By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
BREWSTER, Massachusetts (June 17, 2024) – Monday was a hub on qualifying events on the Starboard Course at Captains Golf Course on Cape Cod. In the morning, New Hampshire’s June Doerr and North Reading’s Isabel Brozena (Indian Ridge Country Club) shot 1-over-par 73 and 2-over 74, respectively, to earn a spot in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship, set for July 15-20 at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles.
In the afternoon, Mass natives CJ Winchenbaugh (Oyster Harbors Club) and Matthew Quinn (Worcester Country Club) prevailed in a 3-for-2 playoffs, as they were among four who punched their ticket to the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Vermont native Lucas Politano was medalist at 3-under, and New Hampshire’s Josiah Hakala (Northern Spy Golf Club) shot 1-under to stay above the playoff line.
Captains also hosted qualifying for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in the morning. To read that recap, CLICK HERE
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Isabel Brozena has been on a mission to make her final year of junior golf a memorable one. Two weeks ago, she won the MIAA Girls’ Golf state title by an impressive six strokes and has been striking the ball as well as any junior in the state currently. On Monday, Brozena shook off a late double bogey on the 16th and made birdie on the last hole to shoot a 74 and add a second consecutive U.S. Girls’ Junior appearance to her summer schedule.
“This is one of the biggest events in junior golf, so the fact that I’m able to go not once but twice is really exciting,” said Brozena, a Xavier University commit. “I’m happy that I’m playing well right now, so I can try to keep winning and close out these events with a good finish.”
June Doerr and Isabel Brozena are headed to Tarzana, CA for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship! #GirlsJunior #MassGolf #USGA pic.twitter.com/1EjQdTLrTr
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) June 17, 2024
Brozena got herself to 1-over after birdies on 12 and 13. Despite the double bogey on 16 and painstakingly burning the edge on a birdie putt on hole 17, Brozena said she knew an eagle or birdie on the closing par-5 18th was in the cards. After slapping a driver down the middle, Brozena hit a 4-hybrid about 216 yards into the green and just left of the flag. She two-putted her way to a birdie, and while she didn’t know it at the time, it was exactly what she needed to qualify.
“I knew the course was playing a little bit harder because it was windy, but I knew that I could make eagle or birdie if I put my mind to it,” she said. ” I was just trying to keep steady. I just knocked it in [the putt]. I wasn’t trying to think too much.”
Last year, Brozena was three strokes away from making the match-play cut, but she hopes that experience will fuel a run match-play berth this year. “Last year, I had to get used to it a bit more,” Brozena said. “It was my first USGA Championship, so I feel like this year I’ll be more ready. They pick some difficult courses.”
Like many other qualifiers Monday, some par saves felt like birdies. Similar to U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, June Doerr found herself needing to executive a bunker shot at a critical moment in play. Crushing a drive into the 14th fairway bunker, Doerr proceeded to blade it out of the sand, yet still managed to get up and down for a four to keep her on track and in the lead in pursuit of her first USGA Championship appearance.
“I definitely had a few holes that I parred that if were out there, you’d be like, ‘How did you par that?'” said Doerr, a former New Hampshire Girls’ Junior Amateur champion. “After that [up and down on 14], I said I can’t do that badly.”
Doerr got to 1-under with birdies on holes 3, 8, and 10, and with solid placement throughout the day, stayed in front of the pack through. She also got a boost from her brother and first-time Grady, who was sporting a polo shirt from Merrimack College, where Doerr will play starting this fall.
“Without him, I would not be here right now,” Doerr said. “He kept me being me, made sure I didn’t get distracted, and kept me focused.”
“There’s a lot of good players here,” she added, “and it showed me what I’m really capable of.”
Four players earned a spot in the U.S. Junior Amateur on Monday, and all four are heading there for the first time. It’s quite the venue, as Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan has hosted six U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships in its history.
“I’m super pleased to get into such a prestigious event at Oakland Hills,” said Lucas Politano, the rising high school senior from Vermont. “It’s one I’ve wanted to play in for a while.”
Politano got things going with a 15-foot birdie putt on the third, adding two more on four, six, and 13 with just one bogey. “I recovered super well with my mistakes,” he said. I made some long par putts that were super key to keeping a good round going.”
Josiah Hakala, who made the semifinals of the 2022 Mass Junior Amateur at his home course, also made third birdies on the front nine but gave a few back on the 15th and 16th to move back to even. After nearly making a birdie on the 17th, he dialed up a 4-iron into the 18th green, chipped it to 12 feet, and made the put to get to 1-under and avoid the playoff.
“I’ve worked hard to get into events like this, but I just haven’t broken through. Today, it felt really good,” Hakala said. “It felt awesome to cash in on one for sure.”
CJ Winchenbaugh, Matthew Quinn and Will Lord (Suffield, CT) all carded even-par, requiring a 3-for-2 playoff for the final two spots. After pars on the opening hole, Quinn had a chance to earn the first spot, after his fairway bunker shot landed within 8 feet. He tapped in, while his opponents also two-putted.
