By Tori Schuller
FRANKLIN, Massachusetts (August 4, 2025) – Franklin Country Club proved a scoreable course on the first day of the 107th Massachusetts Junior Amateur, powered by KOHR Golf, with 16 players under par.
Leading that pack is Max McColgan (Nashawtuc Country Club), with a score of 6-under-par 65 on his card. McColgan amassed seven birdies throughout his round, and earned four of those in the last five holes, which he attributed to his putting.
“It was a little bit lucky, I made a really lucky one on 16 that shouldn’t have gone in,” McColgan said. “I played good golf today, I just putted really well, and when you putt well, it makes everything easier.”
This is not McColgan’s first time near the top of the leaderboard in this tournament, the St. John’s University commit made it to the quarterfinals of this same tournament last year.
“I’m just trying to build off of it, my goal is to win medalist in stroke play, and then see how I do in match play,” McColgan said.
After his hopeful medalist award, McColgan is eager to get to the match play portion of the tournament, something he has warmed up to and grown more comfortable with in the past few years.
McColgan played in the Massachusetts Amateur this year as well, making it all the way to the round of 16.
The low round of the A.M. tee times came from Jake Morgan (Student Member/MIAA), a recent grad from Andover High School and an incoming freshman at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Morgan started his round out with three birdies and an eagle in his front nine, carding a 3-under-par 32 to take the outright lead in the field.
“I felt good on my front nine, I had a lot of momentum,” Morgan said. “I knew the back nine was a lot harder, so I tried to stick to my game plan, to go out there and make as many pars as possible.”
Morgan deemed himself successful in his pursuit of pars, including his two eagles on holes 7 and 15, two out of the three total eagles in the field today.
“I eagled that par five on the front nine, just made a really solid approach shot and made the putt,” Morgan said. “And then the first par five on the back nine, hit a good 3-wood onto the green to about 20 feet, and made that putt.”
In the Pre-Junior division, home to players in the field under the age of 15, James Doyle (Sterling National Golf Club), leads the field 3 strokes ahead, after carding a 3-under-par 68.
The first two days of the Junior Amateur Championship involve just stroke play, and the first cut of the tournament occurs after Tuesday, shrinking the field to just 16 players. Those 16 advance to match play on Wednesday, and a champion will be crowned on Thursday evening.
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