By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
PLYMOUTH, Massachusetts (August 28, 2025) – “One more,” two teammates said after birdieing the 16th hole late Wednesday evening at Pinehills Golf Club, climbing to 7-under with a spot in the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in Scottsdale suddenly within reach.
It became the day’s mantra: one more good swing, one more smart choice, and, most of all, one more birdie, as amateurs gave up their Wednesday (some a bit more) chasing their place in a championship that won’t be played until after next year’s Masters.
This pursuit unfolded on the Nicklaus Course, routed along historic pre-colonial roads and trails with houses peeking from the towering pines. In this format, every birdie keeps you alive, but every bogey lands like a gut punch. By the time the late wave cleared the 18th green at sunset, one side had already secured its tickets out west, while five others were left to shoulder their bags, regroup overnight, and return early next morning for a playoff with two spots still hanging in the balance.
Jake Ratti (Wollaston Golf Club) and Andy Luther (Boston Golf Club) were the ones who spared themselves an early wake-up call. After a 30-minute delay for a dangerous weather situation Wednesday, the pair got the wheels in motion. They birdied both 6 and 7 before Ratti caught fire on the back nine, making six birdies and eight for the round.
Ratti officially sealed their spot with a pure 8-iron from 165 yards into the 18th that nestled inside six feet. His putt dropped, breaking free from the crowded group at 7-under 65, one more ahead of the rest at 64 (-8).
Online: Results | U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Homepage
“I picked a great partner,” said Luther, a member at Boston Golf Club, where Ratti has caddied for years and also earned his U.S. Mid-Amateur spot last Monday. “Jake just went crazy on the back nine. It was impressive to see him take over like that and get it done for us.”
It was a breakthrough for both. Neither has ever played in a USGA championship before, and Luther opted for a mid-amateur stalwart in Ratti, whose own résumé has quickly grown to include the 2024 Mass Mid-Amateur title and 2025 Mass Open Low Amateur honors. He already has a spot in next month’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon CC in Arizona, but Wednesday’s performance marked another step forward by qualifying in a team event.
“This is pretty cool. Andy asked me to play last year, and we came close, so it feels great to get it done this time,” Ratti said. “I’ve been trying to qualify for these for 15 years. My first USGA qualifier was here when I was 13, so to finally break through is really special.”
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The rest had to be settled in the early hours Thursday. For former University of Hartford teammates Danny Frodigh (Dedham Country & Polo Club) and Jared Winiarz (The Links at Mass Golf), as well as brothers Ben Spitz (George Wright Golf Course) and David Spitz (South Shore Country Club), the plan was simple: keep everything the same. Same ball, same order of play, same routine.
Frodigh, who led the side out to a 4-under start through 7 holes Wednesday, even slipped his FootJoys back on with the worn tag from last year’s U.S. Four-Ball at Plainfield Country Club (NJ) still at the bottom, a subtle reminder of the stage he and Winiarz were determined to reach once more.
With five teams gathered on the first tee, the first two groups went off in one wave with three more behind. True to their game plan, Frodigh led off, putting his drive in play, before Winiarz followed by splitting the fairway and knocking a crisp 8-iron to 10 feet, just right of the scarlet USGA flag. With both players safely aboard, Frodigh’s birdie attempt from the back of the green just stopped short, but Winiarz buried his putt and punctuated it with a fist pump, putting them in control as the final three groups played behind.
“Last year was a last-minute thing to play,” Winiarz said. “But we went in with the same mindset: just get back there again. We played confidently all day, and breaking the ice early made a difference. Being there last year and knowing how cool it was, we just had that drive to get back.”
Despite some late heroics on Wednesday, David Currey (Brae Burn Country Club) and Hunter Jones (Greenwich, CT) weren’t able to match with a birdie on the first wave.
For the Spitz brothers, Thursday’s playoff carried a sense of familiarity. The longtime mid-amateur standouts were looking to qualify for their third U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, having previously advanced to Winged Foot (2016) and Philadelphia Cricket Club (2024).
