Story: Steve Derderian (sderderian@massgolf.org)
Photography: Matthew Hart
WINCHESTER, Massachusetts (July 3, 2026) – Winning the Mass Amateur Championship at Winchester Country Club has always been accompanied by a good story.
Francis Ouimet won the first Mass Amateur contested after World War I here in 1919, shortly after the USGA quietly reinstated his amateur status. Fred Wright captured his record-setting fourth straight title here in 1931, only to be eliminated six years later by 47-year-old Dave Whiteside, who returned after two years away from golf and won the championship using only eight clubs. Bruce Douglass and Fran Quinn, Jr., both inspired to play golf by their fathers, closed out their first Mass Amateur wins in rain-soaked final matches in 1975 and 1986, respectively, and Rob Oppenheim made an improbable 39-foot downhill birdie putt on the 18th green in 2002 in one of the most thrilling final matches in championship history.
And now 144 of the state’s top amateur golfers will try to make Winchester’s next story their own. For the eighth time overall and the first time in nearly a quarter-century, the championship returns to the classic hillside layout just north of Boston.
“Good golf courses produce good winners,” said Winchester head golf professional Jim Salinetti, a three-time Mass Amateur winner (1997, 1999, 2000). “I think Winchester is right up there with other clubs in the state, so I expect a good winner. The club hasn’t hosted in a long time, and I’m happy for our membership to see it and for some to participate in it.”
The 118th Massachusetts Amateur begins with 36 holes of stroke play on Monday and Tuesday, after which the field will be cut to the low 32 players for match play. From there, the event shifts into its purest form: win and advance. The Round of 32 and Round of 16 will take place Wednesday, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals Thursday, and a 36-hole championship match Friday. The winner receives an automatic spot in the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship will be held at Merion Golf Club.
Live scoring will be available throughout the week. Spectators are encouraged to attend, and admission is free of charge.
At about 6,900 yards, Winchester will not overwhelm the field on the scorecard, but firm fairways, sloping landing areas and contoured greens can make it play longer and more exacting than the number suggests. It is a second-shot course, one that asks players to control their irons, find the proper sections of greens and understand where a safe miss actually is.
The middle of the course can often be the difference maker in matches. Holes 8 through 11 form the heart of Winchester, with the short, well-bunkered 9th (173 yards) and the long par-3 11th (234 yards) offering two very different Ross-style challenges.
“If you get through those holes even par or better, it’ll probably be a good day for you,” said longtime Winchester member Joe Peters.
Elsewhere, No. 4 plays uphill to an elevated green guarded by bunkers both sides and severely slopes off the front and back. No. 7 features a severely right-to-left fairway that squeezes the landing areas off the tee and complicates approach angles. Peters said the 7th is very similar to the 16th at Brae Burn Country Club, an 11-time host, most recently in 2021. The back nine features several sturdy par-4s, including the newly stretched 15th and demanding 18th. The 12th and 13th are rare back-to-back par-5s, while each of the last four holes are par 4s, each stretching over 400 yards.
Many consider the 525-yard 13th, a dogleg left, Winchester’s signature hole. Bunkers divide the fairway into two distinct options. The safer tee shot is to the lower level on the left, which lengthens the hole, while the upper plateau on the right gives longer hitters a chance to reach the green in two.
“If wind is blowing, they do play long and are tough to score on,” Salinetti said of the final stretch at Winchester. “If you get to match play, you can be aggressive in certain spots. You have to hit good iron shots and have to putt well.”
The championship also arrives just before a major restoration project led by Andrew Green, with work expected to focus on bunkers, select green refinements and restoring more of Winchester’s Ross character. Green has done work at other New England classics including Concord Country Club and Wannamoisett Country Club (RI), which just hosted the Northeast Amateur.
“Andrew is a complete architect,” Peters said. “He knows what he’s doing on the course, and he’s also great at what he has presented to our membership.”
The field features a deep mix of college standouts, proven mid-amateurs, past champions and a strong host-club presence.
Winchester members have played a factor in past Mass Amateurs held at the club, including 1986, when seven members qualified and six advanced to match play. This year brings a new generation into that lineage, and few families represent Winchester’s competitive golf tradition quite like the Monahans.
The family’s connection to the club spans parts of nine decades and five generations, much of it centered around Winchester’s Father-Son Invitational, an alternate-shot event that dates back to 1919 and is considered one of the oldest father-son tournaments in the country. Judge Joseph Monahan and Joe Monahan Jr. first put the family name on the winner’s list in 1938, and the tradition has carried through the family ever since, from Joe Monahan III to his sons and now to his grandchildren.
