SUTTON, Massachusetts — A little bit of overnight rain couldn’t spoil two days of fun in the Father Son Modified Scotch Tournament, which saw 120 teams of Fathers and Sons from across the state playing in tandems Monday and Tuesday at Blackstone National Golf Course.
Starting with the Senior Division (sons aged 19+) on Monday, Steve Tasho and his son Steve Tasho Jr. of Thorny Lea Golf Club won their third title as a pair, shooting 3-under-par 69. They previously won the Junior Division at Fall River Country Club back in 2015 and the Senior Division in 2017 at Andover Country Club.
On Tuesday, Will Keyser and his son Sam Keyser of Charles River Country Club won the Junior Division (sons aged 18 and younger) with the same score as the Tashos. They recorded an eagle on the par-5 8th and added a couple of birdies on the back nine.
Sons 19 and over, and both the player and father cannot have a combined Handicap Index exceeding 12.0. (Course 6,500 yards)
Winning in the Tasho family is nothing new. Tasho Sr. has won two state amateur championships in addition to several statewide, regional, and four-ball events. Tasho Jr. won the Mass Four-Ball last year. Still, winning together as a family is its special feat.
“These are some of the best tournaments to win because you can only do it for so long, but him being 65, he still absolutely crushes it,” Tasho Jr. said of his father. “He surprises me a lot. For seven years, we’ve been in the mix a bunch. We lost in a playoff a few years ago on a short putt. There are so many teams. It’s hard to win.”
Playing in the rain throughout the front nine, both players stuck to their specialties. The younger Tasho hit his driver well, while Tasho Sr. was dynamite with irons and wedges into the green. On the 16th, he hit a 90-yard wedge shot to 5 feet for a birdie to cancel out a bogey on the hole prior. Tasho Sr. also made a long birdie putt to start the round, while Tasho Jr. nearly aced the par-3 11th for a 2-foot tap-in to bring the squad to 4-under.
Playing in the final group of the day, the Tashos found themselves toe-to-toe with Al Alminas (GreatHorse) & Peter Alminas (Franconia & Veterans), who finished 2-under. Taking a two-stroke lead into the final hole, both Tashos found the rough but had a reasonable distance into the par-5 18th. Just like they had all day, though, it took teamwork to get the job done. The younger Tasho decided to go for the green with a 3-iron, but the ball took an unfortunate bounce off the cart path pin high and into a plugged spot. “We said just hack it on the green, we’ll putt, and see what happens,” Tasho Sr. said. “It was a tough grind all day because blink of an eyelash and you can make a double.”
Fortunately for them, that wasn’t the case, as they were able to get it into a puttable spot, and even with a bogey finish, held on for their third title.
“It’s always nice to play with your son,” said Tasho Sr, who played in a club match with his son at Thorny the day prior to get ready. “I always look forward to that. It’s not as much as I like to; we have different schedules, but try to get out on a Saturday or Sunday.”
Congratulations to the remaining top finishers in the Senior Division:
Congratulations to the Tashos for earning their third Father Son Tournament title together. They shot 69 (-3) to best 60 teams in the Senior Division (son 19+) at Blackstone National.
Junior Division (sons 18&below) competes Tuesday. #MassGolf
Results: https://t.co/FzvtTIm5HA pic.twitter.com/xVkxhhNBEt
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 29, 2024
Sons 18 and younger, and both the player and father cannot have a combined Handicap Index exceeding 12.0. (Course 6,000 yards)
Sam and Will Keyser have each competed as individuals on the Mass Golf circuit—Sam among the juniors and Will in the senior ranks. While they have teamed up in father-son events both locally and as far away as South Carolina, on Tuesday, they finally took home their first outright victory together.
“This is the biggest one by far,” Will Keyser said.
Following a 3-putt bogey on the 7th, Sam Keyser made two long, wide-breaking putts to get the pair back on track. On the par-5 8th, Sam crushed a drive over the trees, and after Will approached about 12 feet, Sam sank a putt with 3-4 balls of break for an eagle. He then made another putt with a similar break on the 12th, except this was from 30 feet. A birdie on the par-3 13th put them at 3-under.
“I’ve gone back and forth with a putter this year, and finally picked the Odyssey,” said Sam, who will play in the Mass Junior Amateur next week.
Coming down the stretch, the Keysers made par the rest of the way. That kept them ahead of Bill Drohen and his son Matthew Drohen, who made birdie on each of the final three holes to launch up the leaderboard but ultimately finished one shot back.
Congratulations to the remaining top finishers in the Junior Division:
Congratulations to the Keysers, of Charles River Country Club, for winning their first Massachusetts Father Son Tournament together. They shot 69 (-3) to best 30 teams in the Junior Division (sons 18 & younger) at Blackstone National. #MassGolf
Results: https://t.co/IWBHonNPpI pic.twitter.com/tdKHcxJKjX
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 30, 2024
Entries are still open for the Sheeran Modified Scotch on September 26 at Cohasset Golf Club. To register for this event, CLICK HERE
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