By Annie Grace Smith
BOYLSTON, Massachusetts (June 13, 2024) – The field of this year’s Curtis Bowl Scotch was made up of 54 teams in a single shotgun 18-hole tournament at Cyprian Keyes. Teammates Barb Hecimovich and Mary Jane Wagner took home the gross score trophy after a challenging round.
The Scotch format is played with one partner playing first on odd numbered holes and the second partner playing first on even numbered holes. After teeing off, partners alternate shots for the rest of the hole. The tournament was open to female golfers with a Handicap Index® up to 54.0.
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Teammates, Barb Hecimovich (The Tour) and Mary Jane Wagner (Nahawtuc Country Club) took home the Curtis Bowl trophy at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club on Thursday. “It went great! I mean, other than the first four holes,” Wagner said, “We were five over par but then we played even par the rest of the way.”
After their first four holes at 5-over and another bogey on 9, the pair made two birdies on the back to finish out the day with a score of 42-35 for 77 (+4). Elizabeth Derwin & Kristen Henderson (The Tour) came in second with a score of 81.
This was the first time the pair had played together for the Curtis Bowl but they had teamed up in the past for the Mass Women’s Four-Ball Championship and had both played the Curtis Bowl with other partners.
Both Hecimovich and Wagner enjoyed playing with each other saying they had such a fun time, laughing the whole way around the course. “She’s so easy to play with. She laughs easily and she makes so many clutch putts,” continued Wagner. “I would love to say she carries me, but she would deny that.”
Hecimovich commented on the course saying, “You really had to do a lot of placement with your shots, but it was a very nice course.” Even though the course was a unique challenge with the Scotch format, “We didn’t get too upset about anything and decided to have fun when we had the bad start, and lo and behold, we ended up winning!” Hecimovich said.
“It’s a thrill to win with Barb because she makes it more fun,” said Wagner about winning the event. Agreeing with her partner, Hecimovich said, “It’s just a nice feeling. And it’s just fun to do it when you’re playing with your friends that are there at the event as well. So it’s always just a great feeling to compete and obviously to win.”
For Net scoring, Wendy Barry (Hopkinton Country Club)and Sheila Monterastelli (Hopkinton Country Club) came out on top with a Net score of 69 (-4) edging out Claire Hollenbeck (Brookline Golf Course) & Caren Althauser (LPGA Amateurs Boston) in a tie-breaker.
Up Next: The Dolly Sullivan Team Best Ball on July 22-23. Registration is still open through July 2nd.
The tournament was established in 1954 in honor of Harriot and Margaret Curtis by their friends who were also members of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts.
The Curtis sisters were active golfers in the United States, where they combined to win four U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship titles. Their play overseas in Great Britain inspired them to establish the Curtis Cup Match, a biennial match between women golfers from the two countries, to help foster international friendships in women’s golf.
The Curtis Bowl trophy is a replica of the Curtis Cup trophy that the sisters donated for the championship. The Curtis Bowl was first contested in 1956 and has been held every year since. Several pairs have won multiple titles at the tournament, most recently Betsy Masse and Teresa Burtoft in 2016 and 2017.
Cyprian Keyes opened in 1997 with recorded history dating back to the early 1700s. The course is named after the settler Cyprian Keyes, who built his home on the land. Work to build the course began in 1995 and it was opened to play on August 11, 1997. Cyprian Keyes offers a 9-hole par 3 course as well as their Championship course consisting of 18 unique holes. Woodlands and wetlands are incorporated throughout the course with rolling hills creating scenic views.
Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged community around the sport.
With a community made up of over 120,000 golf enthusiasts and over 360 member clubs, Mass Golf is one of the largest state golf associations in the country. Members enjoy the benefits of handicapping, engaging golf content, course rating and scoring services along with the opportunity to compete in an array of events for golfers of all ages and abilities.
At the forefront of junior development, Mass Golf is proud to offer programming to youth in the state through First Tee Massachusetts and subsidized rounds of golf by way of Youth on Course.
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