By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
WEST YARMOUTH, Massachusetts (August 7, 2024) – One day, Isabel Brozena (Indian Ridge Country Club) and Josiah Hakala (Northern Spy Golf Club) will look back on Thursday with gratifying fondness. Sure, having their names engraved on the historic trophies is a significant part of it, but by closing out their summers by playing the best golf of their lives, they left no doubt that they were worthy champions and set a new standard for future contenders.
Brozena, a North Reading native who will drive out to start college at Xavier University next week, sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to defeat her talented counterpart and friend Lillian Guleserian (Blue Hill Country Club), 3&2, to capture the 91st Massachusetts Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship Powered By KOHR Golf at Bayberry Hills Golf Course. This marked the first year the Girls’ Junior utilized match play to decide a champion.
In the process, she now shares a piece of history with LPGA pro Megan Khang as the only other person to win the Ouimet Memorial Tournament and Mass Girls’ Junior Amateur in the same year (2011 and 2012).
“I worked so hard for this, and this was my last junior round ever, so I wanted to win it so badly,” said Brozena, who was rooting to face Guleserian all week in the final match. “I wanted to be us at the end. This whole summer has been a battle between us in pretty much every tournament, and I think there was no other way that I wanted to end then with me and her in the final.”
The 2024 Girls’ Junior and Junior Am Champions! Isabel Brozena and Josiah Hakala take home the hardware after 2 more fierce rounds of matchplay 🥳 #MassGolf pic.twitter.com/pWGHLoKXGN
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) August 8, 2024
Heading into his senior year of high school, Hakala is having the time of his life. Earlier this year, he won the PGA National High School Invitational with a course record and competed in match play in the U.S. Junior Amateur. This week, his game seemed steady throughout, and once the putter got hot, it was hard to stop him. Upon receiving the Charles E. Mason Trophy, Hakala glazed over it with his eyes, scanning the names of past winners from Eddie Lowery and Fred Wright all the way to James Driscoll, Evan Harmeling, and many other of the state’s greats.
“Mine is gonna look real good on that,” said Hakala, following his 6&5 victory over 2023 champion Carson Erick (Boston Golf Club). “A lot of hard work goes into these tournaments. I mean, so many good players. Come out trying to win this. I mean, I had to go through both finalists from last year. I don’t even know if I have words right now. Just super pumped to get my hands on this trophy. I was close a couple years ago but nice to break through.”
In the process, Hakala guaranteed a return trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, where he reached the Round of 32 in match play.
__
All week long, Brozena and Guleserian kept bringing out the best golf out of each other. In stroke play, Brozena was paired in a group behind Guleserian, and it seemed like only a matter of time before they met again.
In case you haven’t been following, these two have been battling for top billing throughout the past year. They faced off in a quarterfinal showdown in the 2023 Mass Women’s Amateur, with Guleserian making an ace in her victory. In the spring, Guleserian, a Penn State commit, beat Brozena in the MIAA regional tournament, with Brozena getting the nod in the MIAA state championship. On the same course Monday, Brozena edged Guleserian by a stroke by making eagle on the 18th, but Guleserian earned the top spot by finishing first in stroke play with a score of 8-under.
While the two were friendly all week, when it was finally time to face off, they kept their game face throughout, hardly saying much to each other except conceding putts.
“I think when it comes down to us, we just want to beat each other so badly, and we want to beat each other when we’re both playing our best,” Brozena said. I think that’s what kept me focused. I would not be the golfer I am today if I didn’t have that constantly — Lillian constantly putting pressure on me having to make more putts, more birdies.”
The match lived up to the hype as both players won four holes apiece through the first 12 holes. Brozena grabbed the lead on the 9th with a 6-foot birdie putt, and though Guleserian’s driver started to get wild, she scrambled to get up and down to tie holes 11 and 15.
Even when Brozena’s drive rolled into a valley beyond the 13th fairway, she hit a wedge to 5 feet and made the birdie putt to take the lead for good. From there, it was all fairways and greens the rest of the way. After Guleserian pushed her drive far left on the 14th pushed her approach far right of the green, Brozena was able to take a 2-up lead and move into the driver’s seat.
With one more driver, pitch, and putt, she floated to her ball after it fell into the cup on 16, which gave her the match and a joyful conclusion to her junior golf career.
“I think the biggest thing is just confidence,” said Brozena on her biggest summer takeaway. “I played against a lot of tough fields, and I’ve done pretty well. I think that having that confidence going in is going to be really big to start my college career off strong.”
