NORTON, Massachusetts (August 9, 2025) – 54 First Tee players across the state came to showcase their talent at the second annual First Tee Chapter Championship.
The championship, in its second year, is held annually at the Links at Mass Golf, where 9 teams across the state compete for a team and individual trophies. The skill level varies across the field, with the oldest players about to graduate high school, and the youngest entering elementary school.
“So for some of our kids, this is really their first competitive opportunity, so this is kind of a chance to dip their toe into the competitive golf sphere, but do so in a friendly First Tee environment,” said Kyle Harris, director of operations at First Tee Massachusetts. “And for others, we have some kids that are really good players, that compete in junior tournament around the state.”
Throughout the 18-hole play, each competitor ended the round with a smile on their face, and an increased knowledge on the game of golf.
“First Tee isn’t just about getting started in the game, but really fostering playing the game for life, and we can really create some highly competitive players if they stick with the program for a long time,” Harris said.
Harris joined the First Tee program in 2018, and after hearing feedback from coaches, decided an annual First Tee championship was necessary for the program.
“One of the pieces of feedback I got from the coaches was ‘Hey, it would be nice for our kids to meet other First Tee players,” Harris said. “We put on the event last year, and it was a huge success, and it’s great to see it grow. The number of kids that came up to me at classes, saying ‘I can’t wait for the chapter championship,’ was pretty rewarding to see.”
This year, seven teams brought six competitors each, and any alternate players were placed on two other teams, “At Large #1” and “At Large #2.”
The Links at Mass Golf is solely a par three course, with a combined par of 54 on the 18 holes.
While the number of First Tee participants from each club can vary, each coach sets their own qualifying rules for this tournament. Some teams may host a full qualifier to choose the six, other coaches will choose based on participation levels.
Bringing the trophy home this year in the boys division was Sawyer Hemingway, from the Cranberry Valley team. Hemingway ended his front 9 at 1-under-par.
“I was mostly focusing on having fun out there, my first two holes I went bogey-bogey,” Hemingway said. “And I was like, all right, I came all the way out here, we’re not out here to be upset.”
Hemingway carded a total 1-over-par 55, and shot one of his best rounds to date, after placing fifth in the tournament in 2024.
“I was focusing, mostly all year, on practicing and all that, to come here and shoot one over is really, really exciting,” Hemingway said.
Hemingway, at only 12 years old, walks away from this round with a tournament record, by three strokes.
Taking home the hardware on the girls side, after a 2 hole playoff, was Jenna Saini, a member of the home team, the Links at Mass Golf.
“I used to play here often when I was younger, so this is like taking a walk down memory lane,” Saini said.
With two birdies on the front nine, Saini was able to take a few bogeys off the card from earlier in her round to finish her round with a 5-over-par 59.
“I started off pretty rough, had a few bogeys on the card, but as we moved along, it felt like I got a lot better,” Saini said. “My group was also really supportive, so I feel like that also played a huge part.”
Saini also earned the team trophy, with the Links at Mass Golf team taking home hardware. The team carded a 40-over-par total, taking the top five scores in the team for the tournament.
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 (West 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, the participants are introduced to the First Tee Program, which is the curriculum of age-appropriate life skills that are 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, which include Pursuing Goals, Growing through Challenge, Collaborating with Others, Building Positive Self Identity, and Using Good Judgment.
