By: Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
CONCORD, Massachusetts (July 22, 2024) — On Monday, there was no time to waste and little room for error, making for 18 holes of all or nothing competition at Concord Country Club. One of the most talented collective fields seen for an 18-hole qualifying event in Massachusetts convened in the first rendition of U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying ever held in the state.
With 28 players competing for five spots in the national championship, three Massachusetts standouts earned a return trip to the U.S. Amateur Championship, set for August 12-18 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. Notable among them is Brockton’s Matt Parziale (Thorny Lea Golf Club). While this will be his sixth U.S. Amateur, his first happened at Hazeltine back in 2006, coming off his first year at Southeastern University, making him possibly the only player who will compete in both.
Brookline’s James Imai (KOHR Golf), who intends to turn pro in the fall, matched Parziale by shooting 4-under-par 66 on the daunting Donald Ross layout, which most recently hosted the 2022 Massachusetts Amateur. Meanwhile, Dedham’s Joey Lenane (George Wright Golf Course) nabbed the final spot by making birdie on the second playoff hole to prevail in a 3-for-1 playoff.
While Imai, Parziale, and Leanne have played in the Championship Proper before, Bryson Richards (Plainfield, VT) and Jackson Roman (Kensington, CT) will make their U.S. Amateur debuts after splitting medalist honors at 5-under 65.
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Just when things could’ve come apart for Matt Parziale, the veteran mid-amateur found a way to stay on his mission. Despite hitting a wedge long on the 11th and another short on the 13th, he found a way to make par and remain at 2-under, which was the eventual cutline. With birdies on 16 and 17, Parziale moved safely into a qualifying spot and was able to two-putt his way back to Minnesota and continue a promising summer.
“To make two pars there that gave me the chance to qualify because if I messed those up, I’d be behind the eight ball,” said Parziale, who played in the Mass Amateur semifinals two weeks prior. “It’s been a good couple of weeks. I’m always trying to find that tweak that’s going to give you more freedom and space. Hopefully, we can finish out the year strong.”
Quite a lot has transpired in 18 years since Parziale was a fresh-faced college kid trying to prove himself nationally amid the narrow Midwestern fairways of Hazeltine. Winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur and appearing in the Masters and U.S. Open (twice) may lead the way, but Parziale has established himself a household name in state golf lore and, at 37, is proving he’s capable of even more success. And a trip to Hazeltine could help him earn the long-awaited redemption.
“I remember loving the course,” Parziale said of his 2006 experience. “I had a chance to make match play and almost chipped in on 18, but I made bogey. I remember I played well there, so I’m excited to make it back. ”
Veteran play off the slope. Matt Parziale gets up and down on the 13th and, at -3, is in position to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Amateur. #MassGolf #USGA
Live Scoring: https://t.co/5iCXg0gr2x pic.twitter.com/kw8A0ZrT9E
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 22, 2024
For Northwestern graduate James Imai and University of Rhode Island grad Bryson Richards, the U.S. Amateur will now be a final swan song for their amateur playing days, as both plan to join the professional ranks after their run is complete.
If Monday was indeed the final amateur event in Massachusetts for Imai, a three-time Mass Junior Amateur winner, he could indeed look back on it fondly. With consecutive birdies on holes 1-2, 9-10, and 16-17 and solid ball striking and putting throughout the round, Imai navigated the course with maximum poise, all while carrying his own bag. Even when he pushed his drive left and near a tree on the 18th (his worst shot of the day, he said), he found space to the right of the tree, landed his approach safely on the back of the green, struck a solid lag putt and tapped in to close out his clinching round of 66.
“This was a big reason I stayed amateur was to try to play in one of these this summer, so getting it done was pretty sweet,” said Imai, who also competed in the 2022 U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club (N.J.). “It’s a big event, big field, lots going on. It’ll be nice to get in a groove and play practice round with some teammates. Hopefully, I make match play this year.”
