By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
HAMPDEN, Massachusetts (July 7, 2025) — Hosting championship golf has practically become an annual tradition at GreatHorse since it rose from the ashes of the old Hampden Country Club a decade ago. But nothing it has hosted has been quite like this.
This week, 144 of the state’s most talented amateur golfers, regardless of their age or whether their home course is public or private, have gathered at the luxurious club for a shot at history. At stake: the Massachusetts Cup, etched with names like Francis Ouimet, Eddie Lowery, Fred Wright, Ted Bishop, Fran Quinn, Jim Salinetti, and Rob Oppenheim.
Despite what the entry sign past the gates may suggest, the Mass Amateur is making a long-awaited return to Western Massachusetts, its first since 2016 at Taconic Golf Club. Other western hosts over the years include Longmeadow Country Club, Country Club of Pittsfield, and Wyantenuck Country Club. Now, it’s time for Brian Silva’s bold and sweeping GreatHorse to take center stage in Mass Golf’s largest championship of the season (by number of entries).
Here are three things to watch going into the stroke-play portion of the championship:
Counting down the minutes…#MassAm | #MassGolf pic.twitter.com/A5jrMmFq6u
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 6, 2025
It’s not often the person running the show at the host club is also in the field. But this week, Guy Antonacci, the owner and founder of GreatHorse, is penciled in for a tee time of his own, joining seven other players with ties to the host club in the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
That list includes some serious firepower. The clear headliner is Vanderbilt phenom Ryan Downes, who quite literally grew up chipping and putting on the course as it was being built. Two years ago, at just 17, Downes became the youngest-ever winner of the Mass Amateur with a dramatic comeback victory at Essex County Club.
His opponent that day? Matthew Naumec, the defending champion and another GreatHorse product. While the former Boston College standout captured last year’s title at his newly adopted home of Framingham Country Club, the Wilbraham native is plenty familiar with the bold Silva design and looks poised for a fourth consecutive deep run.
Also representing the home club are Steve Wagner (first off at 7:41 a.m.), Cole Banning (Bryant University), A.J. Oleksak (7th at the 2020 Mass Mid-Am here), former professional Billy Walthouse, and Michael Petrick.
Aside from GreatHorse, Country Club of Wilbraham is also representing the west with four players: Gregory Placzek, Kyle DiFranco, Michael McGrath, and Peter Wurszt. Meanwhile, Springfield Country Club’s Joe Wilson, Samuel Johnson, and Samuel Maroney are in the field.
If history is any indication, players will need to brace themselves when they reach the back nine at GreatHorse. In each of the last four major tournaments held here, the 2024 New England Amateur, 2023 Mass Junior Amateur, 2022 Ouimet Memorial Tournament, and 2020 Mass Mid-Amateur, the inward nine has played to a higher stroke average than the outward. In both the 2022 Ouimet and 2020 Mid-Amateur, the back nine played more than a full stroke tougher in the opening round (each is par 36).
Leading the charge is the par-4 18th, a demanding closer that has ranked as the No. 1 handicap hole in all four aforementioned events. Players must shape a left-to-right tee shot along the hillside that climbs toward the clubhouse patio, then face a potentially blind approach into a green with runoffs long and left, plus a front-right bunker ready to catch anything that comes up short or skips too far.
It’s long, exciting, and built for drama, and there’s sure to be plenty of that this week.
It’s also seen its fair share of bounces. If you’ll indulge us with another Ryan Downes mention, in 2023, his opening-round tee shot caromed off the cart path and left him a rare short wedge into the green. If you’ve seen the latest Golf In Massachusetts episode featuring Downes, you already know — of course he made the birdie putt.
However, the shortest hole and one of the most scorable on the course comes on the short par-3 15th, which maxes out at 134 yards. In the 2020 Mid-Amateur Chris Scott (Twin Hills CC) made a hole-in-one for the first ace of his life.
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With the launch of Team Massachusetts in late 2024, Mass Golf is helping usher in a new era of junior player development, and four members of the inaugural squad are already proving they belong on the big stage.
Reese Jensen (Duxbury Yacht Club), Max McColgan (Nashawtuc Country Club), Drew Golden (Black Rock Country Club), and Gavin Lane (Nashawtuc Country Club) are competing this week at the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship, and all four are headed to Division I programs: Jensen to Harvard University, McColgan to St. John’s University, Golden to Lehigh University, and Lane to Georgetown University. Lane also made a run to match play in last year’s championship.
Massachusetts is one of just seven pilot states that have launched the U.S. National Development Program (USNDP), a bold initiative to identify, support, and elevate America’s top junior golf talent. The inaugural Team Massachusetts roster, announced this past winter, features 16 players (eight boys and eight girls) selected based on their performance, rankings, and long-term potential.
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For complete coverage of the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship, visit MassGolf.org or follow Mass Golf on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @PlayMassGolf and use the hashtag #MassAm.
