PLYMOUTH, Mass – The 59th edition of the Hornblower Tournament is in the books and this year’s tournament might be remembered partly for its nasty final round weather conditions, than for the impressive victory posted by Aidan Emmerich, of Kernwood Country Club in Salem.
The Swampscott-native, who recently finished his first year at Michigan State, posted scores of 66-75-141, for a 3-over par total on the par 69 Donald Ross-designed Plymouth Country Club track. He edged Ricky Stimets, of Cotuit Highlands Golf Course, by one shot after Stimets posted rounds of 70-72-142.
Only twenty-four hours after a 90-degree day on June 2 where Plymouth CC played firm and fast in the first round, the weather turned blustery, rainy, and raw on Saturday June3 for the final round. The cold, rainy conditions coupled with wind gusts up to 40 MPH made the course particularly tough with a scoring average almost 80.
“It’s a great tournament,” Emmerich said after his win. “I haven’t had a lot of luck here in the past.”
For Emmerich, the third time was the charm. He missed the cut in his first two appearances.
“The first day was pretty perfect but day 2 not so much. There are times when we need to play in tough conditions and you just have to dress appropriately and stay focused. The wind definitely made things a lot tougher today” said Aidan after the round. “I started out with a birdie on the first hole and then had a bit of an up and down type round until the 13th hole where I scored a double bogey. One of the things that kept me in contention was that I didn’t miss any putts under 5 feet. I’m not someone who watches the leaderboard during a round but my playing partners shared with me after 13 that I still had a two stroke lead on the field so I just kept playing hard and it worked out.”
Aidan added, “This was my third Hornblower and I didn’t even make the cut the first two times so this was very special. The Hornblower is such a well run event at a great course and everyone is so nice, no wonder it is such a popular tournament.”
Jared Nelson, last year’s champion, posted an amazing even par 69 on the second day to join with Nick Maccario, Doug Clapp, and Hunter Stone for third place at 145.
Next up for Plymouth Country Club is the Senior Hornblower Memorial Invitational scheduled August 21-22.
https://www.plymouthcc.net/golf/the-hornblower
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