By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
WILLIAMSTOWN, Massachusetts (August 15, 2024) — It’s easier than most places to block out the noise at a Taconic Golf Club. The surrounding mountains maintain a muted environment, aside from the occasional crickets, crows cawing, or polite applause from a steadily growing crowd of eager onlookers.
However, when extraordinary semifinal matches unfolded—including a first-time showdown of two nationally ranked sisters going head-to-head and a near comeback for the ages—it was an afternoon that may well have been heard from the far reaches of the Berkshires all the way across the Bay State, with the growing audience curious to see who would prevail.
Morgan Smith, 20, of Westford, understood that mindset needed to not only get to the final match once again but also get past the one opponent who has been there since her journey in competitive golf began—the one person who knows her game better than anybody else—younger sister Molly Smith, 19.
“My dad last week at the U.S. Women’s Amateur was saying, ‘You have to play fearless. You’re not going to win a match like that unless you’re fearless,'” said Morgan Smith, the 2022 champion, following an emotionally draining victory over Molly Smith that went 20 holes Thursday afternoon. “You have to fire at pins; you have to play aggressive.”
Fearless she was, as Morgan made two putts outside 20 feet to win holes 13 and 15 and tie the match, plus a clutch par save on the 18th to extend it to extra holes. She finally prevailed by winning the 20th hole (Hole No. 2) with a difficult lag putt for par, while Molly’s bid to extend the match with a par hit the edge of the cup and rolled out.
Smith’s opponent will be young upstart Julia Imai, 18, of Brookline, who represented Mass Golf on the Girls’ Junior InterCity squad this year. Imai, who’s the younger sister of 2024 Mass Open runner-up (also low amateur) James Imai, rallied to defeat Amy Lyon in the morning and then took a sizable 5-up lead against medalist Mekhala Costello to make it to the final for the first time.
“I definitely wasn’t imagining getting to this point,” said Imai, who has played 110 holes over the past four days to make it to this stage. “It’s been super fun, and I just love golf. It’s such a fun sport. Especially having a brother to look up to and to help me out whenever I need it is really special. Playing well this week and last week and going off to college on Saturday [University of Wisconsin-Stout], it’s very uplifting, and I’m really excited about it.”
Aside from getting their name etched on the championship trophy, this year’s winner will earn an exemption into the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes in coastal Oregon, as well as a spot in a special invitational with two spots up for grabs in the Monday Qualifier for the LPGA’s FM Global Championship that begins August 29 at TPC Boston.
In the meantime, Smith and Imai will square off in the 18-hole championship match at 8:00 Friday morning. Mass Golf will carry the match live on Instagram (@playmassgolf).
When she won in 2022, Morgan Smith had an underdog mentality. Previously looked aside by elite college programs nationwide, she doubled down on a workout and training routine and began to see the results unfold. She won the New England Women’s Amateur and Mass Women’s Amateur and landed a spot at Georgetown University. In June, she announced she was transferring to Georgia in the powerhouse SEC conference.
Over the past year, Molly’s game has shined, qualifying for two Mass Amateurs and making it to the final of the Women’s Amateur last year. And on Thursday, Molly seemed poised to make it back after shooting 5-under 30 on the front nine earlier this week and finishing off her quarterfinal match in 11 holes Thursday morning.
With an all-Smith match looming and then going forth in the afternoon, Morgan didn’t back down, winning three of the first four holes. Even though Molly has a clear distance advantage off the tee, Morgan had her long putter rolling in the right direction all throughout the afternoon, keeping her in it even when she was trailing.
“Molly and I, there’s always just this rivalry. We’re at it all the time,” Morgan said. “To be able to win and close out the summer, because I’m leaving for school after this, is kind of a nice way to end it, especially because she was playing really good golf all school year and right into the summer. This is, I hate to say it, but it was the first time I really beat her this summer.”
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Imai, meanwhile, seemed to maintain a fearless disposition, keeping it loose and free throughout the day. After pushing her own bag in the morning, her fellow high school opponent and this week’s quarterfinalist Katherine Ng jumped on the bag in the afternoon. The two chatted between shots and just focused on keeping it out of Taconic’s many trouble spots on the course.
“Taconic is a beautiful course, but it’s also a challenging course, so I knew to just hang around and hit good shots and keep the speed on the green and just try to 2-putt,” Imai said. “If Mekhala made a birdie, she made a birdie. I was just trying to hang around and do the best I can.”
It’s not a stretch to say this week has been a massive leap for Imai, whose first experience playing two matches in a day came eight days ago in a quarterfinal appearance in the Mass Girls’ Junior Amateur.
“I’ve never played 36 before, so that was like training for this,” Imai said. “I’m just not really thinking how maybe sore I am and trying to again hit shots and stay in the moment.”
And with just 18 holes to play to determine this year’s champion, the only question left is, How badly do you want this?
