BROCKTON, Massachusetts – Fall golf conditions were in full effect on Tuesday as 125 golfers representing 21 different Mass Golf Member Clubs competed in the Fall Cup Championship on a brisk, breezy day at Thorny Lea Golf Club (par-73, 5,538-yards).
For the second straight year, the championship ended in a tie as the teams from Pocasset Golf Club and Presidents Golf Course both earned low gross honors (+42 aggregate), distancing themselves from the field by nine strokes.
Established in 2009, the Fall Cup competition is a statewide tournament that featured three matches in September. Teams of six females from each club were broken into 21, 4-team regional divisions, creating matchups between Mass Golf Member Clubs. The top team from each region following those three matches earned the right to compete in Tuesday’s Fall Cup Championship.
“It’s an incredible feeling to have this event culminate the Fall Cup season,” said Naomi Nesenoff, Mass Golf’s Manager of Women’s Events and Player Development. “It’s an accomplishment for all the teams who participated to be able to compete in this championship at this amazing golf course. The golf conditions are superb, the facilities are amazing, and the golfers were super excited to be here.”
The championship format on Tuesday was four-ball stroke play gross and net, with the total score for each team of six determined by the aggregate total of its three pairs. At the end of each hole, the two-person team wrote down the best person’s score on that hole (gross) and the best-handicapped score on that hole (net). Partners were paired by handicap index, low to high.
Led by team captain Kimberly McDowell and Catherine Flatley, Presidents Golf Course picked up its second Fall Cup Championship, as the team earned the title back in 2018. McDowell and Flatley finished 6-over, the low score of any pairing.
“At Presidents, we have a great group of women, so everybody wants to play,” McDowell said. “It was just a team effort. I’m just happy to be out here playing and beautiful day, and we hope to be back next year.”
Underscoring the full team effort was Patty Buck, who made birdie on the 18th and final hole to secure a tie with Pocasset. Buck and Kathy Otterson shot 15-over, while Elizabeth Moran and Gail Keefe rounded out the roster for Presidents.
Though the regular team matches are often regionalized, the championship pairings feature pairings of players from all across the state, enhancing camaraderie.
“I love playing Mass Golf events because you meet new people,” McDowell said. “I’ve made so many friends just in these events.”
For Pocasset, first-time captain Patti Peressini said this was the first time this collective team had played together in the event.
“We were very excited to make it to the championship round,” Peressini said. “The conditions were beautiful, and we’re thrilled to have tied for first place.”
Natalie Galligan, the 2018 Mass Women’s Senior Amateur champion, and Maureen Pentland led the way as each player made a birdie on the front nine and together carded a 39 on the back nine to finish 7-over as a pair. Janice Kirby, playing with Judy Godino, picked up a birdie on the 3rd hole to lead their team, while Marion Mahony and Peressini had three key par saves on the back nine to keep the team in contention.
In its first season competing in the Fall Cup, Wahconah Country Club earned low net honors with an aggregate score of 10-under, edging out Walpole Country Club by one stroke.
Joanne Warren & Kathleen Millard fired a net score of 6-under, while Pam McCarty & Robin Taylor and Debbie Casey & Deb McCann each were 2-under.
Registration for the 2022 Spring Team Matches and Fall Cup Matches will open on November 1. CLICK HERE to learn more about both team competitions.
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