By Steve Derderian
sderderian@massgolf.org
BROCKTON, Massachusetts (September 17, 2024) – Megan Buck gave a wave back toward the fairway as Thorny Lea club members applauded her crafty up-and-down par save from pin-high left after missing the green wide left on the par-3 17th. Her clubmate Courtney Lee shouted out praise from the clubhouse porch after Buck saved par again with a long, tricky two-putt from the back of the 18th green.
Having home course advantage and support is always an edge in a Mass Golf championship, but especially so when you’re having a stretch run Thorny Lea’s Megan Buck. Just a week after making it to the Round of 32 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur up the road at Brae Burn Country Club, Buck came into Tuesday feeling rested. She officially turned the page by taking a convincing five-stroke lead in the first round of the 74th Massachusetts Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship for the Keyes Cup, which returned to the club for the first time since 1990.
“Being here at Thorny, a home game, is just a huge advantage,” said Buck, the 2022 champion. “To have that course knowledge and know the breaks without really having to look is a huge advantage, and I was able to take advantage of that today.”
The Keyes Cup brings together the best Massachusetts female golfers over the age of 25 annually. The Championship Division identifies a winner over 36 holes of play, and the Tournament Division does as well for players with a Handicap Index of up to 18.0. The event also includes a one-day, 18-hole Flighted Division for players with a Handicap Index® of 14.0 and higher.
Plotting her way around the city course flanked by its rustic brown wooden fence, Buck patiently worked through the early holes, making birdie on the par-5 2nd. After some frustrating three-putts, though, she finally found her stride on the back nine. She hit one in close on the par-3 13th for birdie, then hit another iron in close on the 15th, making the birdie putt move to even-par.
“Those were really big because I made a couple of just silly errors that I wasn’t feeling very good about,” Buck said.
For as much as Buck has struggled with short game in the past, it was her saving grace after missing the last two fairways (16 and 18) and the green on the 17th. On the 17th, Buck hit a hybrid that landed just above the greenside bunker on the left. With a harshly sloped green off the left side, Buck just barely cleared the ridge, and it rolled down to the cup, leaving herself a tap-in par. Despite the fact that she “never really had such a long put on 18 before,” Buck hit a solid stroke on the double-breaking putt, leaving her a six-footer to clean up par and finish with a 71.
“My short game has always been one of my weaknesses, and I’ve worked pretty hard on that this year, so to hit a good chip there on 17 gave me confidence, and that putt on 18, I definitely wouldn’t want to have to do that again.”
Defending champion Shannon Johnson, who has partnered with Buck for five straight Women’s Four-Ball titles, will be in pursuit Wednesday along with Chelsea Curtis (The Country Club). Both women played in the same group on Tuesday, with each showing flashes of brilliance. Curtis opened the round with a birdie and hit her second shot into the par-4 12th to about 4 feet for her other birdie.
Johnson, who made the Round of 64 at Brae Burn last week, managed just one birdie, on the par-4 14th, but was steady with par most of the way to keep her title hopes alive heading to the final round. Two years ago at Indian Ridge, Johnson entered the final round seven strokes back and got it back to two strokes, with Buck eventually earning her first title. With both women having the ability to go low at their home course, it could be another fascinating head-to-head showdown coming down the stretch on Wednesday.
Despite not hitting a green in regulation until the 9th hole, Kim Grady (Haverhill Golf & Country Club) found her footing on the back nine and finished the day tied for the Tournament Division lead with Christine Coughlin (Green Hill Muni Golf Course) with a score of 82. Grady made her lone birdie on the par-5 11th.
Needing a par to hold a share of the lead, Grady didn’t make life easy, popping up her drive on the 18th and hitting her second into the greenside bunker. However, she nearly holed out for birdie and tapped in to finish tied.
Irene Haley (Ferncroft Country Club), who finished runner-up in the Women’s Stroke Play Championship for the Baker Trophy back in June, ended the day one stroke back at 83, while Jenni Ceppi (Salem Country Club) shot 84.
Play in the Tournament Division begins at 8 Wednesday morning, with the Mid-Am Championship Division taking place between 9:40 and 10:20.
Cathy Burgess (Indian Ridge Country Club) won the Flighted Division title for the second consecutive year, shooting a score of 87 for a five-stroke margin of victory. However, her story with golf goes far beyond the individual victories.
After the win, Burgess shared stories of her mother, Suzanne, who once was approached by the well-renowned Pippy Rooney O’Connor, saying that her daughter Cathy, just 13 at the time, should play in competitive WGAM golf events. The two played in several Mother-Daughter tournaments over the years, and Suzanne also won a Mother-Son tournament. Later in life, she was diagnosed with colon cancer and was determined to keep playing golf, believing that it would help her beat the disease. Unfortunately, she died at age 56.
“That’s one of the reasons I continue to play,” said Cathy Burgess, who has overcome an ovarian cancer diagnosis and had taken a several-year hiatus from the game.
A few years ago, she was asked to speak at the Jimmy Fund Sunrise to Sunset golf tournament. After seeing players shuffle their way around the course in the driving rain all day, she told the crowd that they inspired her to play golf again. Two years ago, she returned to play in the Keyes Cup again at her home course. Then, last year, she won the Flighted Division by seven strokes.
“I was really just grateful to be here,” said Burgess, who recently attended the Solheim Cup in Virginia over the weekend. “I think it’s just so nice to be able to come and play with people from different courses and get to meet new friends.”
About Thorny Lea Golf Club
Thorny Lea’s course is one of many esteemed New England layouts designed by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. Despite being less than 6,500 yards from the back tees, it continues to test some of the region’s best golfers.
The course began as a short 6-hole facility along West Street and was soon expanded to nine holes with the purchase of additional property along West Street in the area of existing 15 green and 16 tees. The nine-hole course was lengthened in 1918 when the first hole became a dogleg left with a new green near Braemoor Road and the second a 510-yard par 5 in its current position. The sharp dogleg hole remained in place through the Wayne Stiles remodel in 1925. Years later, the hole was straightened, but the original green appears to remain. It was only a matter of time before Thorny Lea expanded to the standard complement of 18 holes.
Canadian architect Ian Andrew recently completed the 10-year renovation of the golf course in accordance with Thorny Lea’s master plan. His work included tree removal, bunker renovation, and the updating of several golf holes, all with the respect and guidance of the original Stiles and Van Kleek design.
Some of the past champions who held or possess membership at Thorny Lea include:
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