Preview Show | 2024 Massachusetts Open Championship at Willowbend

The 114th playing of the Massachusetts Open Championship will take place at Willowbend from June 10-12, 2024. Mass Golf’s Nia Fredrich and Stephen Hanjack discuss the golf course, the history of the event, and some of the players to watch down on the Cape.

Welcome to the 2024 Massachusetts Open Preview Show presented by Titleist and FootJoy. I’m Nia Fredrich with Mass Golf. And joining me today will be Stephen Hanjack the two of us are going to sit down and cover everything there is to know about the 114th Massachusetts Open Championship, set to take place at Willowbend Monday, June 10th to Wednesday, June 12th. The cut will be made after 36 holes of stroke play and after 54 holes, a champion will be crowned. So Stephen, looking at the golf course, the way I look at it, Willowbend, it’s placed on Cape Cod. When I think of Cape Cod, I think of the water and a nice cool breeze and a lot of golf. How does Willowbend fit the quintessential Cape Cod bill? So as I was thinking about this championship, it’s definitely a more unique venue than what we’ve had in past years. And three things have come to mind as I’ve done my research The Wind, The Water and The Wedges. So the wind, of course. Last year at the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship, the wind wreaked havoc on the field. One player broke par for the week. That was Rickie Stimets. He shot eight-under. The second place finisher in that championship was at five-over-par. That was Kevin Gately. So, we can expect a lot of wind down on the Cape, naturally. And that will certainly test the field. Another thing, the water. This course is completely different than any of the other courses we’ve seen in the Mass Open road in recent years. by our count, something in the area of ten of the holes will have water in play. You look at the last few years at TPC Boston, maybe a couple of holes had water, the year before that, at Longmeadow, only one comes to mind. And at Oak Hill the year before that, only one comes to mind. So this year, the addition of water on the golf course, will be part of the story, for sure. And the last thing is wedges. With this course being in the 6500 yard, range, we’re going to be looking at something in the area of ten wedges out of these players coming into the greens, with that shorter distance. So we can expect those that are dialed in with their wedges to be in contention. two other holes that come to mind as I was doing some drone work over there the other day and looking through the eighth hole, it’s a drivable par 4, but it’s got out of bounds that lines the left and long of the hole. So I’d be interested to see how players take that on. I tend to think, earlier in the week guys will be a little more cautious, but come the final round, if someone needs to make a move that could be a spot where they choose to do it and then backing up a few holes again, going back to the drone work, I never really understood the fourth hole, how demanding of a hole it was. Or is. at the Mass Mid-Am, the last year. Last year it was, I believe it’s the most difficult hole, but it’s a dogleg left. That’s so it requires such a specific shot where if you’re just a bit even right side of the fairway, you’re blocked out by an overhanging tree. It’s a long way in. It’s just a really difficult hole. And flying a drone on it was tough. So I can only imagine trying to make a birdie or par on there being even tougher. But those were the big takeaways I had from the course and doing my research. All right, well what’s next on the course is our players, obviously, we’ve got a handful of standout amateurs that have made names for themselves that are in this field here that come to mind. John Broderick, he made some heads turn last year, round two, starting with four birdies. here at TPC Boston, yeah. And he followed that by taking the Mass Amateur medal after a course record 62 at Essex County Club. Proving that he can perform under competitive pressure. Yeah, a few others that came to mind for me. or I guess the big thing that I’ve noticed is the last time an amateur won this event was 1999. That was Kevin Quinn over at Wellesley Country Club. So yes, we’ve seen amateurs in contention, but at the end of the day, it’s been the professionals that have taken this title, this century really. but some of the ones that stand out, you look at TPC Boston last year, Ricky Stimets was low amateur, [he] was never really in contention to win the event. The year before that, Ethan Whitney held the lead as an amateur, going into the final round. And then Matthew Naumec stood on the 18th, also an amateur at the time, with a chance to win the Mass Open with a par, of course, both of them fell to Michael Kartrude at Longmeadow. And the year before that, Ben Spitz, an amateur, stood on the 18th tee where if he made a par, he was going to be in a into a playoff with the eventual winner, Rob Labritz. So yes, I think the amateurs can contend. But the story over the past 20 years has been the professionals. if I had to pick a few amateurs to call out, it would be Ricky Stimets. Naturally, he’s from that area. He had a 13 shot victory at the Mid-Am last year at this exact venue. so kind of a no-brainer