QUINCY, Massachusetts (May 12, 2026) – An ideal day for early season golf played backdrop for just over 130 female golfers as they teed it up for a Mass Golf event not like many others. The historic Presidents Golf Club was the battleground of choice as a double-shotgun start kicked off the 2026 Cris Eaton Chapman Tournament, a popular event since its origin in 1966.
In the Chapman format, each teammate hits a tee shot and proceed to play their partner’s ball as their second shot. Competitors then select a ball and alternate shots until the ball is in the hole. Low gross and net were awarded for each of two divisions (Division 1, Handicaps Up to 18.0 & Division 2, Handicaps 18.1 and above).
The tournament would prove to be a return to the winner’s circle for both Megan Buck (Thorny Lea Golf Club) and her partner Chelsea Curtis (The Country Club) as they would edged out Kristen Henderson (The Tour) and Mercedese (Ellie) Large (Taconic Golf Club), the two-time defending winners.
After starting on the 3rd hole at Presidents Golf Club, the winning duo would make two early pars, before bogeying the par-5 fifth hole. That blemish wouldn’t stay for long though, as they followed that with a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole. They would then have similar bogey then birdie situations on the 8th through 11th holes, going on to shoot even par for their first nine holes. Sitting at one-over with three holes to play, the duo would make a clutch birdie on 18 to bring them back to even-par which would set the score to beat for the afternoon wave including the defending champs.
After starting with a steady front nine that included just one bogey, and then one birdie on the 9th hole en route to an even 35, the back 9 would tell a different story for Henderson and Large. Trouble would strike on the 13th hole when the duo would bogey the short par 3. Their woes would continue on the tricky par-4 14th that sharply doglegs left with trouble up the left side, carding another bogey. Eventually the ladies would settle things down with back-to-back pars on the 15th and 16th and ended on a high-note, birdieing the par-3 18th.
Pat Gremo and Penny Nickerson of Barnstable Golf took home the low net score for Division 1, including six net birdies or better on the day for a 67.
In Division 2, Brenda Nishimura (Oakley Country Club) and Deborah Fisher (Lexington Golf Club) would be the low gross scorers with a 92, beating last year’s champions Glenna Goodnow and Necia O’Neill of South Shore Country Club by a mere two strokes. Lisa Roeder (Scituate Country Club) and Pamela Mello (Rochester Golf Course) won the net for Division 2 with five net birdies or better for a 71.
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All of Mass Golf’s women’s tournaments and some of its championships are named after some of the pioneering women involved with organizing and promoting amateur golf in Massachusetts. During her time, Cris Eaton was among the most popular women in the game, known for her charm, wit and unequivocal appreciation for sportsmanship and fair play. She helped bridge the gap between older, established players to the newcomers to the game. Eaton also helped establish the New England Women’s Golf Association (now part of the New England Golf Association) and twice served as president of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts (now part of Mass Golf). The Cris Eaton Tournament began one year after her death in 1965 and has been played every year since (except for 2020).
Re-opening on July 8, 1977, this public course’s history goes back way further to 1895 when the Wollaston Golf Club emerged. A property with deep rooted tradition, “Francis Ouimet used the course for his practice rounds prior to competing in the British Opens and Amateurs. He found the wind conditions and the wide variety of topography well suited for the preparation needed to compete overseas,” according to the club’s website. The course is located just 8 miles south of Boston, where the 93 acres of land it sits on has a backdrop of the city skyline, the Neponset River, and the Blue Hills Reservation.
The layout includes six par threes, a few tricky par fours and their signature par-5 15th that features a double dog leg. On top of this, being just off the Atlantic Ocean, the wind is always a factor across its hilly terrain, providing unique golf experiences each time you have the privilege to tee it up there.
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