NORTON, Massachusetts (November 13, 2025) — With 124 golfers filling the fairways for a chilly-but-spirited golf tournament at TPC on Monday, November 3 at TPC Boston, the 19th First Tee — Massachusetts Golf Tournament Fundraiser once again delivered a banner day for youth development, raising more than $130,000 to support programs that teach life skills and leadership through golf.
Proceeds from the event support the programs and activities of First Tee — Massachusetts, the state’s chapter of the national youth development organization, where kids and teens are learning life lessons and leadership skills through golf.
According to Kyle Harris, Director of Operations for First Tee — Massachusetts, contributions have grown annually, driven by unique prizes, on-course contests, and increased awareness of First Tee’s broad impact. Added to this year’s total is $17,400 raised from the online auction.
For the past four years, Lighthouse Electrical Contracting, Inc., a full-service union electrical contractor based in Rockland, has served as the tournament’s presenting sponsor. Herbie Aikens, president of Lighthouse Electrical and an accomplished amateur golfer, is a long-time supporter and member of the First Tee Committee.
“He has brought so many other sponsors to the table,” Harris said of Aikens. “His support as a sponsor as well as a member of our First Tee Committee has been invaluable and is so appreciated.”
Aikens played in a foursome with mid-amateur standout Alex Jeffers as well as Dana Griffin and Paul Walsh, tying for the low gross score at 8-under-par 64. Bobby Villaneuve, the Official In Charge at this year’s Massachusetts Amateur Championship at GreatHorse, also shot 64 alongside Jesse Pereira, David Ford, and Nasser Zebrian.
The team of Thomas Field, Adam Packer, Anthony Romano, and Doug Woodford shot the low Net score of 14-under-par 58 with five net eagles. In the scramble division, Harry Schofield, Andrew Copelotti, Rich Trabucco, and Chris Baptist also carded a 58.
A crowd favorite “beat the pro” contest returned this year on the par-3 8th hole. Tour pro Evan Harmeling (Andover, MA), the 2013 Mass Open champion and a longtime supporter of First Tee, challenged participants to hit their shots closer to the hole than his.
Harmeling has long given back to important causes. In 2013, he donated his winnings of the Mass Open to The One Fund. After winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s Savannah Golf Championship in 2020, he pledged those earnings to the Savannah Legacy Academy and established a program for aspiring junior golfers in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, where he resided at the time.
In addition to playing alongside juniors from the First Tee North Florida program, Harmeling presented at the First Tee — Massachusetts Teen Game Changers Conference earlier this year.
“I’m a huge believer in First Tee,” said Harmeling, who now lives back in New England. “I want to get more involved. Kids, you can tell genuinely want to get better at golf, and Kyle’s done an amazing job. I feel like some knowledge that I pass down can help them get better at golf or help them learn something, so it’s really rewarding.”
Beyond the tournament, there are many ways to support First Tee’s mission, from equipment donations to volunteering and financial contributions. First Tee aims to introduce kids and teens to the game of golf, instilling values like honesty, respect, and confidence.
To learn more about giving back to First Tee – Massachusetts, visit: FirstTeeMass.org
In 2003, Mass Golf was selected by First Tee to join its national network with the goal of bringing an affordable junior golf program to youth and communities that did not have them.
Since that time, Mass Golf has introduced 11 program locations: Cyprian Keyes Golf Club (Boylston), D.W. Field Golf Course (Brockton), William J. Devine GC at Franklin Park (Boston), Hyannis Golf Course (Cape Cod), Cranberry Valley Golf Course (Harwich), Fenway Golf Center (Springfield), KOHR Golf (Natick), Sagamore Spring Golf Club (Lynnfield), The Links at Mass Golf (Norton), The Ranch Golf Club (Southwick), and The Reggie Lewis Center (Roxbury).
As part of the curriculum, the children progress through a series of golf lessons where they are introduced to the different aspects of a golf course, including the green, tee, fairway, rough, bunkers, and water hazards. The participants are also introduced to the basic elements of the game of golf and the swing, including distance and accuracy control, course management, how to score, pace of play, honor, and proper grip, stance, and posture. As participants grow and improve their golf skills, they will meet new challenges and potentially earn opportunities to play and compete on the local or national level.
In addition to golf, participants are introduced to the First Tee Program, a curriculum of age-appropriate life skills that is interwoven into our golf lessons. Participants develop resilience, grit, and integrity as they experience lessons that fall into one of our five Key Commitment categories: Pursuing Goals, Growing through Challenge, Collaborating with Others, Building Positive Self-Identity, and Using Good Judgment.
