To experience nail-biter, crowd-captivating, elite level competitive golf play you’ve got to cash out your 401(k), cross your fingers and enter the lottery for Augusta National tickets, right?
On the 18th green of Concord Country Club earlier this week, it was proven otherwise. There, in the late summer sun as spectators watched each moment, five women fought for the final spot in the match play round of the Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship.
In that group of five was a home course favorite. Mia Lombardi, who plays for Trinity College, works summers as part of Concord Country Club’s golf operations and grew her game locally. “She works in our bag room!” one spectator said with delight as the sudden death hole came to a key moment: Lombardi staring down a 14-foot putt to take that final spot.
She took her time, studying each angle. But when she was ready, she was ready, and with confident stroke she drained the putt, that satisfying “plink” sound of a sunk putt drowned out by the roaring crowd,
It felt … historic. And that’s because it was. 122 years ago, Grace Keyes, a member of that same club, sunk an exciting putt to win the very first Mass Women’s Amateur. This championship is the longest standing one in America. And with Mass Golf celebrating its 125th season of great golf, it felt fitting for a local woman to grab that shining moment.
Moments like that have been happening in easy to access tourneys across Massachusetts for that many years. Formed first as the Women’s Golf Association of Boston (the men formed their group three years later; both were merged into one in recent years), the point of Mass Golf, yes, is to bring players of all levels together.
But there’s a byproduct that’s there for all of us: A chance to watch some really great golf. At Concord this week, Mass Golf leaned in on the anniversary.
First up post round was a reenactment of what the ladies at that very first Championship at Concord Country Club had 122 years ago: A longest drive and closest to the hole contest for the ladies to compete in and the viewers to watch in awe. Back then, golf was relatively new to New England, so the excitement was easy to muster. Today? With the quality of players and ability to drive and place even more dialed in, it’s just as thrilling,
Isabel Brozena of Indian Ridge Country Club, who shot 3-under-par total to earn the No. 3 seed in match play, won the long drive with a blast of a drive of 285 yards. A younger player, she faced off against four other up and coming champs. Closest to the hole faced off former champions, with 2009 Champion Mary Chamberlain deftly placing her ball just nine feet from the hole for the win.
There are so many other long-standing and historic tourneys in the Bay State, all with chances for the public to take in the excitement. The Women’s Championship continues at Concord through Friday, with two semi-final rounds on Aug. 14 (one in the morning and another in the afternoon) and then the 18-hole final on Friday. Spectators are welcome, and you’ll find food and drink for purchase course side.
There are others, too. From Junior to Senior championships to all kinds in between, there’s drama, great shots and golf spectator thrills to be had. You can find a full schedule at www.massgolf.org/competition/championships/.
For 125 years, golfers in Massachusetts have been finding ways to improve, find others as passionate about their sport as they are, and to compete to be the best. And for those looking for inspiration, we are all welcome to cheer those competitors on – or work toward being one some day.
As Megan Bearce, Mass Golf’s first female president said Tuesday, “Golf enthusiasts are spoiled here in Massachusetts. There’s no place better to be a golfer in the world.”
And a plan ahead note: You’ll be able to take the MBTA to some of those in the near future. Mass Golf announced Tuesday that the 120th Massachusetts Amateur Championship will be contested at George Wright Golf Course, while the 125th Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship will take place at William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park, marking the first time the storied events will return to the city since 2018.
Great golf, thrilling moments and days of viewing fun, all close to home. Who needs Augusta?
