MARBLEHEAD — Hunter Stone captured his third Men’s Club Championship title Sunday after a hard-fought playoff victory over Michael Zmetrovich at Tedesco Country Club.
Stone, who earned the No. 2 seed by finishing medalist of the qualifier at two-over par, faced a tough path to the championship. In the Round of 16, he edged past Brendan Locke II 1 up in a roller-coaster match. Stone trailed after 11 holes but rallied to win five of the final eight, including the 18th hole.
In the quarterfinals, Stone took down Brian Burke 4 up after overcoming a one-hole deficit at the turn. Stone then defeated Chuck DiGrande 3 and 2 in the semifinals, pulling away with birdies on the back nine to secure his spot in the final.
Stone’s championship opponent, Zmetrovich, ousted defending champion and top seed George Zolotas in a semifinal upset. Zmetrovich surged late to take the lead and held on for the win.
The championship match was a back-and-forth battle with Stone jumping to an early lead. Zmetrovich rallied late, forcing a playoff after 18 holes. Both players scored a par on the first three playoff holes before Stone capitalized on a miscue from Zmetrovich on the fourth, securing the victory.
This win marks Stone’s third Men’s Club Championship title, adding to his match play victory in 2021 and stroke play win in 2022.