NORTON, Massachusetts – In preparation for the 2019 golf season, Mass Golf has released its schedule for all Championships, Women’s Championships and USGA qualifying events.
The official Mass Golf Championship season will kick off on May 13-14 at The International in Bolton with the playing of the Four-Ball Championship. This popular two-person event which dates back to 1981 features any two competitors with a combined handicap index of 6.0 who compete in two days of 18-holes of four-ball stroke-play.
Less than one month later, the Women’s Championship season will commence with the Edith Noblit Baker at Pocasset Golf Club. On June 17-18 in Pocasset, reigning U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion Shannon Johnson (Thorny Lea GC) will be looking to tie the event record for five straight titles.
A highlight of the 2019 season will no doubt be the Amateur and Women’s Amateur Championships to be contested at The Country Club (July 15-19) and Weston Golf Club (August 12-15), respectively.
“We have an incredible lineup of courses that will most certainly challenge our top competitors,” said Kevin Eldridge, Mass Golf’s director of rules & competitions. “Our season runs from early May through October with championships and qualifiers being conducted at sites across our state.”
Eldridge notes that more than 40 events, including 18-hole qualifying rounds, will take place in 2019 and will feature more than 3,000 of the state’s most elite competitors. Featured championship and women’s championship venues include: Wianno Club & Willowbend (Senior Four-Ball), Vesper CC (Open), Sharon CC (Young Golfers’ Amateur), Boston GC & Woodland GC (Ouimet Memorial), GreatHorse (NEWGA), Bayberry Hills GC (Amateur Public Links), Cranberry Valley GC (Girls’ Junior Amateur), Crumpin-Fox Club (Junior Amateur), Renaissance (Women’s Senior Amateur), Senior Amateur (Cohasset GC), Brae Burn CC (Mid-Amateur), Woods Hole GC (Super Senior Amateur), and Waubeeka GL (B, C, D & E).
In addition to Mass Golf events, the organization is also responsible for annually conducting qualifying rounds for the major United States Golf Association (USGA) Championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Women’s Senior Open, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateur, U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur, U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.
The USGA qualifying season will begin on April 17 at The Bay Club at Mattapoisett with a U.S. Senior Women’s Open qualifier. Shortly thereafter, on May 6, qualifying will continue in full force with a U.S. Open local qualifier at Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk and a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier at TPC Boston in Norton. Additional U.S. Open local qualifiers will be held that week at Berkshire Hills Country Club (May 8) and Pinehills Golf Club (May 9). The final USGA qualifier in 2019 will be held on October 8 when Franklin Country Club will open its doors to an 18-hole qualifier for the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
“We can’t thank our host clubs enough for their willingness to open their doors to our events for that six-month period,” said Eldridge. “The competitive schedule would not be possible without our clubs and the commitment that we continually see from our strong player base.”
To Eldridge’s point, some of the country’s top players have emerged from the Bay State. In just a 12-month period, Massachusetts boasted three USGA champions – Matt Parziale (2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion), Michael Thorbjornsen (2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion), and Shannon Johnson (2018 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion).
The historic 2018 Mass Golf season was recently chronicled in the winter issue of Massachusetts magazine (click here to read).
A schedule of 2019 Team and Women’s Tournaments will be posted in the coming weeks. Information about those events can be found under the PLAY tab at MassGolf.org.
