Tuesday’s course setup at The Country Club in Brookline was not for the faint of heart.
But despite a chorus of rounds in the 80s across the board, two Franklin County golfers escaped the wreckage and came out the other end. Greenfield’s Cody Booska and South Deerfield’s Jake Zaranek earned top-32 finishes at the 111th Massachusetts Amateur Championship, punching tickets to today’s match-play portion of the event.
“It definitely feels good. It’s a big weight off my shoulders,” offered Booska of earning a match-play spot. “I haven’t had the best summer, my golf game hasn’t come around full circle yet. But I just felt like it was a matter of time.”
Last year’s Mass. Am runner-up Herbie Aikens of Old Sandwich Golf Club took home the Harry B. McCracken Stroke Play Medalist after besting the field by three strokes. Aikens had rounds of 68 and 67 to wind up 7-under 135, and he’ll be the No. 1 seed in the match play bracket as a result. Jimmy Hervol was the runner-up at 4-under 138, followed by first-round leader Chris Francoeur and Jack Bougler, who tied for third place at 3-under 139.
Booska, who teed off on No. 10, carded a second consecutive round of 1-over 72 on Tuesday, giving him a 2-over 144 after 36 holes of stroke play. That was good enough for a tie for 15th place.
While Monday’s 72 was pretty even-keeled, Booska’s round on Tuesday was anything but conventional. After a double-bogey on his 13th hole of the day (No. 4), the 23-year-old stood at 5-over for the tournament and on the brink of missing the match play cut. Undaunted, he showcased a flair for the dramatic and birdied his final three holes of the day (Nos. 7, 8 and 9) to climb all the way back and punch a ticket to match play for the third time in his career.
“I was feeling like I was comfortably in until that double (bogey) happened,” he explained. “After that, I felt like I needed at least one or two (birdies) coming in to be safe. Those last three (holes), I kind of found something.”
After bogeying No. 7 during Monday’s first round, Booska flipped the script on Tuesday. He landed his tee shot on the par 3 about 10 feet from the hole, and sank the putt up the hill for a birdie. On No. 8, he dropped a tough 15-footer for another birdie, and saved his best putt of the day for his final stroke on Tuesday. Facing a 40-footer from the back fringe on No. 9, Booska was simply looking to lag his putt close. Instead, the ball rolled in, sealing his 72 and assuring him a spot in the final 32.
“It’s golf,” began Booska of the late surge. “There’s nothing you can do, you just have to keep going. You can’t look at past shots or scores, no matter what you just have to keep going. To close it out the way I did today, to solidify my spot that way was definitely a confidence booster. I plan to take it into the rest of the week.”
Zaranek tied for 26th after Tuesday’s 4-over 75, which put him at 5-over 149 for the tournament. He was 2-over on his round at the turn and bogeyed three holes on his back nine to go with one birdie (No. 4). It’ll be the first match play appearance for the 20-year-old Fairfield University rising junior.
“Honestly, I didn’t think (5-over) was going to be enough,” said Zaranek of qualifying for match play. “But it ended up working out. I thought maybe I’d be in a playoff for a spot but I was happy I didn’t have to do that.
“After my front nine, I was 3-over for the tournament so I told myself to go shoot even-par for the back nine and I think I should get in no problem,” he continued. “I made a couple mental mistakes, missed a few short putts that could’ve really given me some more momentum. But in the end, you just have to get in and go from there.”
Greenfield’s Jake Willis wrapped up his first appearance at the Mass. Am with a second-round 78 on Tuesday. Willis, who shot 76 on Monday, finished in a tie for 67th with a two-round total of 12-over 154.
Northfield Golf Club’s Andy Lesenski was one shot back, firing a 77 in Round 2 to tie for 71st place with a two-day total of 13-over 155. Lesenski got off to a stellar start on his front 9 Tuesday, recording four birdies in his first eight holes to take the turn at 1-under. He had four bogeys and a double bogey on his back nine, shooting 42.
South Deerfield’s Jonathan Elkins saw his second trip to the Mass. Am come to a close on Tuesday. The 18-year-old followed Monday’s 75 with an 82 on Tuesday, putting him at 15-over 157 for the tournament and in a tie for 88th place.
“I was a little bit off today and The Country Club showed its teeth,” offered Elkins. “I think they did a great job with course setup, making holes hard and rewarding great shots. I think we were a little too conservative in the morning and didn’t take advantage of some holes. There was no chance with the way I was playing that I was going to be able to make the (match play) cut.”
Elkins, who will be a senior this fall at the Taft School in Watertown, Conn., was in a similar position to last year’s Mass. Am, when he got off to a solid start in Round 1 but was unable to turn it up and find a spot in the final 32.
“It was eerily similar to last year’s Mass. Am where I was right around the cut line after Day 1 and had to shoot a good round to get into match play but didn’t,” he recalled. “It’s a little bit of a letdown but I just didn’t have it today. All in all though, it was a great experience to be here.”
Amherst’s Ron Laverdiere carded a second-round 75 to finish with a 10-over 152 following Monday’s 77. The Crumpin-Fox Club member tied for 50th. Former Country Club of Greenfield member Don Foberg finished tied with Laverdiere after posting identical rounds of 76.
Booska will open his match-play bracket as the No. 16 seed with a Round of 32 tilt against 17th-seeded Colin Brennan of Indian Ridge Country Club at 7:10 a.m.
The match play format is certainly not unfamiliar to the Turners Falls native, as he reached the quarterfinal round with a pair of impressive wins in 2017.
“I think my experience in 2017, it’ll definitely help me,” Booska said. “Going so deep and beating the players that I did, it shows anyone can beat anyone on any given day. I beat some good players in 2017, so I’m not really going to back down to anyone. In match play, you have to make birdies to try and beat your opponents. You have to play it as more of a risk/reward type of thing. I just have to go out there and play my game.”
Zaranek will take on Nick Maccario of Bradford Country Club in his Round of 32 match at 8:40 a.m. Both players recently qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
“I love match play,” Zaranek said. “It’s one of my favorite formats and I tend to fare pretty well in it. It’s 18 new rounds, which I really like.”
If Booska or Zaranek win their Round of 32 matches, the Round of 16 will follow later in the afternoon. Quarterfinal and semifinal matches are Thursday, with a 36-hole championship match set for Friday.