By: Richard Rapp
WILLIAMSTOWN, Massachusetts (August 17, 2026) – Way out west in the Berkshires, persistent cloud cover drapes atop a cascade of lush green mountainside. I bet it can grow unnervingly quiet in sleepy Williamstown, but not during Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship week. A player pipes in Bad Bunny’s “DTMF” from the phone in his pocket as he strides to the 8th tee, no one in the group objects as they let fly. Trophy destination head covers bloom from tattered carry bags, shirts range a full spectrum between tucked and untucked, and the Rhodes’ Tavern is abuzz shortly after the morning wave finishes up. The people’s championship is underway at Waubeeka. Back for the first time since 2016.
Malcolm Herbert (Sandy Burr Country Club) and Taylor Michie (George Wright Golf Course) share the day one lead after rounds of 3-under 68. Pat Landers (Oak Ridge Golf Club) and Patrick Maloney (Student Member/MIAA) are a shot back, after a pair of morning 2-under 69s, along with Matthew Michaud (South Shore Country Club) and Shane Hayes (Granite Links Golf Club). Twelve other players are within three shots of the lead of the two-day competition, which cuts down from 126 players to 60 and ties for Tuesday’s final round.
Hailing from the Springfield area, Pat Landers hadn’t played Waubeeka before the event, which is probably true for much of the field. The course is tucked just inside of the Massachusetts/New York border, quite a ways down the Mass Pike from the Boston area, which easily claims the majority of course affiliations in the field. As many modern golfers do, Landers turned to drone flyovers on YouTube to get a sense of the routing, which is quirky to be sure.
But once he got out here, it was pick a target, and follow the rhythm of the golf course. When asked about the seven hole stretch that he played in 5-under, Landers seemed surprised, “Honestly, I just kind of flowed with the course, I don’t really remember.” He focused on playing to the correct side of the undulating greens and avoiding big numbers, and that pragmatic approached served him well.
“I’ve just been a straight public golfer for my whole life. I’ve never been a member at a private course. This is like the one tournament that I looked forward to every single year. It’s fun,” said Landers. “It shows that public golfers can still game, and there’s a lot of good players out here. And you don’t take it for granted. Bring your game and try to compete against the best because everyone qualified to get here.”
Taylor Michie took a roundabout way to get here, and I’m not talking Route 7. His public golf roots stretch out pretty far, “Grew up in Asheville and then Mississippi, grew up on muni tracks and worked at muni tracks my entire life. Went and worked at another muni track out of high school in New Orleans. Stopped playing golf at 20 and didn’t touch a club again until I was 31. Started playing at George Wright, we had moved to Boston, and just love the game again.”
Michie stands somewhere around 6’6″, based on how high we had to hoist the tripod for an interview, with tattoos decorating his lanky limbs. He carries a gentle demeanor accented by a southern twang. He’s the type of guy you hope to get paired with when you show up at George Wright as a single. He started his day on the difficult par-3 10th with a bogey, got it back with a birdie on 12, then a hiccup: “I had a shank on 13, usually one of those lurking around, made bogey, and then just kind of played some steady golf,” said Michie. Steady might be an understatement, Michie made four birdies and no bogeys the rest of the way.
This is Michie’s third appearance at the Massachusetts APL, following a T-20th last year and a missed cut the year before. He’ll look to keep that arc of improvement trending in the right direction. “This is my favorite event of the year. I really wish they still had the U.S. going, never had a chance to play in that one. I mean, I’m diehard for public golf. I’ve never been a member anywhere, this is what it’s all about, you know?”
He’ll be paired in the final group with Malcolm Herbert, who tallied three birdies and an eagle on his way to 68.
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Located just a few miles from the New York/Massachusetts border, Waubeeka winds amid the dense pines of the Berkshires. The course was laid out in 1966 by architect Colonel Roland Armacost. The tract was originally farm land owned by Mr. and Mrs. Linwood Rhodes and an additional parcel owned by Edward Wylde.
In 2008 the course was purchased by Jim Goff, son of Taconic Golf Club Professional Rudy Goff. Jim was an avid golfer who graduated from Yale as a member of golf team as captain. After purchasing the course, Goff renovated the 13th hole, making it an Ode To Yale’s 10th hole.
The club is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes’ great-great-great-grandsons, Chris and Peter Kapiloff.
