*UPDATED JUNE 30, 2021*
NORTON, Massachusetts – Massachusetts was well represented at the Boys High School Golf National Invitational this Monday-Wednesday at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. The invite-only field consisted of the top high school golfers in the country playing in a 3-day, 54 hole stroke play event a round each at Pinehurst No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9.
Invitations are based on state championship performance. Nearly all 50 states in the country are represented by players from a wide variety of public and private schools. Invitations are based on state championship performance.
In total, 22 golfers from the Bay State competed including the Lincoln-Sudbury High School and Concord-Carlisle boys squads, which played in the team competition. L-S is the reigning MIAA Division I boys state champions from 2019. Concord-Carlisle finished runner-up in the D2 state championship in 2019.
Here is the full list of player’s representing Mass Golf at the event:
The members of the Lincoln-Sudbury High School golf squad are no strangers to playing in the spotlights at Pinehurst. The group competed in the championship this past August and returned again in 2021.
“This place is amazing,” said Weston Jones, who will attend Rutgers University in the fall. “It’s my last time ever suiting up for L-S, and we’re all kind of enjoying it with each other, which is great. No question it’s exciting, we’ve been here for a few days just ripping practice rounds. Rounds on the putting course, the cradle, just kind of enjoying it. We’ve been eating at some different places and kind of taking it all in.”
Jones and his teammates Reed Bodley, Jared Drew, Robbie Lifson, and Ryan Whitehead, finished T7 out of 46 teams, while Concord-Carlise finished 34th.
Jones had the highlight of the final day as he made an ace on the 172-yard, par-3 5th at Pinehurst No. 9. He finished 10-over to place 28th overall, Drew (12-over, 36th) and Whitehead (13-over; 41st) also placed in the top 50.
“We came down three days before the tournament, so you get to play a few practice rounds and we got to play Pinehurst No. 2, which is always nice,” Whitehead said. “The courses down here are just unbelievably pure. It’s definitely, I would say, the Top Golf Resort in America. Every course that you play, it’s better than the last one.”
While the Lincoln-Sudbury squad had a tremendous deal of individual success, they are still taking time to enjoy the moment and also reflect on what this means for their team and school.
“I know high school golf is kind of overlooked, but this is definitely one of my schedule events that I look forward to, and as a team together, we all kind of look forward to it,” Jones said.
Whitehead offered similar thoughts regarding team achievement.
“I think that it’s really big for us, especially being a public school from up north,” he said. “Until two years ago, nobody really heard of Lincoln-Sudbury being any good at golf. We have a great group of guys here, and it’s just amazing to be able to play in this kind of tournament with some of your best friends.”
Wayland High School’s Liam Gill rose about the rest of the field with a three-day score of 5-over-par 221 to finish eighth overall in the field of 328. Gill, who will attend the University of Seattle in the fall, qualified after finished T3 at the state championship hosted by the National High School Golf Association last November at Shaker Hills Country Club.
Shepherd Hill’s Dan Brooks, who won the individual title at Shaker Hills last year, finished 18th overall, capping his tournament with a 1-under 71. Brooks, who will attend Siena University in the fall, finished with four birdies on the front nine at Pinehurst No. 9.
St. John’s Prep Alex Landry (St. John’s Prep) and Aidan LeBlanc both shot 1-over 73 in the final round, with Landry (9-over) finishing 23rd overall and LeBlanc (12-over) placing 37th.
The Boys High School Golf National Invitational Tournament includes team play in addition to individual scoring. The way team play is determined is that the state champions in every state receive an invitation to the tournament. Additionally, bids are extended to the top-ranked teams in the National High School Golf Association (NHSGA) rankings at the end of the current season.
As far as individual invitations go, the process is similar to team invites. State champion medalists (1st place finishers) automatically receive an invitation. If the medalist for the state also happens to be on the state champion team, then an invite is sent to the top finisher, not on the winning team. Like with teams, additional invitations are also extended to the top-ranked players in NHSGA rankings at the end of the season.
The full list of states and countries represented at the invitational: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Canada, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged community around the sport. Made up of 90,000 golfers statewide, Mass Golf is one of the largest state golf associations in the country. Presently, more than two-thirds of the 360-member clubs are public-access facilities, while nearly one-half of member golfers are enrolled at public facilities. Mass Golf offers its member’s services including handicapping, event access, youth programming and exciting golf content.
