By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
HAMPDEN, Massachusetts (July 11, 2025) – By the time Ryan Downes walked in a 30-foot eagle putt over a ridge and into the cup of the 14th green at GreatHorse, eyes locked, stride confident, and a fist pump by his side toward the gallery, it was clear the 36-hole final match of the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship was playing out on his terms.
At just 19, the Longmeadow native claimed his second Mass Amateur title in three years with a 7&6 victory over 21-year-old Patrick Kilcoyne (Woodland Golf Club), becoming the first player to win the championship twice before turning 20. It was his third finals appearance in four years, all before his sophomore season at Vanderbilt University, and this one, on the course where he’s spent countless hours sharpening his game and assuredly picturing moments like this, carried extra weight.
“This one means a little bit more than the first one. [It’s my] home course, everyone out here supporting me, U.S. Amateur exemption on the line…it’s an awesome feeling,” said Downes, whose victory earned him an automatic spot in the 2025 U.S. Amateur from August 11-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
“Back then, little me probably didn’t even know what the Mass Am was,” he added. “Growing up, I heard all about it. So to be a two-time champion of this event, it’s super awesome.”
The youngest to ever win 2 Massachusetts Amateur Championships. Congratulations Ryan Downes! #MassAm | #MassGolf pic.twitter.com/3Glh5OJG86
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 11, 2025
Downes never trailed in the 36-hole final and looked sharp from the start. After a solid warm-up alongside caddie and fellow GreatHorse member Cole Banning, who also competed this week, Downes won three of the first five holes with clean, efficient golf. Even when he missed his first green on the par-4 6th, he responded with a low spinner and buried the par save to keep momentum firmly on his side.
Kilcoyne got on the board by getting it up to the green in two on the par-5 8th and converting a birdie, but any momentum he gained was fleeting. He won five holes in total, but on four of them, Downes answered immediately by winning the next.
“Honestly, I felt pretty relaxed,” Downes said. “I know the course better than anyone here. I just stuck to my game plan and executed really well this morning. From there, I was kind of able to coast.”
Downes finished the morning round at 5-under with just one bogey and kept his foot on the gas. His eagle on the par-5 14th was a standout, a drive to the center stripe, a solid second shot to the green, and a 30-footer over the ridge that dropped with authority. Even when he gave a hole back with a three-putt on the par-3 15th, he bounced back on one of the most exciting moments of the day.
With the tees up on the par-4 16th at 277 yards, both players took aggressive lines to the green, but had to navigate awkward bounces off the cart path. Kilcoyne’s ball kicked into the rough about 30 yards pin high, leaving him a narrow stance. Downes’ ball began rolling back down the path but nestled against the berm, giving him relief and a clean look from short range. He stuck his wedge close and calmly rolled in the putt for another fist pump and another step closer.
Aside from opening the week with a 5-over 77, the strategy of taking the lead and not letting it go defined Downes’ approach when match play came around. Aside from Thursday’s semifinal against NC State’s Joey Lenane, when he trailed by three after nine holes before closing the gap and winning it in 19 holes (the only extra holes match this week), Downes took the reins in every match and never let opponents back in it.
“I’m not the best at playing from behind,” Downes said. “In my opinion, I played good yesterday from behind, but I’ve never been super great at that. So it’s kind of just a mission of mine to get out to an early lead that pretty much, except for the match I played with Joey, did that pretty much every time.”
Kilcoyne, meanwhile, elevated his name with his deepest run in a Mass Golf event to date. The Gettysburg College rising senior had never won a match in the Massachusetts Amateur before this week but took out some of the tournament’s most experienced players, including GreatHorse member Billy Walthouse and club owner and president Guy Antonacci, plus DI golfers Alan Rose (Georgetown) and Aidan Emmerich (Temple).
“It’s bittersweet,” Kilcoyne said. “I had a blast, I had a ton of fun playing these five matches. Ryan played great today, golfed his ball. But it’s helped me build confidence moving forward. It feels good to finally put my name on it.”
The Belmont native earned every bit of the crowd support, with fist-bumps from his caddie Cooper Griffin, coupled with shouts of “Let’s go, Patty Ice!” echoing after knocking down some tricky, heart-pounding putts.
Downes never opened the door long enough for him to charge through. After a 45-minute break in between, both players struggled to hit fairways and greens, with Kilcoyne pumping his drives on Hole 1 to neighboring fairways each time and letting a couple putts get away from him.
“Definitely some jitters on the first tee,” Kilcoyne said after. “I don’t think I was as sharp, and Ryan, he knows this place just about better than anyone out here.”
Still, there was no let-up from Kilcoyne, who won the par-5 2nd with a birdie. After scrambling to equalize the next hole, as well as from the fairway bunker on the par-4 5th, the two were relatively even, exchanging hole wins on 8 and 9, but Downes closed it out at dormie on the par-3 12th.
Downes’ first shot was just short of the deep green with a front pin from the horseshoe-shaped tee box. After Kilcoyne missed left and chipped to the green, Downes’ putt stopped within a couple of feet, and the hats came off, followed by collective applause and several hugs exchanged among family members.
In addition to being a two-time Ouimet Memorial champion, a two-time Mass Golf Junior Player of the Year, and the co-holder of Vanderbilt’s program record for lowest round (61), Downes continues to build one of the most complete amateur résumés in Massachusetts history.
No matter how many trophies come next, the foundation of a remarkable legacy is already in place. And until Halloween this year, he’s still a teenager.
Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
School: Vanderbilt University
Accolades:
ROAD TO VICTORY
Stroke Play: 77-70–147 (+3)
R32: Def. Ben Balter, 3&1
R16: Def. Reese Jensen, 3&1
Quarterfinals: Def. Jake Ratti, 6&5
Semifinals: Def. Joey Lenane, 19 holes
Final (36 holes): Def. Patrick Kilcoyne, 7&6
Here are some other tidbits from the final day at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
The Final Word from the #MassAm#MassGolf pic.twitter.com/aR3C52D7J1
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 11, 2025