While the Girls’ Junior Amateur matchup was playing out as a dogfight, Hakala took it right to the defending champion from the jump.
Even when Hakala’s drives weren’t in position A off the tee, his short game came to the rescue. After stuffing one in close on the par-3 3rd to go 2-up, Hakala nearly holed out for eagle from over the water, as his ball hit inches from the cup and rolled back, setting up another birdie putt. On the 5th, Hakala was nearly blocked out by trees near the cart path, and though his approach released down into a depression in the green, he stepped up and hit a 35-footer for birdie.
“It was nice to convert that one [hole 4], and then five was just a complete bonus, just a really good putt that found its way,” Hakala said. “That one really kind of kickstarted getting up even more there.”
Sure, I guess you could just try to dunk it. Hakala made good on this dart by brushing in the birdie putt to go 3 up through 4 in the championship match pic.twitter.com/9VY9CmQjIL
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) August 8, 2024
From there, Hakala didn’t let up. Even when Erick won the 10th, Hakala made birdie on the 11th, all the while trusting his swing which he improved over the winter while working with his dad, his swing coach.
“I worked super hard on it, and it’s really nice to see it pay off in big tournaments and under pressure and see my ball striking hold up,” Hakala said.
“You could say everything about my dad,” he added. “He does everything for me. We both work super hard into my game, and he definitely means the world to me. Without him, I would not be here.”
Hakala continues to showcase his skills as part of the U.S. National Development Program’s (USNDP) grant program, which aims to mitigate barriers of cost to promising junior golfers who demonstrate both financial need and the potential to progress through the USNDP pathway.
While he still has yet to commit to a college, the Division I prospect knows one thing for sure is on tap: a spot in the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest Golf Club, in Dallas, Texas.
“It’s awesome to have my spot locked into that,” Hakala said. “It’s really cool to play against the best juniors in the world, and I definitely can’t wait for next year for sure.”
1-Carson Erick def. 5-Gunnar Moore, 20 holes
The defending champion Carson Erick rallied from three holes down at the turn, tying the match at the 12th hole. Trailing by one on the 18th, Erick almost holed out for eagle but won the hole with a birdie. Erick and Gunnar Moore (Country Club of Greenfield) both hit their drives wide on the first playoff hole but tied it with a bogey. Moore then hit his next drive into the trees, allowing Erick to make it on in two and close out the match.
2-Josiah Hakala def. 3-Reese Jensen, 1-up
Tied at the halfway point, Hakala took the lead for good with a pair of clutch birdies on holes 14 and 15 to close out Duxbury standout Reese Jensen (Duxbury Yacht Club). Jensen, who made four birdies on the front nine, couldn’t find one the rest of the way to extend the match.
1-Lillian Guleserian def. 4-Mya Murphy, 1-up
Co-medalist Guleserian trailed by two after Bourne native and Merrimack commit Mya Murphy (Student Member/MIAA) won the 15th with a birdie. Guleserian, however, stormed back to win the final three holes, earning a conceded par on the 18th. Tied on the final hole, Guleserian’s drive found the middle of the fairway, while Murphy pushed it right and had to punch out from the woods. She made it to the green in four but wasn’t able to sink the long par putt to put the pressure back on Guleserian. After laying up short of the greenside bunker, Guleserian hit her third to about 6 feet, and though she just missed the right edge, it was enough to give her the victory.
2-Isabel Brozena def. 6-Emma Abramson, 5&4
Co-medalist Brozena had the most convincing semifinal victory in the morning to clinch the first spot in the final match. Though 2022 champion Emma Abramson (The Ridge Club) won the first hole with a birdie, Brozena won the second with a birdie of her own and then won the next three holes, stretching her lead to 4-up at the turn. Brozena continued to strike her driver well all day and closed out the match by tying the short par-4 14th (282 yards).
Here’s a quick recap of this morning’s semi-final matches at the Mass Girls’ Junior and Junior Ams powered by KOHR Golf. pic.twitter.com/YqHMNh0cyG
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) August 8, 2024
Several competitors in the Mass Girls’ Junior Amateur will play in the 121st Massachusetts Women’s Amateur next week at Taconic Golf Club. The final junior amateur event of the season will be the New England Junior Amateur Invitational, which will take place August 18-20 at GreatHorse in Hampden, MA.
Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube for the latest information on Mass Golf championships and events. To join the conversation, use the hashtag #MassGolf.