The brothers leaned on their chemistry in the playoff, treating it like just another continuation of the previous day’s round. “You kind of make it like it’s the same thing, just a warm-up for one hole,” Ben added.
Playing in the final group Wednesday, David made consecutive birdies on holes 9-11, with Ben picking up the baton late, steadying the team and adding crucial birdies and pars saves down the stretch. “The ham-and-egg was pretty good,” David said. “This is a tough event to qualify for. You just have to make a bunch of birdies.”
Luckily for them, they had one more in store. Playing in the second wave of the playoff, David’s approach was farther out than Ben’s, but it was his putt that sealed it. “It was 142 to the flag, a 9-iron that still played longer,” he explained. “The putt was a little uphill, breaking left, and it had die-in speed. Luckily it dropped, it was good to keep the pressure off of him.”
The teams of Jackson Roman (Kensington, CT) & Luke Stennett (Portland, CT) and Damon Salo (New Ipswich, NH) & Cameron Salo (New Ipswich, NH) each had a chance to equalize but came up short on their birdie bids.
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QUALIFIERS (Names; Cities)
Andy Luther (Milton, MA) & Jake Ratti (Plymouth, MA); 64 (-8)
Danny Frodigh (Westwood, MA) & Jared Winiarz (Norton); 65 (-7)*
David Spitz (Norwell, MA) & Ben Spitz (Milton, MA); 65 (-7)*
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Jackson Roman (Kensington, CT) & Luke Stennett (Portland, CT); 65 (-7)+
Damon Salo (New Ipswich, NH) & Cameron Salo (New Ipswich, NH); 65 (-7)&
*Advanced with a birdie on first playoff hole (No. 1)
+Earned spot with a birdie on second playoff hole (No. 2)
&Earned spot with a birdie on third playoff hole (No. 1)
For nearly two decades, Pinehills has been a proving ground for golfers chasing a spot in USGA championships. Once an annual site for U.S. Open Local Qualifying, it has since hosted qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, and now the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.
The Plymouth layout consists of a pair of championship-caliber courses, the first opened by Rees Jones, the U.S. Open doctor and the latest luminary in Mass Golf’s lively library of content. “The diverse terrain has provided us with an opportunity to utilize the native ridges and high points for a variety of different tee and green sites,” Jones said of the first Pinehills layout in 2001.
The Nicklaus Course, created a year later by Jack Nicklaus’ eldest son, Jack Nicklaus II, offers a distinct challenge. While both courses blend seamlessly into the landscape, the Nicklaus stands out for its tree-lined corridors, generous landing areas, and strategic risk-reward opportunities, particularly suited for team formats.
Standout holes include the slightly downhill, left-doglegging 4th, rated the course’s toughest, where the fairway narrows dramatically before feeding into an angled green. Another highlight is the 384-yard 9th, which sweeps gently right along a bunker-framed fairway to a well-guarded green.
On the back nine, the 189-yard 15th is a dramatic, all-carry par three over a ravine to a wide but shallow target. The finisher, a 476-yard par four, is the sternest test of all, with water guarding the left side of the home green and demanding a precise approach. Many shots Wednesday either found the right greenside bunker or were long, forcing a chip back toward a back pin placement.
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The championship will be held May 16-20, 2026, at Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., using both the Cochise & Outlaw courses, which are. fittingly, Jack Nicklaus designs. The club hosted the 1999 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and has held the Southwestern Amateur every year since 2013.
A total of 128 sides will contend in 36 holes of stroke play, before the field is cut to 32 sides advancing to match play.
Qualifying, over 18 holes is scheduled for 52 sites between Aug. 20 and Dec. 22. Each member of the side cannot have a Handicap Index® exceeding 2.4. The USGA accepted 2,482 sides, almost 5,000 golfers total. On August 20, Sandwich residents Brian Fleckles and Peter Hartmann earned medalist honors with a 64 at Swansea Country Club to become among the first to qualify for a spot in the field.
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