HAMPDEN, Massachusetts (July 9, 2025) — From 144 to 32, the cut has been made. After two scorching days of bold shot-making, nervy lag putting, and gut-check golf across the sprawling hillside layout of GreatHorse, the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship is down to its match-play contenders.
Every player left has a clean slate and one shared goal: Winning the Massachusetts Cup. That’s not the only fresh start. On Wednesday, players will see some different tee boxes come into play that weren’t used from the past two days, plus tricky pin locations that will make life interesting for anybody going flag hunting, as typically seen at this stage.
Here’s a look at three intriguing matchups in the Round of 32:
13-Aidan Emmerich vs. 20-Carson Erick (8:50 a.m.)
You can’t win the Mass Amateur on past experiences or accolades alone, but there’s plenty to go around with these two collegiate players. Emmerich has made several promising runs in match play events, while Erick went the distance at GreatHorse two years ago in the Mass Junior Amateur, making it back to the final match last year.
Emmerich, who plays at Temple University, shot consecutive rounds of 73 to make it back into match play for the first time since 2022 when he faced his brother Christian in the Round of 16. Later that summer, he played in the U.S. Junior Amateur and advanced to the final match of the Mass Junior Amateur against John Broderick. The next year, he won the prestigious Hornblower Memorial Tournament and came close to earning the jacket once again this year. This past year, he had several top finishes for Temple and was the team’s top scorer in the American Athletic Conference Championship.
Following his successful 2023 campaign, Erick has committed to Georgetown University after taking a gap year in 2024. In addition to his Junior Amateur victory, in which he defeated medalist Ryan Downes in the semifinals, Erick represented Mass Golf in the 2024 New England Junior Amateur at GreatHorse, so course familiarity shouldn’t be an issue. Erick didn’t have too many highlight-reel moments over the past two days, but a birdie on the 18th on Tuesday could serve as a confidence boost, given it’s the No. 1 Handicap hole, and it may well decide this match and any he plays subsequently.
The Round of 32 is now underway at the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship. #MassAm
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— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 9, 2025
10-Matt Parziale vs. 23-Jake Ratti (9:50 a.m.)
After two days of playing in the same group, these two past Mass Mid-Amateur champions meet in the opening round. Mid-Amateurs (age 25+) have certainly held their own against the young standouts in the Mass Amateur, and these are two of the best competing right now.
Parziale, who won both the Mass Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2017, is in his 13th consecutive match-play bracket. No player in the field boasts more experience or composure when it counts. After a frustrating double-bogey on the par-5 2nd to start his round Tuesday, Parziale rebounded with three birdies on the front to cruise in at 72-73—145. A year after overcoming health issues to make the semifinals at Framingham, Parziale is entering match play feeling strong: “I’m at fighting weight now,” said Brockton’s Parziale, a good sign for the man from the City of Championships.
Ratti is certainly capable of some fireworks himself. Last year, he won the Mass Mid-Amateur championship by holing out from the greenside bunker at Cranberry Valley Golf Course. He has that ability to sneak up on you, doing so last year with a six-stroke rally in the final round. In a similar fashion, he snuck up on the field at this year’s Mass Open and won Low Amateur honors with a closing round of 3-under 69 and his best finish in the event (T8 overall).
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3-Joseph Lenane vs. 30-Danny Frodigh (10 a.m.)
After Frodigh earned one of the final spots in match play Wednesday morning, he drew a matchup with N.C. State standout Joey Lenane. Both men have competed in USGA events over the past year, with Lenane playing his way into the 2024 U.S. Amateur through Final Qualifying, while Frodigh competed in the 2025 U.S. Four-Ball Championship with his former University of Hartford teammate Jared Winiarz.
Lenane indicated earlier this week that this week could be his final Mass Amateur as he has pro plans in his near future after finishing his junior year down in Raleigh. For now, the 2023 New England Amateur champion has been locked in so far, playing with a smooth tempo, and his blunders have been nearly non-existent. He had one bogey in each round, with 16 pars on Tuesday. That’s a successful formula just about any year in this tournament. He ran into a gauntlet at Essex in 2023, knocking off James Imai and Matt Parziale, before running into eventual champion Ryan Downes.
Frodigh made a bit of a surprise run to the quarterfinals last year at Framingham, knocking down a 24-foot playoff birdie putt to advance in the opener and then knocking off Jake Ratti in the Round of 16. It’s also the second consecutive year he’s advanced via a playoff, making a nervy 3-foot par putt on the first playoff hole early this morning to secure his spot. Frodigh, the youngest of three brothers, saw his oldest brother, Patrick, win the title in 2018, while his other brother, Will, made the semifinals two years ago.
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