This week, that family history takes on a different stage, with Brendan, Aidan and Joey Monahan among the six Winchester members who qualified for the Mass Amateur on their home course. Joey, 16, is the youngest player in the championship and broke onto the Mass Golf scene three years ago by winning the Young Golfers’ Amateur, a title also previously won by future Mass Amateur champions Michael Thorbjornsen and Conner Willett. As a nod to this bond, all three will tee off in the same group at 8:14 a.m. Monday from Hole 1.
Jake Peer and Owen Egan, both Winchester members and club champions who previously competed for Holy Cross, will also try to make match play on their home course, as will fellow club standout Sean Savage.
“I’m ecstatic for our members who have qualified,” Salinetti said. “The young players all have gone through our junior program, and to watch them grow and turn into young men, I’m impressed.”
Beyond the host-club storylines, the field is loaded with proven championship talent.
Recent North Carolina State graduate Joey Lenane (George Wright Golf Course) is back after coming agonizingly close to a final appearance last year. Lenane cruised through his first three matches but lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Ryan Downes, who is not competing this year. This year, he shot 66 in the second round of the R&A Amateur this summer, adding another strong result to an already impressive résumé.
Among the other college-age players to watch include 2023 stroke-play medalist John Broderick (Dedham Country & Polo Club), who recently announced his transfer from Vanderbilt to Virginia; Carson Erick (Boston Golf Club), a Georgetown golfer and 2023 Mass Junior Amateur champion; Reese Jensen (Duxbury Yacht Club), a Harvard golfer who reached match play last year; and Alan Rose III (Oyster Harbors Club), another Georgetown product and the low amateur at this year’s Massachusetts Open at his home course.
Aidan Emmerich (Kernwood Country Club) enters with plenty of momentum after reaching last year’s semifinals and winning this year’s Hornblower Memorial Tournament for the second time. Matt Johnson (Charter Oak Country Club), last year’s stroke-play medalist, returns after a strong spring that included a Norfolk County Classic victory.
The mid-amateur group is just as compelling. Matt Parziale (Thorny Lea Golf Club), the 2017 champion, has qualified for match play every year since 2013 and knows Winchester well, having shot 66 here in the second round of U.S. Amateur Qualifying in 2022. Matt Naumec (Framingham Country Club), the 2024 champion and 2023 finalist, remains one of the toughest match-play draws in the field, having made match play all four years since regaining his amateur status.
Billy Walthouse (GreatHorse), another former URI product like Salinetti, reached the quarterfinals last year, while Arthur Zelmati (George Wright Golf Course), the 2020 Mass Mid-Amateur champion, returns to the Mass Amateur for the first time since earning medalist honors in 2022.
In addition to offering live scoring updates on its website, Mass Golf will post updates and photos of the competitors on its social media outlets. Follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and use the hashtag #MassAm when posting.
Winchester Country Club will be set up at approximately 6,886 yards and will play to a par of 35-36—71.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 35 |
| Yards | 345 | 528 | 425 | 428 | 337 | 186 | 386 | 464 | 173 | 3272 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| Yards | 435 | 234 | 515 | 530 | 149 | 457 | 413 | 428 | 453 | 3614 |
Note: Yardages subject to change.
A collection of notable players in the 2026 Mass Amateur:
BEN BALTER, 31, a Wellesley native and member of Weston Golf Club, won the Mass Four-Ball last year and finished second in the Mass Mid-Amateur last fall at Andover Country Club. A former Wake Forest standout and previous U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier, Balter also reached match play in last year’s Mass Amateur at GreatHorse, where he drew eventual champion Ryan Downes in the Round of 32.
JOHN BRODERICK, 22, a Wellesley native and member at Dedham Country & Polo Club, was medalist three years ago at Essex County Club. Broderick, the 2020 New England Amateur champion, recently announced he’s transferring from Vanderbilt to Virginia to finish out his college eligibility. He made the Round of 16 last year at GreatHorse.
OWEN EGAN, 23, a Winchester native and member of Winchester Country Club, was a three-year team captain for the Holy Cross men’s golf team and holds the program record for career scoring average. Egan, a four-time Men’s Club Championship winner, will try to make it back into match play in the Mass Amateur for the first time since 2023 at Essex County Club.
AIDAN EMMERICH, 22, a Swampscott native and member of Kernwood Country Club, made the semifinals last season, knocking off college standouts John Broderick, Carson Erick, and Trevor Drew in the process. He finished T11 in the Mass Open this year, placing T10 the year prior. He also won the Hornblower Memorial Tournament for the second time (also 2023).
