Tasho Sets the Pace, Carra Finds His Groove on The Haven’s Challenging Layout
By: Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
BOYLSTON, Massachusetts (September 2, 2025) – Anthony Carra (Sterling National Country Club) doesn’t waste a ton of time over the ball. A glance, a setup, a swing, then he’s back to chatting with his group. At age 70, the Sterling National member plays with the ease of someone who knows exactly what he wants from the game, and maybe more importantly, what he doesn’t.
And on Tuesday, during Round 1 of the 12th Massachusetts Super Senior Amateur Championship at The Haven Country Club, that approach fit the moment perfectly.
The Haven, with its dramatic land movement, sloped greens, and tree-lined fairways, is a rare site among Mass Golf championships, but it’s certainly built for them. For a field of 65-and-older golfers, many retired and still competing at a high level, it’s exactly the kind of course that favors steady hands over heavy swings.
Perhaps nobody looked more at ease, or had more fun, with the challenge than Carra, who personified the kind of seasoned short game built to stand the test of time. He opened with birdies on 2 and 7, saved par on the full-carry par-3 13th with a 30-foot putt, and nearly made eagle on the par-5 14th, missing by just a few inches. Then came the toughest hole of the day, the uphill par-4 15th, where he chunked his second shot, got a favorable bounce into the multi-tiered green with his third, and calmly drained a 12-footer to save par. His four-ball partner, Jim Perreira, walking the action beside him, offered the only commentary needed: “The putter’s hot.”
Even after giving a couple shots back on 16 and 18, Carra was upbeat and grateful. His opening round of 1-over 73 leaves him just a shot or two off the early pace, and well positioned heading into Day 2, which begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday.
“I like the greens,” he said. “The greens are rolling really nice. The key is to keep below the hole on this golf course is what I’m finding.”
Anthony Carra is tied for the lead in the Legends Division (age 70+) through Round 1. (Mass Golf)
For the second straight year, Steve Tasho (Thorny Lea Golf Club) holds the overnight lead after carding an even-par 72 on Tuesday. It was largely a steady, composed round from the 2024 runner-up, who came heartbreakingly close to the title last year, missing out in a playoff after a birdie putt narrowly lipped out on the 18th.
Tasho, the 1981 and 1985 Mass Amateur champion, is aiming to become the first person to win both the Amateur and Super Senior titles. Starting on the 10th hole Tuesday, he made birdie on both the 18th and 1st, plus another close approach below the hole on the 7th for another birdie. He sat at one under on the 9th, but his approach checked up short and rolled off the front.
Playing right behind Carra was Legend Division (70+) co-leader Andy Horvitz (Allendale Country Club), who carded a late birdie on the short, uphill par-3 17th to finish 1-over. They’re both one stroke ahead of several players, including Western Mass standout Robert Linn (Franconia/Veterans Golf Course), the 2020 champion, who opened his round with a birdie.
Steve Tasho is the overnight leader in the Mass Super Senior Amateur. (Mass Golf)
A longtime competitor at Sterling, Carra has experienced a late-career surge few would’ve predicted. Before his first hip replacement in 2006, he was in constant pain, sometimes taking the equivalent of 10 ibuprofen just to get through a round.
But after undergoing surgeries on both hips, he not only returned to the game but started playing his best golf. A former associate director of information systems at Holy Cross by trade, Carra went on to win the men’s club championship three years in a row starting at age 63, after decades of only contending in the senior division. He now spends winters at The Villages in Florida, and hopes to return this year with a Mass Golf title in hand.
In the afternoon, plenty of players jostled for the top spot on the leaderboard, but none could quite reel in the morning’s pace-setters. The closest charge came from Bud Schultz (Black Rock Country Club), a tennis pro who has found success later in life on the golf course.
Playing The Haven for the first time, Schultz stumbled early with a pair of bogeys, then steadied himself, turning at 1-over. A towering three-wood into the par-5 2nd set up a successful eagle putt, and for a moment, he was in red numbers and flirting with the lead. But a double-bogey on the demanding 9th, his finishing hole, left him one step short of teeing off in the final group.
“It’s a fun course,” he said. “You’ve got to hit it right-to-left, left-to-right, manage those elevations. It keeps you honest. I thought the greens were fair, and it was a really good test.”
Schultz will have some company in the final round, including from fellow 2-over finishers Michael Leary (The Kittansett Club), Gary Smith (Willowbend), who all were in red figures at some point during the round. Douglas Parigian (Long Meadow Golf Club), who played in the first group of the day off Hole 1, also shot 74.
As for how he’ll get ready for the finale, Schultz wasn’t talking about range sessions or taking it one shot at a time…at least not in the golf sense. His plan: “Grab a couple tequilas, get something to eat, and come back ready to play again. That’s all you can do, just show up,” he said grinning.
Bud Schultz plays his approach shot into the 18th green Tuesday at The Haven. (Mass Golf)
Notables
Exactly 70 players advanced to round two on Wednesday as the cutline settled at +9, 81. Those who make the cut and complete all 36 holes of the tournament, are exempt into the event next year.
Both players representing the host club advanced to the final day as Brian Kelley and Daniel Weilandt each made two birdies to card 77 and 79, respectively, to put them in the top 30.
As mentioned previously, the par-4 15th played as the most difficult hole of the day with a stroke average of 4.95. Several balls that appeared to find the correct tier up top, caught too much spin and wound up off the surface entirely. Glen Watson (Hickory Hill Golf Course) was the lone person to make birdie.
Aside from Linn, other past champs will look to hunt down another title. Keith Smith (Franklin Country Club), the 2023 winner and recent U.S. Senior Amateur competitor, shot 75 to match 2022 champion Don Foberg (Plymouth Country Club). Dave Houghton (Captains Golf Course) advanced with a 77, while defending champion Don Reycroft (Poquoy Brook Golf Club) relied on a couple earlier birdies to make the cut with an 80. Houghton, however, was four strokes lower than his age of 81, making him the oldest player in the field.
In many ways, The Haven is exactly what its name suggests, a true sanctuary for golf in the heart of New England. Here, the New England PGA has found its home, where the timeless design of William Mitchell seamlessly blends with the refined touch of Ron Forse, creating a course that’s a neat blend of classic and modern.
Formerly known as Mount Pleasant Country Club, the club rebranded as The Haven Country Club in 2014 to better reflect its identity and avoid confusion with former tour stop Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton as well as Mount Pleasant Golf Club in Lowell. Today, it stands as a well-regarded private club celebrated for its championship-caliber layout, welcoming atmosphere, and role as annual host of the NEPGA Pro-Pro Stroke Play Championship.
Signature holes bring the course’s character to life, with many holes playing to elevated greens that are often pitched back to front. This includes the uphill par-4 4th (often playing as the No. 1 Handicap hole) demands precision into a back-to-front green; the par-5 12th, with its turtle-back green, can turn a birdie chance into a scramble for par; and the par-3 13th tempts nerves with a full carry over water no matter which tee box is in play. The closing stretch adds drama with the downhill, two-tiered 16th and the risk-reward 18th, where bunkers pinch the landing zone setting up a tall task, especially for those near the lead or the cutline.
When it comes down to it, though, golf is meant to be a haven, whether you’re a guest enjoying the walk or a competitor chasing a championship.
The Haven Country Club is hosting the Mass Super Senior Amateur Championship for the first time. (Mass Golf)
Stay Informed
Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube for the latest updates on all things golf in the Commonwealth. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #MassGolf.
