BRAINTREE, Massachusetts – After the first round, Newton’s Kaitlyn Doe (Student Member/MIAA) came away with a strong lead Monday at the 90th Massachusetts Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship Powered by KOHR Golf at Braintree Municipal Golf Course.
North Andover’s Callie Dias (Renaissance) took the lead in the Silver Division with an 80, while Billerica’s Reva MacHanavajhula (Youth on Course/Mass Golf) leads in the Junior-Mite Division at 1-under 35.
Doe quickly shook off her first-hole jitters after a bogey, as she then proceeded to birdie holes 4, 6, 7, and 8 en route to a 6-under 66. Close behind were Madison Smith (Student Member/MIAA) and Isabel Brozena (Indian Ridge Country Club) with scores of 4-under 68 and 3-under 69, respectively. Both rose to the top of the leaderboard after posting strong back nines.
Following in 4th place with a three-way tie are Francesca Choquette (Boston Golf Club), Mya Murphy (Student Member/MIAA), and Julia Imai (KOHR Golf Center) with scores of 1-under 71.
To start off the day, Brozena was at the top of the leaderboard for the first half of the round, reaching 4-under-par by the end of her 10th hole. Doe quickly caught up to her, though, shooting a total of five birdies on the front nine.
It all added up to the best round of her life.
“My round was really good. It’s actually the first time I’ve ever shot under par in a tournament,” Doe said. “I’m just surprised I did so well, and I’ll definitely use this momentum for tomorrow.”
Doe was asked about some of the more challenging parts of the course and her favorite aspects of it.
“Some of the tee shots were really challenging,” she said. “My favorite part was how nicely the greens were rolling.”
She was then lastly asked about the best part of her game for the day.
“On the front nine, my irons were really on, and I got a lot of birdies due to how close I got,” Doe said.
Smith trails only two strokes behind her. She recorded two birdies on the front nine and four birdies on the back nine.
For the first time, the Girls’ Junior Amateur will be 54-holes of stroke play, with two more rounds being played Tuesday & Wednesday.
The player at the top of the leaderboard changed frequently throughout the round for the Silver Division. Dias secured the position towards the end of the round amongst her competitors.
“I’m looking forward to making more putts, I missed a couple of easy ones today and need to get them tomorrow,” Dias said.
Dias then gave a heartfelt statement on what her favorite part of the day was.
“I would say the people I played with today, that was my favorite part,” Dias said. “There’s a great staff as well, and I’m glad I made some new friends today.”
Following closely behind her are Isabella Arone (Brae Burn Country Club) and Denise Pan (Student Member/ MIAA) with scores of 12-over 84 and 13-over 85.
The Silver Division will wrap up play after another 18-hole round Tuesday.
In the 9-hole Junior-Mite competition, defending champion Reva MacHanavajhula shot a 1-under 35 to finish as the Round 1 leader. Coming in second in the round was Nathalie Redmond (Student Member/MIAA), shooting a score of 2-over 38.
A winner will be crowned after the final nine holes of competition on Tuesday.
Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest information on Mass Golf championships and events. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #MassGolf.
