Mass Golf’s Junior Girls’ Squad Earns Sweepstakes Wins, Places Second In Team Matches

WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (June 27, 2024) – Team Mass Golf had a string of successes in the 83rd Girls’ Junior Inter-City Matches, featuring two days of events at Montclair Golf Club with the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) and the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia (WGAP).

The team, made up of six junior female golfers from the Bay State, earned the two lowest scores in the Wednesday Sweepstakes Round and had several strong performances in a second-place finish in Thursday’s team matches. For the third straight year, the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia (WGAP) emerged victorious in the Nassau (threesomes) format, capturing 27 points, while Team Mass Golf matched last year’s total with 19.5 points.

The Junior Inter-City Match was first contested in 1934 and has been held every year since except for 1942-1948 during the World War II period and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Host sites rotate between courses in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Online: Team Matches Results | Sweepstakes Round Results | Past Champions | Event Home

Team Mass Golf, from left: Jennifer Morahan (Mass Golf’s Manager of Women’s Events), Julia Imai, Elysheva Polivy, Reva Machanavajhula, Champa Visetsin, Ryley Regan, Abby Zhu, and Terry Wappel (team volunteer). (Mass Golf)

Sweepstakes Round

The first day of events features a sweepstakes round where one player from each golf association plays in teams in a best-ball competition. Brookline’s Julia Imai (KOHR Golf), who has committed to play Division III golf at University of Wisconsin-Stout this fall, shot 78 in this round to lead her squad to first play in the team format. She also took the 2nd low gross score.

Andover’s Abby Zhu (Indian Ridge Country Club) carded the best individual score with a 75 as her team finished second place. Last season, Zhu competed in the Inter-City matches and later placed fifth in the Massachusetts Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship powered by KOHR Golf.

Team Matches

In the team matches, players compete for three points in a Nassau match against one player from each state (threesomes). A player may earn a total of three points against each of her two opponents (one point for winning the front nine, one point for winning the back nine, and one point for winning the match).

Seeking to snap its winless drought, Team Mass Golf got a massive boost from its youngest player, Ryley Regan (Orchards Golf Club). The 13-year-old from Western Mass compiled all six possible points against her two opponents. Regan burst onto the Mass Golf scene two years ago when she represented her home club in the 2022 Mass Women’s Amateur Championship.

Julia Imai, the senior player on the squad, contributed five points with a sweep against the WMGA and two more against Philadelphia. Reva Machanavajhula, 14, who qualified for match play in the 2023 Mass Women’s Amateur, contributed three points, matching Zhu, who was playing in the first group. Champa Visetsin, who, like Zhu, has played in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National, scored 2.5 points.

Abby Zhu, right, shot the low individual score in the Sweepstakes Round on Wednesday at Montclair Golf Club. (Mass Golf)

MEET TEAM MASSACHUSETTS

JULIA IMAI

Age: 18

Hometown: Brookline, MA

Member Club: KOHR Golf

ABBY ZHU

Age: 16

Hometown: Andover, MA

Member Club: Indian Ridge Country Club

ELYSHEVA POLIVY

Age: 16

Hometown: Wellesley, MA

Member Club: Youth On Course/Mass Golf

CHAMPA VISETSIN

Age: 15

Hometown: Sudbury, MA

Member Club: Youth On Course/Mass Golf

REVA MACHANAVAJHULA

Age: 14

Hometown: Billerica, MA

Member Club: Youth On Course/Mass Golf

RYLEY REGAN

Age: 13

Hometown: Granby, MA

Member Club: Orchards Golf Club

Fast Facts: Junior Inter-City Team Matches

The 2024 Junior Inter-City Team Matches marked the first time Montclair Golf Club hosted the competition.

Montclair Golf Club, founded in 1893, is one of the nation’s oldest golf courses, with its original 18-hole course by Tom Bendelow opening in 1899. In 1920, renowned architect Donald Ross designed the present-day first, second and third nines, and in 1928, Charles Banks designed the fourth.
The USGA has chosen Montclair as the host site for the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The club has previously hosted two USGA championships, the 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 1985 U.S. Amateur. Brae Burn Country Club in Newton will host the 2024 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.
Team Mass Golf’s last victory in the team matches came in 1999 at Wianno Club on Cape Cod. Stacy Walejko, Lisa Morgan, Bridgette Palin, Christy Hallissy, and Stephanie Proto tallied 23.5 points in the winning effort. Its last road victory was the year prior at Huntingdon Valley CC.
The Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia will host the competition in 2025, followed by Massachusetts in 2026.

Montclair Golf Club in New Jersey will host the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. (Montclair GC)

About Mass Golf

Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged and inclusive 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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