Headline: Last Call to Register for the 2017 Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship; Open to Only Public Course Golfers

For Immediate Release: May 29, 2017

One year ago, Matt Cowgill (below) captured the #MassAPL title. Who will win in 2017 at Pinehills GC?

Norton, MA — One of the MGA’s most unique Championship Propers of the season will quickly see its entry date pass.

The last day to sign up for the opportunity to compete at the 36th playing of the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship is Thursday, June 1 at 5:00 p.m. This year’s tournament will be held August 8-9 on the Nicklaus Course at Plymouth’s Pinehills Golf Club and there are six different qualifiers being held across the Commonwealth between June 20 and July 5.

After last year’s championship saw Matt Cowgill defeat Cody Booska in the western-most part of the Bay State, at Williamstown’s Waubeeka Golf Links, a victory decided in a three-hole sudden death playoff, the Championship returns to the eastern half of the state for what will be another exciting MGA event.

Unlike most events hosted by the Massachusetts Golf Association however, the Amateur Public Links Championship is restricted to competitors who hold their handicap indexes at a public MGA member club.

“The Amateur Public Links Championship is one of the most distinctive championships that the MGA organizes during the competitive season,” said Kevin Eldridge, the MGA's Director of Rules and Competition. “While almost all of the 12 Championship Propers that we host throughout any given year are open to any golfer from an MGA member club, the Amateur Public Links Championship is special in that it provides a Championship Proper for the masses and allows us to extend our range of competition to a new level.”

For this year’s tournament, competitors from the 113 public MGA member clubs from who maintain an up-to-date MGA/GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 12.0 (as determined by the June 1, 2017 Handicap Revision) are eligible to compete in the two-day tournament. A public MGA member club is defined as a course/club that provides playing opportunities for the general public seven days a week and offers a handicap index and other MGA services through its club.

While there are exempt competitors for this year’s tournament based on final results in previous MGA Championships, the door is open for all competitors who meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for the Championship Proper. This year, six qualifiers will be held to assemble the championship field ahead of the summer.

2017 Amateur Public Links Qualifying Sites:
June 20 – Sandy Burr Country Club
June 21 – Gardner Municipal Golf Course
June 26 – Cranberry Valley Golf Course
June 27 – The Ledges Golf Club
June 29 – Bradford Country Club
July 5 – D.W. Field Golf Course

Registration for one of the six qualifiers must be completed before 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 1 and golfers must have a handicap index not exceeding 12.0 at the time of registration.

For continued information regarding the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship, visit mgalinks.org or follow the MGA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #MassAPL.