The third day of competition at the 108th Massachusetts Amateur Championship featured two rounds of match play at Taconic Golf Club.
A total of 32 competitors completed 374 holes over a period of 10 hours. In the end, only eight remain alive in the bracket and will return today to compete in the quarterfinal matches, set to begin at 8:00 a.m. in Williamstown.
The semifinal matches will be contested during the afternoon. The two finalists will then meet in a 36-hole final match on Friday morning to determine the champion.
Here are Thursday’s morning matchups: 8:00 a.m. – Jackson Lang (Nashawtuc CC) vs. Brendan Hunter (Red Tail GC); 8:10 a.m. – Alex Jeffers (Woodland GC) vs. Matthew Naumec (GreatHorse); 8:20 a.m. – Ryan Riley (Thorny Lea GC) vs. Dan Cappucci (Boston GC); 8:30 a.m. – Thomas Henderson (Sterling National) vs. John Kelly (Twin Hills CC).
The day was long in hours but it seemed like a blur to Lang when he stepped off the 18th green following his 2 and 1 victory over top-seeded Jake Shuman (Blue Hill CC), 1 up. Earlier in the day, Lang defeated the 2006 champion of this event, Ben Spitz (George Wright GC).
In likely the friendliest match of the entire tournament, Hunter defeated friend and St. Thomas Aquinas teammate Christopher Gentle (Mount Pleasant GC) 2-and 1 to earn berth in the quarterfinals.
After his round of 32 match ended 7 and 6, Hunter’s match went just a tad longer as he and Gentle played 17 holes before a winner was declared. Hunter took the first stab at the lead by making birdie on the first hole, but quickly saw the lead evaporate when a tough sixth hole for Hunter sent the match to all square.
He didn’t let his mistake get him down though, as he regained the lead for one hole on the seventh. Shortly thereafter, the match went back to all square and remained that way until the ninth hole, one of the course’s four par-3s, when Gentle made par to go 1 up.
On the ensuing hole, Hunter regained the lead by making birdie on the par-5 straightaway. He extended the lead on Hole 14 and carried that lead until the end to ensure the victory, 2 and 1.
Jeffers delivered a come-from-behind victory against Tim Tunstall (Longmeadow CC) that went into extra holes and then turned in a strong 5 and 4 performance against Alex Jamieson (Marshfield CC) to advance to the quarterfinals.
Boston College freshman Naumec jumped out to an early lead and held onto that lead, despite a valiant effort down the stretch by Timothy Umphrey (Tatnuck CC), to win the match, 2 and 1.
Riley, the 2010 champion of this event, survived a tough challenge in the round of 32 against 18-year-old Andrew Warfield (Marlborough CC) and then scored the upset of the week by defeating the stroke-play co-medalist – Peter French (Maplegate CC) – by a score of 7 and 6.
After the match was all square at the turn against Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), Cappucci made birdie the 506-yard par-5 to go up 1 up. He extended the lead to 2 up on the following hole when he made par on the 11th.
On Holes No. 13 and 14, Cappucci carded back-to-back three’s to go 4-up and finished 4 & 3 over the former 9-time MGA Player of the Year.
Henderson, a rising junior at Old Dominion University, made birdie on the 480-yard, par-5 1st hole in the round of 16 and never saw his lead diminish, as he was victorious, 3 and 2, over Mark Turner (Bass Rocks GC).
Forty-eight hours ago, Kelly had just signed a scorecard for a six-over par 78 and was not happy about his chances of reclaiming the title that he had won in 2014.
Over the next two days, Kelly changed his fortunes and turned what could have been a disappointing experience into what might be another magical week.
On Wednesday, he outlasted 17-year-old Davis Chatfield (Locust Valley GC) in 21 holes during the round of 32 and then enjoyed a 5 and 4 win over Kevin Gately (Harmon GC) to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
