DEDHAM, Massachusetts – Making it to the final match of the Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship is hardly ever a straight line. Needham’s Rebecca Skoler and Westford’s Molly Smith both have had moments of triumph and moments of heartbreak in this championship over the years, each coming extremely close to etching their name among the illustrious list of champions.
On Thursday, Skoler earned a 2022 finals rematch with Morgan Smith and prevailed. She’ll now get to face Smith’s younger sister Molly as the two collegians will battle it out for the title at 7:30 Friday morning at Dedham Country & Polo Club.
Mass Golf will carry the entire match live on Instagram (@playmassgolf).
Making the final match is the culmination of a historic season for Smith. Earlier this year she challenged herself by playing in U.S. Open Local Qualifying, making it into a playoff for an alternate spot. Last month she made history as the first female to play in the Massachusetts Amateur Championship, coming up four strokes shy of the match play cut at Essex County Club.
“I felt like I had a little bit of unfinished business coming into this week,” said Smith, who has made match play each of the past five years.
This week, Smith earned medalist honors as her round of 2-under-par 68 on Tuesday was the lone score under par out of the entire field. She hasn’t slowed down since, needing just 57 holes combined in her four matches to get to this stage. With thunderous drives off the tee, she’s been in control of every match and will need to keep that up heading into Friday’s final.
“In a lot of the matches, I got off to a fast start,” said Smith, 18, who advanced to the final match with a 6&4 semifinal victory over Lillian Guleserian (Blue Hill Country Club). “Once you have a little bit of a lead, you can kind of take dead aim on some shots and be aggressive.”
Good golly, those’ll work. Molly Smith is on to the final after a 6&4 win.#MassGolf | #MassWomensAm pic.twitter.com/tR9EybJspr
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) August 17, 2023
Skoler surely has some unfinished business of her own after coming up short in an emotional final match against Morgan Smith last year. Skoler held a 2-up lead through 15 holes at Orchards Golf Club only for Smith to come roaring back to win the final three.
After besting Morgan in a rematch Thursday, Skoler said she’s just as focused and ready for the final match this year. Asked how much does she want this, “I would say very bad,” Skoler replied.
“It’s a totally different course, totally different year,” she added. “[Morgan’s] a great player, so it’s always going to be close. I don’t think I’ve ever played such a great match in my life.”
Skoler has gotten more settled into the course at Dedham as the week has gone on after opening with a 79 on Monday. She closed out her semifinal by making a 40-foot putt and holed out for eagle on the par-5 10th in the semifinal, and indeed has the game to take it all the way.
“It’s hard no matter who it is and no matter where it is,” she added. “It’s just a privilege to have the opportunity to compete for a championship.”
Rebecca Skoler with a 💣 to close out her match and advance to the semifinals!#MassWomensAm | #MassGolf pic.twitter.com/Wdw1hJ8Zm9
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) August 17, 2023
Scroll down for the full match recaps.
ROAD TO THE FINAL
Stroke Play: 75-68–143 (medalist)
R32: Def. Jillian Johnson, 9&7
R16: Def. Tate Hadges, 3&2
Quarterfinals: Def. Mary Mulcahy, 3&2
Semifinals: Def. Lillian Guleserian, 6&4
ROAD TO THE FINAL
Stroke Play: 79-75–154 (T9)
R32: Def. Jillian Barend, 2&1
R16: Def. Clara Chae, 3&2
Quarterfinals: Def. Mya Murphy 3&2
Semifinals: Def. Morgan Smith 2-up
1-Molly Smith def. 13-Lillian Guleserian, 6&4
Molly Smith continued a pattern of fast starts as she made four birdies on the front nine to turn the pressure up on Lillian Guleserian quickly. Smith started with a birdie on the opening hole and kept piling it on, going 5-up through 10. She nearly holed out for an eagle on the par-4 13th, but both players made their birdie putt. However, Smith made par on the par-3 14th to finish it out.
“Today I felt like I got into a groove and got through lunch and kept that groove,” Smith said. “In previous years, there have been times I’ve gone in for lunch then come out and not played as well. Today I kind of focused on the afternoon match and never really got distracted. I stayed pretty locked in and focused, which I think helped me today.”
Guleserian made a birdie on the par-5 6th to cut it back to two, but the 16-year-old wasn’t able to extend the longest run she’s ever made in this championship.
11-Rebecca Skoler def. 7-Morgan Smith, 2-up
Tied on the 16th hole, Skoler was able to save par on the 17th to take a 1-up lead going to the final hole. Skoler was in the fairway right, and her second shot just hit the front of the uphill green and stayed.
“When I hit that I was like yelling ‘Go, go, go!'” Skoler said. “You never know with this green, I thought it was going to roll back. I feel fortunate that I had a lot of match play experience, and when it comes down to the last few holes, you have to stay in the moment and keep grinding.”
Smith landed her tee shot on the 18th in the middle of the fairway, but the approach hit the back and rolled behind the green. She then hit her third back down the slope and conceded the match after her fourth failed to land on the green.
Before that, Skoler holed out for an eagle on the par-5 10th. “That was a lot of fun,” she said. “I had that exact same shot this morning, and I chunked it and left it short so my dad was like, ‘If you hit this one pure, I think I think it’ll be perfect. And he called it.'”
1-Molly Smith def. 9-Mary Mulcahy, 3&2
Smith, a future University of Central Florida golfer, bested a UCF alum by winning holes 2-5 and shooting 35 on the front nine en route to making the semifinals for the second time in three years. Smith and Mulcahy alternated birdies on holes 11 through 15, but Smith closed it out on the 16th after Mulcahy was unable to save par.
13-Lillian Guleserian def. 5-Isabel Brozena, 4&3
Guleserian aced the par-3 5th hole, located inside the punchbowl green, and never trailed as she bested Brozena, who played in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur earlier this year. Guleserian also hit her tee shot inside 10 feet on the 14th and all but closed it out by making the birdie putt.
7-Morgan Smith def. 2-Mekhala Costello, 3&1
Smith and Costello matched each other shot for shot most of the front nine, but the defending champion made a birdie on the par-3 12th to go 2-up and held off Costello the rest of the way.
11-Rebecca Skoler def. 14-Mya Murphy, 4&3
Skoler won the last three holes of the match, closing it out with a 40-footer on the 15th hole to defeat Murphy. Skoler won the 9th and 10th with pars to take the lead the rest of the way.
🚨 ACE ALERT 🚨
Lillian Guleserian just made a hole-in-one on the 5th hole at Dedham Country & Polo Club during the Quarterfinals of the #MassWomensAm! She’s now 2-up in her match. #SCTop10
Live Scoring: https://t.co/WrA0qlIKMU pic.twitter.com/GW3J1IFnqk
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) August 17, 2023
Here are some other tidbits from Day 4 at the Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship.
For complete coverage of the 120th Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship, visit MassGolf.org or follow Mass Golf on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PlayMassGolf and use the hashtag #MassWomensAm.