there. Arthur Zelmati, who has turned professional, is in the status of returning back to amateur. he’s been a mainstay in Mass Golf events. He’s won the Mass Mid-Am in the past in his games coming into form. He qualified through US.. Open Local Qualifying. so I expect him to be in contention, especially with his his demeanor. He has a calm demeanor and a place where you’ve got ten holes with water. You’re likely going to find some water at some point. So those that can keep a level head, will probably do best in. The last one that I have on here is Christian Emmerich. he plays out of Kernwood. I love his tenacity. He’s one that I just don’t see him shying away from the competition from the bigger names around him. he’s played excellent in events like the New England Am. He shot a course record down in Rhode Island. but he’s one that stands out to me as well. Another amateur that caught my eye was Ryan Downes. obviously last year he captured his first signature championship by winning the Massachusetts Amateur as the youngest to ever do it. He also made a huge run at the Ouimet taking home that title. And he made a really big run at the Junior at Great Horse. So we know he can compete with the amateurs. But how is he going to fair with these professionals? It’ll be really interesting to see. Yeah. And as we talk professionals, interestingly we’ve got two father son duos, both, father’s professionals. One of their sons is professional, but we have Boomer and Carson Erick at a Boston golf club. They’re both playing in this championship. And then Fran and Owen Quinn, they’ve been covered a lot over the years through U.S. Open stuff. both of them professionals, both in the field. Fran’s getting ready for the U.S. Senior Open at Newport. Which he just qualified for. So we look forward to that. And then as we jump into the professionals, I think. Fran, with someone on your list, right? Yes. He made the cut. at the Mass Open for the second [straight] time last year in 2023. like you said, he’s warming up for the U.S. Senior Open down in Newport. He’s also coming off of, appearance at the 2022 U.S. Open right here in Brookline. so it’ll be really interesting to see, how, you know, the father son duo really, you know, shows up, at this event. Yeah. A few other professionals that, that I wanted to talk about was one of my new favorite players in golf. The panda, Nicholas Pandelena. He’s out of New Hampshire. Last year, he came here to TPC Boston and put on a show. He had a self-inflicted foot injury. He was hobbling around. He’s got a unique way about him. He wears running shoes instead of golf shoes, but he’s a heck of a golfer. So I look forward to seeing what he does down on the Cape. Jared Nelson, another big name from the area. he’s a former UConn Huskies from up in Vermont. He recently turned professional over the past year. I’d like to think we’ll see him up towards the top of the leaderboard next week. Berk Harvey. Everyone loves him. He loves playing in Massachusetts. He makes his way back from California every year to play. So we look forward to seeing him. Will Frodigh, he showed me a lot this year at the U.S. Open Local Qualifying. He got forced into a playoff to get through, and in the play off, he just put on one of the most spectacular displays of golf. I mean, yes, over two holes. But in a pressure filled environment like that. He stepped up to the plate. So I can see him contending here. This week Jimmy Hervol, a former runner up of the Mass Am, another UConn Husky, and he’s out of Hopkinton. He’s played in U.S. Opens. He’s played on the biggest stage before. I expect to see him doing big things down in the Cape. Andrew O’Leary. He played a lot of Rhode Island golf, but he’s a member at Pawtucket, which is a Mass and Rhode Island club. he played at Notre Dame. He’s played in a lot of big events. I think we’ll see him there and then the last one on my list is Chris Tallman, over at Great Horse. He’s seems to be winning everything he plays in. He was medalist at U.S. Open Local Qualifying. There was an event this week that he’s winning. His game just seems to be in form. And it I don’t know what it is, but over the past few years it seems like he’s unlocked something in this game. So that’s what I have to look forward to this week. Yeah. I would also say like looking at the history of the event. it’s in it’s 114th rendition. The Massachusetts Open is technically the youngest of the three signature events that we host every year. But I would say it’s a highly sought after championship. Even looking at the field for a few more standout amateurs. I mean, you got all the college kids coming back, right? Conner Willett, James Imai. You’ve got another one, Joe Harney. He just made a huge run at the Mass Four Ball. I mean, there’s a lot of other names in the pool. a lot of people that are really excited to take on, what is, you know, this historical event. So what more can you touch on with the history of this? The history. We’ve got a lot. So I’m going to have to to read on this one. But the first four winners of the Masters Tournament were also winners of the Massachusetts Open, which is one of my favorite little fun facts. You had Horton Smith, the first ever winner of the Masters. He won the Mass Open. six years later in 1940, at Oyster Harbor’s 1935, the second ever Masters, Gene Sarazen, one with the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” That same year, he won the Mass Open at Oak Hill. The third Masters Horton Smith won again. So there you go. Another matchup. And then the fourth Masters was Byron Nelson. 