Headline: Paul & Kyle Puchol Make the Most of Their First MGA Championship Appearance Together; Win Junior Division at the 40th MGA Father & Son Championship
For Immediate Release: August 16, 2016
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Paul and Kyle are victors of the junior division title at the 40th MGA Father & Son Championship |
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Plymouth, MA — From the moment they hit their first tee shots of the day, Paul Puchol (Olde Barnstable) and his son Kyle Puchol (Olde Barnstable) had a feeling that it was going to be their day.
The duo made birdie on two of the first three holes at Plymouth Country Club and cruised to a two-stroke victory in the junior division of the 40th Massachusetts Father & Son Championship. They finished with a score of 2-under par 67.
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Junior Division Links
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“This is the greatest thing for me,” said Paul. “To win something with him is the greatest thing that I have ever accomplished.”
Memories of playing golf together go back as far as both can remember. But the moments from today’s round – the first MGA Championship that the two have ever played together – will no doubt last forever.
“I love playing with him,” said Kyle. “I definitely get to see him play a lot, so I know that he is good. I knew that if I hit a bad shot he could come back and hit a good shot in.”
The talent of both players was evident from the start as they were 2-under par through three holes.
"Right from the start he drove the ball really well,” said Paul. “On the first hole we had 90 yards in and I hit it to two feet and we made birdie right away.”
They would go on to make birdie on the 190-yard, par 3 3rd hole and then again on the 131-yard, par 3 8th hole. Following a bogey on the 9th hole, they made the turn at 2-under par 32.
“We just kept going at it,” said Paul. “There was not a lot of stress out there, and we made sure that we were in really good positions.”
One of the only fretful moments of the day came on the 499-yard, par 5 16th hole when their second shot cozied up against a rock wall. Paul’s third shot found the green but then rolled all the way down the hill.
It then when Kyle – who will be entering his freshman year at Mashpee High School – sent his chip to 20 feet to set up a key par putt for Paul to keep the team at 2-under for the day. The Puchols capped off their round by making three straight pars.
“I was nervous, but the nervous level definitely came down after we made those two birdies off the first three holes,” said Kyle. “That start relieved a lot of pressure, and we just kept it going from there.”
In what was their first year of competing for the junior division title, the Puchols arrived in Plymouth with a clear game plan.
“Try to keep the ball below the hole is what we were trying to do,” said Paul. “If it was 106 we were trying to hit to 99 or something just to not put us in a tough spot. We wanted uphill putts all day, so that was the game plan for us.”
Paul and Kyle did not have much time to celebrate their victory, however.
In fact, they had to leave Plymouth before the final results were in because Kyle was scheduled to compete in the Drive, Chip & Putt Sub-Regionals at LeBaron Hills Country Club that afternoon.
While a trophy ceremony and a celebratory toast would have been fun, there was clearly nothing else that could have made this day better for the Puchol family.
“I told him after that this was the best day of golf I have ever had in my life and I play a lot of golf,” said Paul. “It was truly, truly enjoyable. It was fantastic, and I loved it.”
It has been a special experience for all who stepped onto the historic Donald Ross layout, which is situated on 200 acres near Plymouth Bay.
Over the years, the course has served as host to some of the most important events in Massachusetts and produced some of the finest players the sport has ever known.
Included in that list is Henry Picard, who captured the Masters (1938) and PGA Championship (1939). He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006.
Joanne Goodwin, a 2014 inductee into the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame, was perhaps the most dominant woman player of the 1950's and 1960's (during which time her father and brother were consecutively the head professionals at Plymouth Country Club). Goodwin was a member of the United States Curtis Cup team, a finalist in the US Women's Amateur Championship and four-time Massachusetts Women's Amateur Champion.
Donald Vinton won the 1926 Massachusetts Open Championship while he was head golf professional at Plymouth Country Club.
And then there was Bill Buttner, a touring professional who won the Hornblower Memorial two times in 1975 and 1977.
To this day, the Hornblower Memorial remains one of the most prestigious regional events in the Northeast. As one walks up the grand staircase of the Plymouth club house, a plaque hangs on the wall with the names of Hornblower champions dating back to 1965.
The event was named after Henry Hornblower, who was the man responsible for the creation of the home site of Plymouth Country Club. In honor of its 50th anniversary in 2015, a senior division was introduced to continue what has been a special tradition at the club.
“We feel so fortunate to bring our MGA events to this historic and classic course,” said Jesse Menachem, the MGA’s executive director. “The staff and membership of Plymouth Country Club has been a true friend to the MGA and we look forward to many more fruitful years ahead.”
The wait for another MGA Championship on this course will be a short one. After all, Plymouth Country Club will host the 2018 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship.
For more information about Plymouth Country Club, CLICK HERE.
This year's junior division featured 28 teams and tee times that ranged from 7:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. Here are some additional facts about Tuesday's field.
Average Age: 33.87
Common First Name: Jack, Peter, Rob (3)
Youngest Player: Boomer Jenks, Kyle Furey, Kyle Puchol (14)
Oldest Player: Dan Solien and Peter Frodigh (60)
Number of Member Clubs Represented: 26
Most Member Clubs Represented: Marshfield CC (4), Thorny Lea (4), CC of Halifax (4)
Most Number of Towns: 29
Average Handicap: 5.33
Geographic Breakdown: South Shore - 20; North Shore - 12; Cape Cod - 10; Greater Boston - 8; Greater Springfield - 4; Greater Worcester - 2.
