{"id":750439,"date":"2026-07-08T12:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T12:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/750439\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T12:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T12:05:08","slug":"118th-mass-amateur-second-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/750439\/","title":{"rendered":"118th Mass Amateur: Second Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Richard Rapp
rrapp@massgolf.org<\/p>\n

WINCHESTER, Massachusetts (July 7, 2026) \u2013\u00a0 There was an air of inconclusivity on Tuesday at the Massachusetts Amateur. At 8:35 a.m., just one hour and five minutes after the first tee shots were struck, the stoppage horn sounded due to angular, intensifying rain. Play resumed at 11:33 a.m., but it wasn\u2019t as though the skies had cleared.<\/p>\n

Typically, day two has a sharply defined edge to it: the cut line. The second round of stroke play determines which 32 players will slot into the match play bracket. But that target number was shrouded in uncertainty. Rain jackets were removed, then hastily wrestled back on. Bands of travelling umbrellas dotted the radical hillsides of Winchester Country Club as play pressed onward. On Monday, we had a Titleist ball count and on Tuesday we probably should have been tallying black FootJoy rain gloves.<\/p>\n

Only a handful of groups managed to complete their rounds before the horn sounded again at 3:18 p.m., marking the end of an abbreviated day. Conner Willett (Charles River Country Club) posted an impressive 1-under round of 70, which put him at even par overall. Not only was it the best of the 14 scores posted, it was the only under-par round of the day, including the rest of the morning wave that has yet to finish.<\/p>\n

Of the 33 players currently within the top 32 and ties number, 24 haven\u2019t begun their second round, so it\u2019s impossible to guess what the cut will wind up being. Willett will likely be safe, as will Aidan Emmerich (Kernwood Country Club), who also finished at even par after a second round 72. 2024 Champion Matthew Naumec (Framingham Country Club) and 2025 Runner-Up Patrick Kilcoyne (Woodland Golf Club) are virtual locks to advance, sharing the clubhouse lead at 2-under.<\/p>\n

Online:\u00a0Championship Central<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Leaderboard<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Photo Gallery<\/a> |\u00a0Event Home<\/a><\/p>\n

I fell in with the convivial grouping of Emmerich, Kilcoyne, and Raymond Dennehy (Oak Hill Country Club) as they made the turn. They had been the first group off one in the morning. Emmerich managed two early birdies before the first horn. He and Kilcoyne paced the top of the leaderboard on steady footing all day, while Dennehy made the turn at +10, doggedly trying to claw his way back down towards a cutline that was surely rising.<\/p>\n

The players urged each other on through the dreary conditions. When Kilcoyne sent a piercing long iron towards the green on the long par-3 11th, Dennehy emitted a joyous, \u201cCrunch!\u201d On a day of splats and thunks, Kilcoyne\u2019s ball-striking managed to hold its percussive timbre.<\/p>\n

Dennehy nearly holed a world class pitch from a slope of fescue beyond the 11th green, then left an eagle chip a few inches shy of the cup on the 12th. \u201cI\u2019m running out of holes,\u201d he quipped, \u201cPlease, I don\u2019t want go back to the office tomorrow.\u201d He then clapped as Kilcoyne finished off a nifty up-and-down for birdie from 30 yards short of the green, up and over a menacing bunker.<\/p>\n

\"\"(From Left) Patrick Kilcoyne, Aidan Emmerich and Raymond Dennehy Battling the Elements (Toddy Doggett)<\/p>\n

Dennehy two-putted his way to a second birdie on the next to get to +8, eliciting an encouraging clap from Emmerich. Dennehy pointed at him, \u201cNeed it, don\u2019t want it.\u201d But up there on the highest, most exposed part of the property, the wind began to blow in earnest. Down on Mystic Lake, you could see sailboats zipping at a pace usually reserved for motors. One of the spokes on my umbrella caved. Pars were becoming tough to come by, let alone the birdies that Dennehy desperately needed.<\/p>\n

He turned to Kilcoyne as they made their way down the 15th, \u201cI need magic, Patrick.\u201d But he couldn\u2019t quite conjure it, finishing the day at 10-over.<\/p>\n

There was grit, if not magic, in the play of Willett, Naumec, Emmerich and Kilcoyne. Golf, as we know, is an unfair game, and these players dug deep on the soggy side of the draw. \u201cYou just gotta embrace the grind. It\u2019s scrappy golf, that\u2019s sort of my game,\u201d said Emmerich. \u201cI\u2019m not bad in the rain sometimes, but it\u2019s definitely not fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ducking under an umbrella in fresh, dry clothes, Willett exuded the type of even-keeled demeanor required in trying conditions. \u201cIt definitely took some acceptance that we got the tougher draw, but these things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willett has conjured magic at the Mass Am before, and with a long-anticipated return to the match play draw more than likely, he might just be poised for another run. \u201cI\u2019d say for the first time in my life I haven\u2019t really been playing golf swing, just trying to play golf and it\u2019s been fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was to be today\u2019s afternoon wave will start their rounds in bright sunshine tomorrow morning. A new day.<\/p>\n

Up Next<\/p>\n

The second round of stroke play will continue Wednesday morning. If there\u2019s a tie for the final match play spot(s), there will be a sudden-death playoff right after stroke play concludes. Visit @playmassgolf on Instagram for a live stream of the playoff and the 36-hole final match Friday.<\/p>\n

Notable<\/p>\n

Here are some other tidbits from Day 2 at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the cutline won\u2019t be known until Wednesday, here is what it has been relative to par over the past decade: 2025: +6, GreatHorse; 2024: +2, Framingham Country Club; 2023: +5, Essex County Club 2022: +8, Concord Country Club; 2021: +4, Brae Burn Country Club; 2020: +4, The Kittansett Club\/The Bay Club; 2019: +6, The Country Club; 2018: +4, George Wright Golf Course\/William G. Devine Golf Course; 2017: +7, Charles River Country Club; 2016: +5, Taconic Golf Club; 2015: +6, Oak Hill Country Club.
\nAny playoff needed for the final match play spots will take place on holes 16, 17 and 18.
\nMatt Parziale, the 2017 champion, withdrew Tuesday morning during the weather delay. After qualifying for match play 13 straight years, it\u2019ll be the first time since 2012 at Tedesco his name will not be in the bracket.
\nIn addition to six Winchester members in the field, there are also six Holy Cross players in the field (some overlapping). Winchester\u2019s Owen Egan \u201925 and his college roommate Nolan Schuermann \u201925 (1929 Club) are competing with Winchester\u2019s Jake Peer \u201919 and Christian Emmerich \u201923 (Kernwood Country Club). Recent graduates Brian Glennon (Cohasset Golf Club) and Matt Williams (Boston Golf Club) are also in the field.<\/p>\n

Watch: 5 Big Things From Day 2<\/p>\n

Stay Informed<\/p>\n

Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest information regarding the 118th Massachusetts Amateur Championship. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #MassGolf and #MassAm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Richard Rapprrapp@massgolf.org WINCHESTER, Massachusetts (July 7, 2026) \u2013\u00a0 There was an air of inconclusivity on Tuesday at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":750440,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-750439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=750439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750439\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/750440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=750439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=750439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=750439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}