CARSON ERICK, 20, a Hingham native and member of Boston Golf Club, competed in U.S. Open Final Qualifying this year, finishing three strokes off advancing. Erick, winner of the 2023 Mass Junior Amateur, finished 24th in this year’s Mass Open and last year advanced to the Round of 16 in the Mass Amateur, falling to eventual finalist Patrick Kilcoyne.
SEAN FITZPATRICK, 42, an East Walpole resident and member of George Wright Golf Course, won the Amateur Public Links Championship last year, hitting every green in regulation during both rounds at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club. He’s also found success in the Mass Amateur, shooting 5-under in stroke play in 2024 at Framingham and making match play again at GreatHorse last year. Fitzpatrick also won the 2022 Mass Mid-Amateur Championship.
REESE JENSEN, 19, a Duxbury native and member of Duxbury Yacht Club, made several starts in his first season with the Harvard men’s golf team. He also advanced to U.S. Open Final Qualifying this year with a top finish in Local Qualifying at Woodland Golf Club. Last year, he advanced to match play in a playoff and then knocked off defending champion Matt Naumec in the Round of 32. In the Round of 16, he went 5 down against Ryan Downes, but cut it to 1 down before falling, 3&1.
MATT JOHNSON, 28, a Sudbury native and member of Charter Oak Country Club, was medalist last year at GreatHorse with consecutive rounds of 68 with just one bogey in each round. Johnson won the Norfolk County Classic this spring and finished top 10 in the Mass Mid-Amateur last year.
JOSEPH LENANE, 22, a Dedham native and member of George Wright Golf Course, came up short against eventual champion Ryan Downes in a thrilling semifinal match that went the distance at GreatHorse. The recent North Carolina State graduate shot 66 in the second round of the R&A Amateur Championship.
MAX MCCOLGAN, 19, a Nashawtuc Country Club member and Groton native, earned multiple top-10 finishes in his first year at St. John’s University. In 2025, McColgan was stroke play medalist in the Mass Junior Amateur and made the Round of 16 in the Mass Amateur.
COLLIN MCMAHON-SHEA, 23, a Lexington native and member of Nashawtuc Country Club, won three events for Dickinson College this past season, winning the Centennial Conference Championship and finishing 12th in the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship. Matthew Organisak (2020 champion, Emory) and Patrick Kilcoyne (2025 runner-up, Gettysburg) are also recent DIII standouts who have excelled in this event.
JOEY MONAHAN, 16, a Belmont native and member of Winchester Country Club, is the youngest of three Monahans in the field and is the winner of the 2023 Massachusetts Young Golfers’ Amateur. He is currently a standout for Belmont Hill School, where New England Amateur winners John Broderick and CJ Winchenbaugh and Mass Amateur winner Conner Willett previously excelled. His uncle Brendan Monahan, 53, and cousin Aidan, 20, also qualified this year. Aidan currently competes for Trinity College, while Brendan previously competed in the 2018 Mass Amateur.
MATT NAUMEC, 29, a Wilbraham native and member of Framingham Country Club, won the 2024 title at his home course and was a finalist in 2023. However, he was eliminated in the first round last year at GreatHorse. The Boston College graduate also played in the 2019 U.S. Open and years later regained his amateur status.
AIDAN O’DONOVAN, 22, a Somerville native and member of Cummaquid Golf Club, is coming off an excellent season as captain for the University of Rhode Island men’s golf team, earning four top-10 finishes, including 9th in the A-10 Championship. O’Donovan made the quarterfinals in 2024 and was the No. 3 seed in match play in 2023.
MATT PARZIALE, 39, a Brockton native and Thorny Lea Golf Club member, won the Mass Amateur in 2017 and has qualified for match play every year since 2013. Parziale has had a busy spring, competing in regional events throughout the country, plus the Grass League, a competitive team league with pros and amateurs. In 2022, Parziale qualified for the U.S. Amateur at Winchester, shooting 66 with nine birdies over an 11-hole stretch in his afternoon round.
JAKE PEER, 29, a Woburn native and Winchester Country Club member, finished his college career ranked second all-time at Holy Cross in career rounds played (86). At Winchester, Peer has won two Men’s Club Championships, including 2025 by 15 strokes, plus two Junior Club Championships.
ALAN ROSE III, 21, a Weston native and member of Oyster Harbors Club, won low amateur at this year’s Mass Open at his home club. The Georgetown product made the cut for the first time last year and advanced to the Round of 16 in the Mass Amateur last year, falling to eventual finalist Patrick Kilcoyne.
BILLY WALTHOUSE, 31, 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 in 2024 and reached the quarterfinals last year. He previously made the semifinals in 2017 at Charles River Country Club.
For complete coverage of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship, visit MassGolf.org or follow Mass Golf on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @PlayMassGolf and hashtag #MassAm.
