WALPOLE/SALEM, Massachusetts (May 6, 2024) – Kernwood Country Club and Walpole Country Club hosted over 100 golfers apiece Monday, all striving to qualify for the 114th Massachusetts Open. Among the 35 players who qualified between the two courses, 25 were amateur golfers.
The Championship Proper will take place June 10-12 at Willowbend in Mashpee. Willowbend, which opened in 1992, is hosting the Mass Open for the first time but has hosted several championships, including the 2023 Mass Mid-Amateur Championship.
Entries are open to professional golfers and also amateur golfers who have an active USGA GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4 (at the time of registration) or who have completed their handicap certification.
At Kernwood Country Club, 18 players advanced, including three of its members—brothers Max, Christian, and Aidan Emmerich. The trio accomplished this same feat in 2021. Christian and Aidan, who play for Boston College and Temple University, respectively, split medalist honors at 2-under-par 69. Aidan went bogey-free with birdies on holes 1 and 13, both par-5s. Max shot 72, with a key birdie on the 13th. Nick Drago, BC’s men’s golf coach, qualified with a score of 71.
Winchester Country Club will be well represented at Willowbend as Aidan Monahan and Mark Donnellan each shot 70m while Owen Egan made it in on the cutline of 72. Lorenzo Ciccone (Gardner Municipal Golf Course) shook off consecutive bogeys to start the round, making birdie on holes 15 and 18 to hit the qualifying mark of 72.
Longmeadow Country Club’s head golf professional Brian Keiser was the lone pro in the field to advance to the Championship Proper, shooting 2-over 72.
At Walpole, a fair mix of amateurs and pros totaling 17 punched their tickets to Willowbend. Two-time Mass Mid-Amateur champion Brian Higgins (Franklin Country Club) led the way by knocking down three consecutive birdies on holes 14-16 to finish 1-under 70. Korn Ferry Tour pro Jack Maguire, who set Florida State’s scoring record with a 62, was one stroke back at 71. He tied Georgetown commit Alan Rose (Oyster Harbors), Walpole member Eric Boulger, a UConn junior, and mid-amateur standout Shuvam Bhaumik (Thorny Lea Golf Club).
Former college standouts Andrew O’Leary (Notre Dame/Pawtucket Country Club) and Will Frodigh (Elon/Dedham Country & Polo Club) have since turned pro and both shot 1-over to advance. Frodigh rallied on the back nine with three birdies. Boomer Erick, director of golf at Boston Golf Club and Jud Millum, Training Camp Director at KOHR Golf, added to the list of local pros who will compete at Willowbend. Millum carded a 73, one stroke ahead of Erick, who made it in on the number. Florida pro Brady Allbritton, who grew up in nearby Easton, also qualified with a 73.
Walpole’s Joey Nee was the youngest player to advance as the 16-year-old made eagle on the par-5 15th to finish with a 73 and make the cut.
HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF QUALIFIERS AND ALTERNATES FROM MONDAY’S MASS OPEN QUALIFIER:
MONDAY, 5/6
QUALIFIER (Walpole Country Club-Par 71)
*a-: denotes Amateur
a-Brian Higgins, Franklin Country Club -1 70
Jack Maguire, Ridgefield, CT E 71
a-Alan Rose, Oyster Harbors Club E 71
a-Eric Boulger, Walpole Country Club E 71
a-Shuvam Bhaumik, Thorny Lea Golf Club E 71
Chris Ayers, Wethersfield, CT +1 72
Andrew O’Leary, Pawtucket Country Club +1 72
Will Frodigh, Dedham Country and Polo Club +1 72
a-Joey Nee, Walpole Country Club; 73
Brady Allbritton, Bonita Springs, FL; 73
Jud Milam, KOHR Golf; 73
Boomer Erick, Boston Golf Club; 74
a-Alex Jeffers, Woodland Golf Club; 74
a-Ryan Keyes, Student Member/MIAA; 74
a-Eric Quinn, Long Meadow Golf Club; 74
P.J. Martin, Coralville, IA; 74
a-Joseph Hernandez, Granite Links Golf Club; 74
ALTERNATES
Clifford Blanchard, Warwick, RI; 75
a-John Hadges, Thorny Lea Golf Club; 75
a-Ryan McGarry, Easton Country Club; 75
a-Kyle Buschmann,Granite Links Golf Club; 75
a-Carson Muse, Winchester Country Club; 75
a-Timothy Tierney, Charles River Country Club; 75
a-Joseph Osborne, Marlborough Country Club; 75
QUALIFIER (Kernwood Country Club-Par 70)
*a-: denotes Amateur
a-Christian Emmerich, Kernwood Country Club; 68
a-Aidan Emmerich, Kernwood Country Club; 68
a-Aidan Monahan, Winchester Country Club; 70
a-Mathew Gover, Renaissance; 70
a-Mark Donnellan, Winchester Country Club; 70
a-Henry Stonehouse, Belmont Country Club; 71
a-Damon Lusk, Meadow Brook Golf Club; 71
a-Nick Drago, Plymouth Country Club; 71
a-Jesse Zorfas, Framingham Country Club; 71
a-Kevin Daly, Salem Country Club; 72
a-Ted Murphy, Brae Burn Country Club; 72
a-Max Emmerich, Kernwood Country Club; 72
a-Ian Rourke, Ferncroft Country Club; 72
Brian Keiser, Longmeadow Country Club; 72
a-Zach Pelzar, Weston Golf Club; 72
a-Mike Hersey, The Meadow at Peabody; 72
a-Owen Egan, Winchester Country Club; 72
a-Lorenzo Ciccone, Gardner Municipal Golf Course; 72
ALTERNATES
a-Michael Reily, The Tour +3 73
a-Stephen Planeta, The Tour +3 73
Greg MacKay, Harmon Golf +3 73
a-Mark Fusco, Bayberry Hills / Bass River +3 73
a-Jordan Burke, Needham Golf Club; 73
a-Chris Annunciata, Wayland Country Club; 73
a-Brendan Carr, Granite Links Golf Club; 73
a-Matthew Sears, Myopia Hunt Club; 73
a-Mack Freedman, Thorny Lea Golf Club; 73
a-Mason Malouf, Nashawtuc Country Club; 73
a-Brandon Parker, Worcester Country Club; 73
a-Justin Sharaf, Bellevue Golf Club; 73
a-Matt Lucy, Bradford Country Club; 73
Qualifying for the Mass Open will continue next week. Here are the remaining dates and locations on the schedule:
May 16 – Country Club of Pittsfield (Pittsfield)
Starting Times | Player Information
May 20 – Allendale Country Club (North Dartmouth)
Starting Times | Player Information
May 28– Pleasant Valley Country Club (Sutton)
Starting Times | Player Information
For the latest updates on all Mass Golf events, visit MassGolf.org or follow Mass Golf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @PlayMassGolf.
