By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
MASHPEE, Massachusetts (May 7, 2026) – At Willowbend, the day began with rain, ended with sun and a steady breeze, and in between asked roughly 100 competitors to solve a uniquely Cape Cod equation: beat the bridge traffic already in summer form and then see what you could do at one of the area’s premier championship venues.
The Mass Mixed Four-Ball Championship has always had a little bit of everything: clubmates, siblings, friends, co-workers, college standouts, mid-am grinders, and this year, two 14-year-olds who were the envy of their peers by spending most of Thursday on the golf course. Jeremy Zhang (Nashawtuc Country Club) and Skylar Kotzen (Belmont Country Club), each KOHR Golf products and youngest players in the field by a longshot, made a fearless run up the leaderboard. To sweeten the pot, they became the clubhouse leaders among the morning wave at 5-under-par 66, which meant the rest of the field had to chase a pair of players who would still need a ride back home across the bridge.
But by day’s end, experience had its say. Conor McCormack and Alexis Florio, two of Woodland Golf Club’s top competitors with plenty of amateur-golf pedigree between them, came out firing with three straight birdies and finished just as strong, adding three more on holes 15-17. Their closing charge had a little extra soundtrack, too, with Chris Herrick (Vesper Country Club) and Sue Curtin (Boston Golf Club) matching the energy with seemingly routine fist bumps and high-fives as McCormack and Florio finished off an 8-under 63 to capture their first Mass Mixed Four-Ball Championship for the Stone Cup.
“It was the best, I love playing with Alexis. We got to know each other last year, and every time we played golf, it’s an absolute blast,” said McCormack, who rolled home the first two birdie putts, and added two more inside 10 feet on short but tight 16th and 17th (Bog 7 & 8). “We got off to a pretty hot start, and I just rode her momentum the entire time.”
McCormack deflected his contributions several times to Florio, which is understandable given her resume as a DI competitor at Indiana and Columbia, as well as her appearance in the semifinals of the 2025 Mass Women’s Amateur and match play in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. With McCormack in the trees on 15, Florio hit a nifty pin-high chip in close and made birdie on the par-5 15th that put the pair in the lead for good at 6-under.
For all his modesty, McCormack’s scorecard read 67 on his own ball, capped off by a successful birdie putt on the 17th after his partner’s tee shot found the water hazard on the right side.
“Playing with somebody who knows how to play good tournament golf and can play under pressure and just enjoys being in the competitive environment is always really fun,” Florio said. “I think we just appreciate amateur golf, mid-amateur golf, so it’s always just a real treat when we can come out here and have a chance to win a tournament.”
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McCormack and Florio weren’t the only team that found the right answers at Willowbend. Despite having little time to spare before their tee time and no warmup on the range, the two 14-year-olds posted 3-under on the front nine, only logging one bogey in the entire round. “Jeremy and I, we had lots of momentum,” Kotzen said. “We had lots of great shots. We struggled on some holes, but we were able to bounce back nicely.”
Kotzen said Zhang was her first pick as a partner because their games are similar and both work with Luke Cantelo out of My Golf Performance Studio. Their resilience became even more important once Willowbend began playing longer and windier late in the round. Kotzen credited Zhang, who had played Willowbend in a 2025 U.S. Challenge Cup event, for helping guide the team through the closing stretch, while Zhang said their best decisions came from not trying to do too much. “I think we stayed patient throughout the day,” Zhang said. “I think we played smart, not going directly at pins course management-wise.”
McCormack said, against his better judgement, he took a peek at the leaderboard at the turn. With the duo at 4-under, he was confident more birdies would fall, but seeing a 5-under on the board kept the pair’s focus on making a few more that would ultimately secure the early-season victory.
Willowbend offers 27 holes of championship golf on three meticulously maintained nines (Bay, Bog & Bend). The first two are typically used for Mass Golf championships, including the 2024 Mass Open, 2023 Mass Mid-Amateur, and the 2025 Men’s Team Matches Championship. The iconic 9th hole on the Bog course ends with the backdrop of a bucolic red barn that will turn an equal shade come fall.
The original layout, designed by Michael Hurzsdan, debuted in the late 1980s, and a few years later Reebok mogul Paul Fireman along with David Southworth in 1991 purchased the golf development. It was the start of what has become one of Cape Cod’s premier golf properties, with million-dollar residences, a clubhouse that has drawn raves from around the world, and an all-inclusive complex that includes a 27-hole golf course, a tennis stadium, a pool and fitness club, and a five-star restaurant.
The club formerly hosted an annual pro-am, which attracted some of the biggest names in golf, including Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, and John Daly, as well as other luminaries from the worlds of sport and entertainment, including Tom Brady, Bobby Orr, Samuel L. Jackson, and Peyton Manning. The event had a signature honoree each, with past recipients including Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Bobby Orr, and Roger Clemens.
