CONCORD, Massachusetts – The gravitational pull of level par is common at USGA events. On Monday, at Nashawtuc Country Club, U.S. Amateur Qualifying was no different. The 36-hole qualifier saw at least a half-dozen players jockey themselves in-and-out of contention late in the day. When the dust settled, it was two of the hottest players in Massachusetts that punched their ticket to the U.S. Amateur.
Coming off a victory last week at the New England Amateur Championship, Joey Lenane (George Wright GC) rode the momentum on Monday. His opening round 68 (-4) paired with a steady 72 (E) in the afternoon earned him medalist honors and a trip to Cherry Hills.
Jake Shuman (Blue Hill CC) has also been playing fine golf as of late. Following a deep run in the Massachusetts Amateur At Essex County Club, Shuman returned to form, breaking par in both of his rounds and grabbing the second and final spot in the U.S. Am.
Many will never know what it feels like to win a major amateur event and follow it up by qualifying for a National Championship. But Dedham’s Joey Lenane is not one of many. The North Carolina State standout was seen grinning from ear to ear, talking about his excitement of advancing.
“Yeah, it feels awesome. Obviously the U.S. Am is the biggest tournament in amateur golf. It feels great and I’m excited to get there.”
And while Lenane certainly makes golf look easy, battling the heat, conditions, and full field of challengers is not. Talking about the battle, Lenane noted “The biggest thing is knowing that you got a lot of holes to play. So I started off with a bogey on 10 (his first hole) and I was like, ‘Alright, there’s 35 more holes. You’ve got a lot of golf left.'”
Over the next 34 holes, Lenane carded seven birdies and an eagle, allowing him to cruise in with a stress free bogey on the finisher, earning medalist honors.
When asked about expectations at the U.S. Am, Lenane added “The first goal is match play. And then reevaluate from there. But obviously, the end goal is always to win. So that’s what we’ll aim for.”
For Jake Shuman, 27, golf has taken on a different role in his life. After Monday’s steady couple of rounds, he will make his second-ever appearance at the U.S. Am. This time around, he plans on using his (relative) elder knowledge rather than bruit force, that college-aged golfers seem to bring.
“I’m not gonna hit it as far as the college kids anymore. But if I go with the mindset of trying to play smarter golf and using whatever wisdom I do have, not saying it’s much, I hope to compete. But it’s about experiencing going to Denver and being around great golf and that’s what it’s about.”
To earn his spot in the field, Shuman stayed patient, and watched the half-dozen names shuffle at the top of the leaderboard. Playing in one of the final two groups, Shuman came up the last knowing exactly what he needed to advance…a birdie. After a couple of well-struck shots and a sporty chip, Shuman was left with a 6-footer for birdie and a spot in the U.S. Amateur.
After tumbling end over end, his ball found the bottom of the cup, commanding cheers from the crowd gathered around the green.
Jake Shuman. For a spot in the #USAmateur… pic.twitter.com/EZgD0QIzfb
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) July 24, 2023
When standing over that final putt, Shuman recalled what was racing through his mind. “The only thought, and this goes back to probably being a more a wiser golfer than I probably ever have, is just being older and playing more golf and reflecting, is not trying to make a putt or hit a shot. It’s just going through routine and trying to go through and be solid with your routine and everything you can control. And all I want to do is pick a line and go through my routine and fortunately, it went in.”
The two players, in completely different chapters of their career, will now make their way out west together. The U.S. Amateur Championship will take place at Cherry Hills CC (Colorado) August 14-20, 2023.
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QUALIFIERS (Names; Cities)
Joseph Lenane (Dedham, MA); (-4) 68, 72
Jake Shuman (Boston, MA); (-3) 71, 70
ALTERNATES (In Order)
*John Cammarano (Wellesley, MA) (-2) 70, 72
*Brian Healy (Lexington, MA) (-2) 70, 72
*Advanced in playoff
Situated in Concord, Nashawtuc Country Club is no stranger to hosting big time golf events. For over two decades, the Champions Tour had an annual stop at Nashwtuc. The event was last played in 2008, then known as the Bank of America Championship, and was won by Jeff Sluman.
Other notable past champions at Nashawtuc include Jay Haas (’07), Craig Stadler (’04), Mass Golf Hall of Famer Allen Doyle (’03), Hale Irwin (’97 & ’98), Chi-Chi Rodriguez (’86, ’87, ’88) and Lee Elder (’85).
Early in the day, current Nashawtuc member Xavier Marcoux, had his eyes set on the course record. After getting off to a blistering hot start, Marcoux sat at 6-under-par with six holes left to play. A few late bogeys thwarted his chance to match the competitive course record, which is 63 (-9). The course record is held by both Tom Kite and Allen Doyle. Although not recognized as one of the competitive course records, Chi-Chi Rodriguez also carded a 63 during a Pro-Am event.
The U.S. Amateur was first contested in 1895, making it the oldest USGA championship. The championship was formed after two clubs, Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island and St. Andrew’s Golf Club in New York, each held their own tournament to determine a national amateur champion — leading to two different champions and widespread calls for a unified contest.
Representatives from both clubs, as well as The Country Club, Chicago Golf Club, and New York’s Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, met soon thereafter to form a new association for golf in the United States. The USGA was founded in December of 1894 with the intent to serve as the governing body of all U.S. golf clubs, which included running national championships and establishing universal rules.
Charles Blair Macdonald became the first U.S. Amateur Champion the following year. Other notable champions include Bob Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods.
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