GreatHorse Opens Its Gates To 144 Of The State’s Best Amateur Golfers
By Steve Derderian sderderian@massgolf.org
HAMPDEN, Massachusetts (July 4, 2025) – Get used to hearing the word great often this week.
With flame-lit gates and a sign that reads “Now leaving Western Massachusetts | Welcome to GreatHorse” the message is clear: this place is built differently. And next week it gets real. For the first time in its 117-year history, the Massachusetts Amateur Championship rides into GreatHorse, where 144 top-tier amateurs will take on one of the longest, boldest, and most visually striking tests in the state, all in pursuit of The Massachusetts Cup and a golden ticket to next month’s U.S. Amateur Championship at The Olympic Club (CA).
The road to glory starts with 36 holes of stroke play across Monday and Tuesday, whittling the field down to 32 match play contenders. From there, it’s win-or-go-home: the Round of 32 and Round of 16 on Wednesday, quarterfinals and semifinals Thursday, and a 36-hole showdown Friday to crown a champion. Once again, another incentive to making the final four will be exemption into 2026 U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying.
Live Scoring will be available during all rounds. Spectators are encouraged to attend, and admission throughout the event is FREE OF CHARGE. Additional food & beverage service (including bar service) will be available to all players, caddies, andspectators.
At GreatHorse, the terrain tells a tale in two parts. Each round will begin and end on the clubhouse side, which features dramatic, elevated ground near the clubhouse, with sunlit fescue and dramatic visuals scattered about. In between, the course settles into a flatter stretch across the road, Holes 2 through 8 and 11 through 14, where strategic bunkering, angled greens, and risk-reward decisions shape the test. It’s there, on the quieter side of the property, that GreatHorse asks players to think more than pure muscle, laying the groundwork for a thrilling return to higher ground.
A clear identity emerges early: GreatHorse rewards bold play, but only when executed with precision. Nowhere is that more evident than on the par-5s. No. 2 dares big hitters to take on both the fairway bunkers and the well-guarded green for a shot at eagle, while Nos. 8, 11, and 14 present similar risk-reward opportunities for those looking to reach in two. Across all four, the message is consistent: birdies are available, but only for those willing to take on danger in the form of strategic bunkering, cross hazards, and demanding green complexes.
The par-3s deliver a diverse and demanding quartet. The 3rd is playing around 230 yards this week, but can stretch to an Oakmont-esque 280 yards. The center of the green is the best target, as the deep bunkers flanking both sides make recovery difficult. Its counterpart is the 134-yard 15th, a picturesque short hole you face after crossing back to the main property. It’s a true wild card, capable of producing a thrilling ace or seeing players give back a stroke or worse, all depending entirely on elements, nerves, and execution. The redan-style 9th is a vintage test of trajectory and distance control, and while No. 12 is known for its distinctive horseshoe-shaped teeing ground, it’s truly defined by its deep, narrow green and subtle internal contours.
A view up the hill at GreatHorse (David Colt).
After the opening trio, Holes 4 through 7 feature some of the course’s most strategic par-4s. No. 5’s double green (shared with No. 7) and deceptive false front demand both power and finesse. The 455-yard 7th plays long but offers birdie chances to those who place their tee shots wisely. Meanwhile, No. 6 is a sleeper—its generous green masks the challenge posed by varied and tucked pin positions.
The closing stretch, true to any great course, is where everything can come together or quickly fall apart. The 16th is a potential game-changer, especially if made drivable by forward tees in match play, where bold lines can lead to eagles or disasters. No. 17 is a classic risk-reward layout, featuring a smattering of bunkers that guard a tight dogleg and an elevated target. And then comes 18: a proper finisher at 462 yards, a dogleg right with bunkers waiting right, and a deep, well-protected green that demands a nerveless approach.
WATCH: Hole-By-Hole Flyovers at GreatHorse
A Look At The Field
Out of more than 1,000 entries, 144 players advanced to the Championship Proper, including a select group of exempt players. Among those earning full exemptions were the 32 competitors who reached match play last year at Framingham Country Club.
You can’t talk about this year’s field without highlighting the talent coming out of the host club. The clear frontrunner is Vanderbilt phenom Ryan Downes, who quite literally grew up chipping and putting on the course as it was being built. Two years ago, at just 17, he became the youngest-ever winner of the Mass Amateur with a dramatic comeback victory at Essex County Club.
His opponent in that final? Matthew Naumec, the defending champion and another GreatHorse product. While the former Boston College standout claimed last year’s title at his newly adopted home club of Framingham, the Wilbraham native is plenty familiar with GreatHorse and looks poised to make a fourth straight deep run in this event.