Richards, a three-time Division I All-Northeast Team selection, was planning to declare professional if he didn’t get through Monday. He can now put that on pause as the Vermont lefty opened his round with an eagle and, as he planned, went birdie hunting, knocking down seven subsequently to move to the top of the leaderboard. Despite a late bogey on the 15th, he answered with birdie on the final two holes to split medalist honors and finally earn his spot after coming close as an alternate last year.
“With so many good players, you go into it not expecting to get through, and if you get hot, you get hot, and that’s what happened with me today,” said Richards, who described the event as “the last bucket list thing for amateur golf.”
Roman has also had some close calls in these events, just missing out in U.S. Open Local Qualifying and North & South Amateur qualifying. But sometimes you get a sign that it’s just your day. Despite hitting a poor chip into the 12th green that was about 13 feet coming back, Roman’s putt just caught the edge of the cut and dropped. He then proceeded to knock down birdies on 13 and 16, turning in the lone bogey-free round among the qualifying players.
“I’ve had so many close calls where I was near the lead coming down the stretch but couldn’t get it done,” Roman said. “And finally being on the right side of it is relieving and definitely a big confidence boost moving forward.”
The closest call today came for Joey Lenane, who, just like his playoff opponents John Broderick (Wellesley, MA) and Tyler Bruneau (West Palm Beach, Fla.), came painstakingly close to making birdies on the 18th. Playing the downhill, drivable 13th (352 yards), both Lenane and Bruneau went for the green, chipped on, and two-putted for par. Broderick, however, laid up, trying to get a reliable number into the green. However, his approach stayed on the top shelf of the bowl that fed down to the hole, and he couldn’t save par.
Moving to the longer par-4 14th, Lenane found the middle of the fairway and spun his approach back about 15 feet below the hole, just inside of Bruneau’s approach. After Bruneau sent his birdie bid just past the hole, Lenane found the perfect line straight and sent it to the bottom of the cup as the North Carolina State standout earned his return ticket to the U.S. Amateur.
“I gave myself a lot of chances,” Lenane said of his round. “I knew my game was in a good spot; I’m rolling it well, and I said I have to get myself inside 20 feet to give myself a birdie look. I didn’t make the one on 13, but made one on 14 when it mattered.”
With some rhythm in his game, Lenane feels more confident entering this year’s U.S. Amateur. He’ll compete with Imai in the Monroe Invitational in Rochester, New York, this week and play another event in Ohio before turning his focus to Hazeltine.
“It’s just about trusting yourself when you’re there,” Lenane said. “The course can play so difficult. I was hitting it poorly going into the U.S. Am, and once it came, I said you just have to play with what you got. You just have to stay patient, which is how I approached today.”
It falls! Joey Lenane (Dedham, MA) earns his second straight trip to the U.S. Amateur Championship with this birdie putt on the second playoff hole. @PackMensGolf
Stay tuned for a full recap of final qualifying. #MassGolf #USGA pic.twitter.com/ZCWdic1gm3
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 22, 2024
COMPLETE LIST OF QUALIFIERS AND ALTERNATES FROM CONCORD CC
QUALIFIER (Names; Cities)
Bryson Richards, Plainfield VT; 65 (-5)
Jackson Roman, Kensington, CT; 65 (-5)
James Imai, Brookline, MA; 66 (-4)
Matt Parziale, Brockton, MA; 66 (-4)
Joey Lenane, Dedham, MA; 68 (-2)*
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Tyler Bruneau, West Palm Beach, FL; 68(-2)**
John Broderick, Wellesley, MA; 68 (-2)
*Advanced in a playoff (birdie on second playoff hole, no. 14)
**Earned spot in a playoff (par on first playoff hole, no. 13)
Concord Country Club, situated in one of the epicenters of this country’s early history, was founded in 1895. Donald Ross was commissioned to design the original nine holes in 1913, then called upon again in 1928 to build another nine holes on newly acquired land. Though they are not played chronologically, the newer nine holes traverse more dramatic terrain than the original, providing a persistently interesting mix of thoughtful holes routed on gently moving land, interspersed with rollicking roller coaster delights. Collectively, the 18-hole layout makes for a worthy championship test, which has held up over the years.
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