HOPKINTON, Massachusetts – Somehow, day two was even hotter than day one. The type of radiant heat that you can actually see, a yellowish filter blanketing the treetops. Maybe it’s all the time he spends in Florida, but Scott Copeland (Old Sandwich Golf Club) managed to keep his cool, never ceding the lead that he established on day one. Two even par rounds of 71 were befitting of his even keeled demeanor and steady play.
“You know, it’s still sinking in a little bit. You’re just out there grinding and I didn’t necessarily have my best stuff today, but I kept it in the fairway and I hit greens and I putted really well,” said Copeland.
Copeland slept on a two shot lead after posting an opening round 71. Though he dropped to plus-one after a bogey on the third, he got that shot back with a birdie on the uphill par-4 9th, when his bending, 15 foot birdie putt trundled into the right side of the cup. “That helped, and then I just had to calm myself down, you know, I wanted to make sure I didn’t get all excited about that, but I was happy to be even par and knew what was in front of me,” said Copeland.
As he made the turn, his lead had grown to three strokes. A welcome cushion with the treacherous back nine looming. For the week, the average back nine score was 39.86, nearly five shots over par.
Scott Copeland is the 2023 Massachusetts Senior Amateur Champion#MassGolf | #MassSeniorAm pic.twitter.com/R9Yc6mDDbj
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) September 6, 2023
With some breathing room established, Copeland was a fairway-green-two-putt machine on the inward nine, notching nine consecutive pars to keep the field at bay. Frank Vana Jr. (Marlborough Country Club) was the only player to pose a threat. After a disappointing opening 76, Vana Jr. posted the only under-par round of the tournament, with a two-under 69. He piled up four birdies, including two on the difficult back nine, coming in with 33.
Even with the Hall of Famer Vana lurking, Copeland remained focused on his own game: “I don’t pay attention to the leaderboard, so I really don’t know. I know if I just go out there and hit fairways and greens and make pars and maybe sneak a few birdies in there, the rest just takes care of itself.”
After holing a four foot par putt on the 17th, Copeland knocked his approach on the 18th to about 15 feet. From there, fittingly, he nestled it up to a foot and tapped in for the win. He became the first player since Vana in 2018 to win both the Lowery Division at the Ouimet Memorial Tournament and the Senior Amateur in the same season.
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