Playing the first hole again, Winchenbaugh had a stock pitching wedge from 140 yards that landed inside 5 feet, while Quinn hit a 54-degree wedge from about 98 yards in the rough to about 7 feet. After Lord missed his long birdie bid, Quinn knocked it straight into the cup, giving Winchenbaugh the read he needed to do the same and earn their spots in the national championship.
“It’s awesome because this is the last time I have a chance to play in this event,” said Matthew Quinn, who completed his first year at Lehigh University, where his cousin Owen Quinn played. His uncle, Fran Quinn, will also play in the 2024 U.S. Senior Open next week. “It’s only 18 holes, so you can’t make too many mistakes. I try to do the best I can, go out there, have fun, and if I play well, I’ll get there.”
Birdie, birdie! Matthew Quinn and CJ Winchenbaugh close it out on the 3rd and final playoff hole to earn their first-ever trips to the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
Full recap to follow. #MassGolf #USGA pic.twitter.com/g0ilHDzGXF
— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) June 18, 2024
For most of the round, Quinn said he was staying conservative off the tee, opting away from his drive often. Quinn made an eagle on the par-5 18th to turn at even-par. As the round progressed, Quinn pulled out the driver —on his caddy’s suggestion — and on the par-5 7th and made birdie. The rest of the way, including the playoff, he leaned on his driver to get in position to make birdie.
Winchenbaugh, however, stuck with iron off the tee for each playoff hole. “I feel more comfortable looking over an iron, especially with my back issues recently,” said Winchenbaugh, who was second low amateur at the Mass Open last week.
Starting last year, Winchenbaugh has been stacking up accolades. He made a deep run in the Mass Amateur, made the final of the Mass Junior Amateur, and shot a spectacular 9-under 63 in the opening round of the New England Junior Amateur.
“I love competing as much as I love to practice,” said Winchenbaugh, asked about playing in high-stakes situations. “I like to embrace being nervous and being in a position to win.”
As the winds picked up, so did the action at the U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying.
A 3-hole playoff occurred to determine the last two spots for who would advance to Oakland Hills, MI in July.
1: Lucas Politano (-3)
2: Josiah Hakala (-1)
T3: CJ Winchenbaugh (E)
T3: Matthew Quinn… pic.twitter.com/KRdkvoLiCO— Mass Golf (@PlayMassGolf) June 18, 2024
U.S. JUNIOR AM QUALIFIERS (Names; Cities)
Lucas Politano (Brandon, VT); (-3) 69
Josiah Hakala (New Ipswich, NH); (-1) 71
*CJ Winchenbaugh (Weston, MA); (E) 72
*Matthew Quinn (Holden, MA); (E) 72
ALTERNATES (In Order)
Will Lord Suffield, CT; (E) 72
Will Giaquinto (Hamden, CT); (+1) 73
*Advanced with birdie on third playoff hole
U.S. GIRLS’ JUNIOR AM QUALIFIERS (Names; Cities)
June Doerr (Hampton Falls, NH); (+1) 73
Isabel Brozena (North Reading, MA); (+2) 74
ALTERNATES (In Order)
*Maddie Smith (Westford, MA); (+3) 75
Juyeon Paek (Cheshire, CT); (+3) 75
*Earned spot with par on 3rd playoff hole.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship was established in 1949, one year after the Junior Amateur Championship. Philadelphia (Pa.) Country Club, one of the oldest golf courses in the nation, was the host club for the USGA’s newest championship, and the competition drew a starting field of 28 girls from 17 states, although 10 of the players were from the Philadelphia area.
Marlene Bauer, 15, of Los Angeles, claimed the inaugural title and she became one of a long list of Girls’ Junior champions who would have success on the professional level, including Hall of Famers Mickey Wright, JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Amy Alcott and Nancy Lopez. Alcott, Carner, Inbee Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, Hollis Stacy and Wright would go on to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
In 2016, the USGA made a significant change to the age criteria. Starting with the 2017 championship, any female under the age of 19 will be eligible to compete in the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Prior to that, competitors could not have turned 18 by the conclusion of the championship.
The USGA also announced in 2017 that the U.S. Girls’ Junior champion would receive an exemption into the following year’s U.S. Women’s Open Championship. The 2024 championship will be contested at El Caballero Country Club in Los Angeles.
In 1948, the USGA inaugurated the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, for players under the age of 18, to determine the best junior golfer in the United States. In 2016, the USGA made a significant change to the age limit of the U.S. Junior Amateur to allow anyone under the age of 19 to compete starting with the 2017 championship.
A number of prominent players have won the U.S. Junior Amateur, including 14-time major champion Tiger Woods, who captured three consecutive titles from 1991-93. Jordan Spieth, the 2015 U.S. Open champion, is the only other individual to win multiple Junior Amateur titles. Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, MA won the 2018 championship.
The 2024 championship will be contested July 22-27 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a 6-time U.S. Open and 3-time PGA Championship site. The U.S. Junior champion receives an exemption into the following year’s U.S. Open Championship.