“I really want it,” Smith said. “Being at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, I love Mass Golf, but everything is pristine, everything is perfect, and you’re playing at a level that can really help you. You can learn what you need to do to get better at golf. That is the best thing you can do to get better at golf. And that’s really all I’m trying to do.”
“I definitely want to win,” Imai said. “Now that I’ve made it here, I’m definitely going to go out there tomorrow and give it my all and see what happens.”
Hometown: Brookline, MA
Instagram: @julesimai
ROAD TO THE FINAL
Stroke Play: 79-77–156 (+14)
R32: Def. Jacqueline Gonzalez, 22 holes
R16: Def. Allison Paik, 2&1
Quarterfinals: Def. Amy Lyon, 1-up
Semifinals: Def. Mekhala Costello, 2&1
Hometown: Westford, MA
Instagram: @morgansmith2904
ROAD TO THE FINAL
Stroke Play: 71-73–144 (+2)
R32: Def. Lorelai Flanagan, 4&3
R16: Def. Annie Dai, 7&5
Quarterfinals: Def. Christine Mandile, 4&3
Semifinals: Def. Molly Smith, 20 holes
12-Julia Imai def. 1-Mekhala Costello, 2&1
Julia Imai kept it simple in the early going, building a 5-up lead through 10 holes just by hitting her fairways and greens in regulation and winning multiple holes with pars. Her efforts started to waver on the 11th when Imai finally missed a green by hitting into the large bunker between holes 8 and 11, opening the door for Costello to make a comeback for the ages. Costello proceeded to win holes 12 and 13, with excellent approach shots into the greens to get it to 2-up. However, Imai was able to refocus, tying the final three holes of the match to knock out the medalist.
2-Morgan Smith def. 3-Molly Smith, 20 holes
In the historic Smith Sister Showdown, it appeared University of Central Florida standout Molly Smith would earn her way back to the final match with a shot at redemption. She made birdie on holes 9, 10, and 11 to take a 2-up lead, looking to close the door on her older sister, who is en route to the University of Georgia this weekend. However, Morgan wasn’t about to give up. She sank an incredible 30-foot putt to get within one. On the 16th, Morgan almost cost herself the match after her approach sailed over the green into the rough while Molly was pin-high at about 12 feet. After Morgan’s chip rolled down past the cup, she knocked down a 20-footer to save par. After tying the 18th, followed by matching birdies on the 1st playoff hole, Molly was short left of the second green, while Morgan was in the back, facing a difficult lag putt toward the front-right hole location. Morgan got it to rest about 2 feet for a conceded par, leaving the stage for Molly to try to extend or win the match. Her first putt checked up about 8 feet short, and facing a chance to tie it, it hit the edge and spun out to the left, giving the match to Morgan.
1-Mekhala Costello def. 9-Megan Buck, 1-up
Despite falling behind early, Costello took the lead for good with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th and held off a rally from Megan Buck to make it to the semifinals for the first time. Both players held the lead on the front, but Buck won the par-5 10th with a third shot inside 10 feet, while Costello hit it into the rough way past the hole. On the 17th, both players made clutch par putts to extend the match, Buck’s birdie bid breaking quickly left to right from the back left corner. Costello’s 18th tee shot found the bunker, but she hit it out safely and hit to the lower tier of the green from 150 yards. Buck’s 90-yard approach shot landed on the back of the green, and her 12-foot putt to extend the match just missed the edge.
12-Julia Imai def. 29-Amy Lyon, 1-up
Lyon won three of the first five holes to stake an early lead, but Imai came storming back, winning 6th with a conceded par and then winning five straight holes between 9-13 to build her own 3-up lead. Lyon got it back to 1-up for Imai after Imai’s approach on the 16th found the bunker, and she was unable to get up and down. Imai nearly closed it out on the 17th after chipping to 3-up. However, she missed the 3-footer for par but managed to sink the comebacker to remain 1-up. Imai’s tee shot on the 18th found the left rough, but both were about 80 yards out, hitting their third into the green. Lyon’s approach shot went long, and her birdie putt to extend the match just missed the edge to end it.
2-Morgan Smith def. 10-Christine Mandile, 4&3
Morgan Smith’s 15-foot breaking birdie putt from right to left on the par-3 9th pulled her ahead of Mandile for the first time. Mandile, a University of Richmond standout, took the lead with pars on holes 3 and 7, but Smith began to dial up her wedges, almost holing out for eagle on the 11th for a conceded birdie and adding another birdie on the 13th to go 4-up. Smith clinched it on the 15th by reaching the green in two, while Mandile missed the green and, after a chip and missed putt, conceded the match.
3-Molly Smith def. 22-Katherine Ng, 8&7
Smith played a bogey-free stretch on the front nine, sinking an 8-foot birdie putt from the back left corner on the par-4 8th and nearly acing the par-3 9th to take a 6-up lead at the turn over Ng, a future Bowdoin College golfer. Smith hit the green in regulation on the 10th and 11th and closed the match out with a conceded par to make it to the semifinals for the third time in four years.
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