaking of past winners, Christine Gagner (Bedrock Golf Club) is competing for a three-peat in the Tournament Division. After winning the past two editions in a playoff, Gagner shot 7-over 77 for a three-shot lead over the field, including Kristen Henderson (The Tour), who shot an 80, one week after winning the Curtis Bowl with Elizabeth Derwin (Walpole Country Club).
Gagner, a four-time winner of the Endicott Cup, made birdie on the par-5 4th but said it took some time to settle into the round. By the back nine, she began to play more confidently and take more aggressive lines, carding a 36 coming in that included a birdie on the 17th.
Wellesley’s Aarya Tsarong (Student Member/MIAA), the youngest in the field at age 11, currently holds the lowest net score at 4-under 66. Tsarong competed in the 2024 Drive Chip & Putt National Final at Augusta National.
Round 2 begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday with the groups re-seeded based on score. In the event of a tie for low gross in either division, a hole-by-hole play-off will commence immediately following the close of competition.
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Nestled on a bluff in the Barnstable seaside village of Osterville, the Wianno Club is a historic seaside retreat overlooking Nantucket Sound. Since 1916, it has welcomed generations of families to enjoy summer traditions, pristine beaches, and exceptional golf.
The club’s centerpiece is its classic 18-hole golf course, originally designed by Donald Ross. First opened as a nine-hole layout in 1916, Ross expanded it to 18 holes by 1919, incorporating his hallmark features, such as natural routing and strategic bunkering. In 2012, renowned architect Gil Hanse led a thoughtful restoration that preserved Ross’s vision while updating the course for modern play. Recent work on holes 2, 8, and 13–17, with the 5th next in line, reflects a broader effort, common among Massachusetts classics, to restore original design features through bunker renovation and tree removal.
Though modest in length at 5,900 yards, the par-70 course offers a challenging and scenic experience. Rolling fairways, sloping greens, and holes like the panoramic 4th and lengthy par-5 8th that will challenge golfers of all skill levels.
Wianno also boasts a unique dual-clubhouse setup featuring the oceanfront Shingle-style main clubhouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a dedicated Golf House located near the course.
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Past Championships At Wianno
Mass Women’s Stroke Play – 1956 (Joanne Goodwin), 1962 (Mrs. W. Lincoln Boyden), 1976 (Debbie Simourian), 1994 (Laura Gilmore)
Mass Super Senior Amateur – 2021 (Don Reycroft)
Mass Senior Four-Ball (w/Willowbend) – 2019 (Kevin Carey & Joe Walker)
Mass Mixed Four-Ball – 2016 (Georgia Peirce & Jack Bohman)
Mass Four-Ball (w/Hyannisport) – 1991 (Jon Fasick & Carter Fasick)
Mass Women’s Senior Amateur – 1981 (Nancy Black), 2011 (Annette Gaiotti)
Mass Senior Amateur – 1980 (Fran Hannaway)
Mass Women’s Four-Ball – 1972 (Jeanne Watson & Mrs. Fred Cusick)
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