PEABODY, Massachusetts (September 24, 2024) – When it comes to elite Massachusetts golfers, Doug Clapp (Old Sandwich GC) is one of the first names that comes to mind, especially amongst those in the senior ranks. Winning New England titles, team titles, and qualifying for USGA Championships have all been regular occurrences for Clapp. But on Tuesday, he accomplished something he had never done before, in winning a Mass Golf individual title.
After grinding on the practice putting green at Salem Country Club for much of the afternoon following his opening round on Monday, Clapp found something. That something was put into play during the final round of the 64th Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship, and paid off when his four-foot par putt on the 18th hole found the bottom of the cup, securing the victory.
Final Leaderboard
1 – Doug Clapp; 73-69 (-2)
2 – John Hadges; 71-73 (E)
3 – Kevin Daly; 73-72 (+1)
4 – John McNeill; 74-73 (+3)
5 – Todd Ezold; 76-72 (+4)
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At the start of the Final Round on Tuesday, the top of the leaderboard was congested to say the least. Nine players either had a share of the lead or were within two shots of the lead. Over the opening nine holes, one player from each of the final three pairings had separated from the pack.
After an even-par front nine, hometown favorite Kevin Daly (Salem CC) found himself +1 for the championship. In the group behind Daly, Clapp had rattled off a couple of birdies on holes six and eight to turn at even par for the championship. And in the final group, John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC) turned at even par, tied with Clapp.
Daly was out ahead by a hole, making pars, and moving along with a swarm of Salem members spectating. While that was happening, Clapp and Hadges began exchanging blows, well birdies really, and started to separate themselves from Daly.
The first of the birdie blows came from Clapp. On the 11th hole, after driving one into the trees left, Clapp was forced to lay up and wedge one onto the par-5 green. When his low, drawing wedge skipped past the hole, a 20-foot birdie putt awaited.
“I guess I involuntarily had a little mini fist pump when I made the putt on 11,” said Clapp with a big smile on his face. “Tasho said to me ‘oh, a little fist pump.’ And I was like, you know, it’s really like the first putt in two days that went in kind of with authority, and that just that felt really good, because I didn’t hit a great drive, but to still make birdie on on a gettable hole was nice.”
Not to be outdone, Hadges matched with a birdie of his own on the 11th, thanks to a beautifully nipped wedge that zipped to a stop just four feet from the hole.
Riding the Momentum, Clapp stepped up to the 12th, a 145-yard par-3, and hit one of his patented big, whipping draws right at the flag. When the four foot birdie putt found the bottom of the hole, Clapp again found himself in the lead.
It took another hole, but Hadges again matched Clapp after hitting yet another beautiful wedge on the iconic 13th hole. A magical display of distance control and spin saw the ball come to rest just a few feet from the hole, setting up another easy birdie.
Matching pars on 14, and surprising bogeys on 15 kept the two tied until Clapp was able to strike again on 16, curling home a downhill slider for birdie. Hadges was unable to match.
Negotiating the greens at Salem is a chess match, and having to hit an approach from the right rough, to a right pin, was an impossible ask. Unable to get up-and-down for par, Hadges fell to 2-back, setting the stage for Clapp.
“I was actually thinking about that standing in the 18th fairway,” added Clapp. “Just, you know, execute one more solid golf shot and, and, you know, finally polish one of these things off.”
Polish it he did. The two-putt par may have looked routine to the 50 onlookers, but for Clapp, it was a payoff for the extra work put in the day before.
Although he fell out of the battle for first, Daly hung in nicely, shooting a final round 72, finishing solo third behind Hadges.
“A lot of the membership was looking forward to having all the seniors here,” said Daly recounting the experience. “I had a lot of support here, which was unbelievable the last couple of weeks. Every time I came up here, somebody said something, good luck. And so, yeah, it was a special couple of days.”
A memorable experience with his son on the bag is what this game is all about. Well played, Kevin.
The final Mass Golf Championship of the 2024 season is the Massachusetts Super Senior Amateur Championship. It will be contested next week (September 30 – October 1) at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg. The season will then be rounded out with the Tri-State Matches at Worcester Country Club in mid-October.
Next year, the Senior Amateur Championship will be played at another Donald Ross gem, Worcester Country Club, on September 29-30. The only other time Worcester hosted the Senior Amateur was 1967, when Tim Holland won his second of three-straight Senior Amateur Championships.
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