Steve Wagner will be the first GreatHorse representative to tee off on Monday (7:41 a.m.), followed by Cole Banning (Bryant University) and former Hartford standout A.J. Oleksak, who finished 7th in the 2020 Mass Mid-Amateur at GreatHorse. Billy Walthouse, a former professional and longtime contender, returns this year, while Michael Petrick and GreatHorse owner Guy Antonacci are among the afternoon tee times.
Ryan Downes (right) reads a green (Mass Golf).
Though the home club has its share of contenders, the road to victory runs through a stacked statewide field. Among those looking to play spoiler is Ricky Stimets (Worcester Country Club), last year’s runner-up and the 2023 Mass Mid-Amateur champion. He held the early lead in last year’s final before Naumec rallied with a home crowd behind him. Mid-amateurs in general have fared well over the past decade, as at least one has reached the final match in 7 of the past 10 years.
GreatHorse also suits the game of 2017 champion Matt Parziale (Thorny Lea Golf Club), who made a gutsy run to the semifinals last year after recovering from a serious health scare. He was part of a thrilling playoff in the 2020 Mass Mid-Amateur at GreatHorse, competed in the 2021 final match of the Mass Amateur against Michael Thorbjornsen, and qualified for the U.S. Amateur last year.
Matt Cowgill (Granite Links Golf Club), last year’s stroke-play medalist by two shots, is back and looking to bounce back after drawing Naumec in the opening match. Keep an eye on Jake Ratti (Wollaston Golf Club), who recently won Low Amateur honors at the Mass Open, a title previously held by both Naumec (2022) and Stimets (2023) before they made deep runs of their own in the Mass Amateur.
While mid-ams have had their moments, 8 of the past 10 champions have come from the junior or college ranks. That includes Downes and his Vanderbilt teammate John Broderick (Dedham Country & Polo Club), a lefty with major firepower who’s made match play each of the past three years. He set the stroke-play scoring record two years ago with a 62 at Essex. Another top DI talent, Joey Lenane (George Wright Golf Course), a rising NC State standout, brings national experience from the U.S. Amateur, Northeast Amateur, Sunnehanna, and other notable events. Carson Erick (Boston Golf Club) won the 2023 Mass Junior Amateur at GreatHorse over C.J. Winchenbaugh (Oyster Harbors Club), who returned a year later to win the New England Junior Amateur—again at GreatHorse.
The youngest player in the field is 15-year-old Luke Edgar (Harmon Golf), a native of Hanover and a former participant in the U.S. Kids World Championship. The oldest? Keith Smith (Franklin Country Club), the 2023 Mass Super Senior Amateur champion.
Carson Erick won the Massachusetts Junior Amateur at GreatHorse in 2023. (David Colt, file)
Several past champions round out the field with impressive resumes. Steve Tasho (Thorny Lea Golf Club) won in 1981 and 1985, while Andy Drohen (The Ranch Golf Club), the 2003 champion, is fresh off winning the 2024 New England Senior Amateur. Mike Calef (Pine Oaks Golf Club), the event’s most recent repeat winner (2012 & 2013), just added the Rhode Island Amateur to his trophy case last week. Nick McLaughlin (Far Corner Golf Club), who won the Mass Amateur a decade ago, narrowly missed match play last year but remains a tough draw if he gets through stroke play.
So yeah, the word great might get worn out by the end of the week. But with this field, it’s the only word that fits.
A closer look at 18 of the contenders in the 117th Massachusetts Amateur:
GUY ANTONACCI, 38, is the president of GreatHorse and owns it with his family. Antonacci has competed in several Mass Golf championships over the past decade, including the 2015 Mass Mid-Amateur, where he aced the 359-yard, par-4 first hole at Marlborough Country Club. He last competed in the Mass Amateur in 2016.
BEN BALTER, 30, a Wellesley native and member of Weston Golf Club, won the 2025 Mass Four-Ball with Ben Knott earlier this year and placed in the top 20 in the Mass Open. Balter, a former Wake Forest golfer, has also qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur in the past two years.
COLE BANNING, 19, a Tolland, Connecticut, native and member of GreatHorse, is a Bryant University golfer who caddied for Ryan Downes when he won the 2023 Mass Amateur. Banning previously won the 2023 AJGA Preview at Bethpage (Yellow Course) and had consecutive top finishes in the CIAC Division II championship.