1937 two years later he won the Mass Open [1939] at Worcester Country Club. So from the very early years, this, this event has had a ton of history. And from the beginning it was the Ross brothers, Donald Ross, the famed architect, and his brother, Alex Ross. I think Donald Ross won a couple of times, and Alex won six times, which is tied for the most with Gregory Sisk, of the most titles of the Mass Open. And then just looking back in the history as well, a few other big names that came to mind. Francis Ouimet, of course, famously won the U.S. Open at The Country Club, but also Julius Boros, who won the U.S. Open at The Country Club. both of them Mass Open champions, and Walter Hagen, someone that, anyone who’s played golf has certainly heard that name before. So a ton of history in this, in that throughout this event. Yeah. And I mean more to come, more names to be etched in the side of that trophy. Right, exactly. So let’s talk spectators. If you have never been to a Mass golf event or if you’ve ever just wanted the opportunity to step on the grounds of Cape Cod’s most premier private club, that is Willowbend, obviously spectating the Mass Open is your chance to do it. But where do you start? So first thing, an event like this, you’re able to park at the club. So, parking is is at the club. You just come to the club, you park, go to MassGolf.org. We have a Championship Central, which will have a listing of all the starting times and players, the scoring, all that, stories leading into the event, event recaps, video recaps, photos, all that. So go to MassGolf.org. That’ll get you situated with where to go. And I think this day and age just type in Willowbend and off you go. but once you get on the property, there’s a few spots that are good, good places to watch some golf. It’s unique that it’s kind of cut through, the trees. It’s not a spot where you can necessarily just camp out and see six holes at one time. so a few of those spots are right out the first tee. So you got the first tee, the second green, and the third tee altogether there, along with, Joe’s Famous Grill. So you get some food and beverage, some restrooms, a bunch of golf in that little area. And then the other good spot is right at the end of the course, you have the 15th green, the 17th green, and the 18th tee altogether. That’s on the other side of the property. But those are probably your best opportunities to get three holes together and see a bunch of golf at one time. Yeah. And I mean, on top of that, you can follow your favorite players across the course. obviously following along with Golf Genius will get you, you know, where you need to be, where you can see them on the course. But if you happen to be on the Cape and you stop by and you want to watch some good golf, you don’t know where to start. Outside of the top of the leaderboard, who are those guys that you want to follow on the course? So for me, if I if anyone always that or when people ask me, hey, who who should I go watch whatever these names might be at the top of the leaderboard. They probably will be, actually. But two that stand out to me. Joey Lenane when I first saw him five years ago when I started Mass Golf, I was like, wow, that looks like a little Adam Scott. He’s now, of course, in college, he’s grown. But one of the most beautiful golf swings you’ll ever see. And the others, Matt Parziale everyone’s heard of him before, but I’m telling you, if you can see him hit a three wood or a long iron, the sound it makes just his swing. It’s different than anything else you see at Mass Golf events. So those are two players you got to go seek out when you come. Yeah, absolutely. All right, Stephen, now that we’ve wrapped up the official Mass Golf side of things. Let’s hear Stephen Hanjack’s picks and takes. What’s going to happen on Day Three of the Mass Open this year. All right, so here’s what I think. I think heading into the final round there’s going to be an amateur in that final pairing. I think that amateur is going to be Christian Emmerich. I also think that there’s going to be an amateur either in the lead or tied for the lead as they cross the street over to 14 to that last bit of the property. over by the clubhouse. I think Ricky Stimets is going to be that amateur in the lead. But in the end, as has been the case over the last 24 years, I think it’s going to be professional. And I think it’s gonna be Christopher Tallman that weaves his way around those final holes, all that water and bog land. I think he’s going to be the one hoisting the Massachusetts Open Championship. Well, let’s just remember, these are Stephen Hanjack’s picks and takes on what’s going to happen here. You never know. You never know which amateur could run away with this title this year. Thank you everybody for joining us for the Massachusetts Open Preview Show. We hope you enjoyed. We can’t wait to see you down on the Cape at Willowbend. Don’t forget to Make Today a Golf Day.