JOHN BRODERICK, 21, a Wellesley native and member of Dedham Country & Polo Club, was the Mass Amateur stroke play medalist in 2023 with a course record 62 in the second round at Essex County Club. He made the semifinals that year and the quarterfinals in 2024. The Vanderbilt standout also competed in the NCAA Tournament this year and was the top Massachusetts finisher in this year’s Northeast Amateur (T33).
MIKE CALEF, 46, a Portsmouth, Rhode Island, resident and member of West Bridgewater Country Club, is the only two-time champion in the field (2012 & 2013). Calef won the 2025 Rhode Island Amateur and finished T5 in stroke play in last year’s Mass Amateur.
MATT COWGILL, 30, a Weston native and member of Granite Links Golf Club, was the stroke play medalist in the 2024 Mass Amateur, shooting rounds of 68 and 67. The former pro has previously qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a finalist in the 2017 Mass Amateur at Charles River.
RYAN DOWNES, 19, a Longmeadow native and member of GreatHorse, made history in 2023 by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Mass Amateur Championship. He also won the Ouimet Memorial Tournament in 2022 & 2023 and was a semifinalist in the 2023 Mass Junior Amateur (both at GreatHorse). In his first season for Vanderbilt University, Downes carded a 10-under 61 for the lowest 18-hole score in program history and competed in the NCAA Tournament.
TREVOR DREW, 20, a Tyngsboro native and member of Long Meadow Golf Club, recently completed his first year at Western Kentucky University. He won the 100th Lowell City Golf Tournament with a three-day record tally of 11-under and made the Round of 16 in the Mass Amateur last year. Drew also made match play in the 2023 Mass Junior Amateur at GreatHorse.
CARSON ERICK, 19, a Hingham native and member of Boston Golf Club, won the 2023 Mass Junior Amateur at GreatHorse, knocking off GreatHorse member and favorite Ryan Downes in the process. Erick also advanced to the Junior Amateur final in 2024 and is set to compete for Georgetown University in the fall.
WESTON JONES, 21, a Sudbury native and member at Charter Oak Country Club, has qualified for match play in five of the last six years, making it as far as the quarterfinals. Jones has previously qualified for the U.S. Amateur and has started in every event for the Rutgers men’s golf team (120 career rounds).
JOEY LENANE, 21, a Dedham native and member of George Wright Golf Course, won the 2024 Mass Amateur Public Links Championship and the 2023 New England Amateur Championship. The NC State product also competed in the 2024 U.S. Amateur, as well as the Northeast Amateur and the Sunnehanna Amateur.
JAKE MRVA, 22, a Shrewsbury native and Worcester Country Club member, recently became the only golfer in Fordham University history to win three individual titles during his career. He shot 2-under in stroke play last year and advanced to the Round of 16.
MATT NAUMEC, 28, a Wilbraham native and member of GreatHorse and Framingham Country Club, won the title last year as the No. 32 and final seed into match play. Since regaining his amateur status, Naumec has reached at least the quarterfinals every year, with almost every match victory being by a decisive margin.
MATT PARZIALE, 38, a Brockton native and member of Thorny Lea Golf Club, made it to the semifinals last year despite a pre-event health scare. The 2017 champion made the final match in 2021, falling to current PGA TOUR pro Michael Thorbjornsen at Brae Burn Country Club. In the past year, Parziale also qualified for the U.S. Amateur and won the Mass Mixed Four-Ball Championship with Shannon Johnson.
JAKE RATTI, 27, a Plymouth native and member of Wollaston Golf Club, was the low amateur in the 2025 Mass Open and last fall won the Mass Mid-Amateur with a hole out from the bunker on the final hole at Cranberry Valley Golf Club. He reached the Round of 16 in the 2024 Mass Amateur and competed in U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying.
RICKY STIMETS, 34, an Osterville resident and member of Worcester Country Club, finished runner-up in the 2024 Massachusetts Amateur and captured the 2023 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur title. Stimets will look to make it three years in a row that a Mass Amateur runner-up wins the title the next year (Ryan Downes, 2023; Matthew Naumec, 2024).
BILLY WALTHOUSE, 30, a Longmeadow native and member of GreatHorse, is a former standout at the University of Rhode Island with past professional experience. He made his return to the Mass Amateur last year and qualified for match play. In his previous appearance before that, he made the semifinals in 2017 at Charles River Country Club.
C.J. WINCHENBAUGH, 19, a Weston native and member of Oyster Harbors Club, won the 2024 New England Amateur and followed it up by winning the New England Junior Amateur individual title at GreatHorse. Though he missed the cut in the 2024 Mass Amateur, he reached the quarterfinals in 2023 and made the final match of the Mass Junior Amateur at GreatHorse.
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