BOSTON, Mass – Competitive golf in New England doesn’t get any better that this!
A field of 95 players, that includes 62 amateurs and 33 professionals, tee off Monday May 3 at Foxborough Country Club, playing for six qualifying spots with the goal of playing in the 122nd United States Open Championship, scheduled at The Country Club in Brookline June 16-19.
From among the field of 95 players two countries are represented (United States and Canada) with Massachusetts presenting 78 players, New Hampshire (9), Maine (1), Minnesota (1), New York (1), Pennsylvania (1), Rhode Island (1), Texas (1), Virginia (1) and Canada (1).
Then average age of the field is 31 with 17 players over age 40. The youngest is 16-year-old Sean Resnick, of Walpole, Mass. (born 8-25-05) oldest is 63-year-old Andy Morse, of West Roxbury, Mass., Mass. (born 12-29-58).
Foxborough Country Club is a private Geoffrey Cornish design set on 200 acres featuring a traditional parkland style par 72 stretching out to a challenging 6,850 from the back tees. The first nine holes opened for play in 1957 and Geoffrey Cornish put the finishing touches the second nine in 1971. Players will find tree lined fairways with relatively few hazards to navigate with a premium placed on driving the ball straight. And, to score low it is critical to putt well and negotiate successfully the slopes and nuances of the greens.
The USGA received 9265 application to compete in the 2022 U.S. Open and to be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4. On May 17 Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. will host the last local qualifier with 84 players seeking five spots. Here are a few noted regional players and their backgrounds for May 2:
Matt Arvanitis, 44, of Hooksett, N.H., has been the head men’s golf coach at Southern New Hampshire University since 2005 and has guided SNHU’s women’s program since 2013. Arvanitis is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame and was chosen Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2001. He has played in three USGA championships, including the 2005 U.S. Amateur.
Aidan Emmerich, 17, of Swampscott, Mass., has been a seven-year varsity golf competitor at St. Mary’s Lynn High School and has been a member of three state championship teams. Emmerich, a three-time Catholic Central League MVP, will play at Michigan State University in the fall of 2022. Emmerich, whose older brothers, Christian and Max, are college golfers, played in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur.
Andy Morse, 63, of West Roxbury, Mass., has competed in three U.S. Opens and tied for 67th in 1996. Morse advanced through both stages (local, final) of qualifying to reach Oakland Hills Country Club that year. He also tied for 50th in the 2013 U.S. Senior Open and won two Massachusetts Opens (1989, 1993). Morse played on several professional tours and won the 2000 Buy.com Utah Classic (now Korn Ferry Tour).
Connor Mulcahy, 27, of Milford, Mass., is an assistant professional at The Country Club, the site of the 122nd U.S. Open Championship. Mulcahy, who was a member of the Milford (Mass.) High School team, graduated from Penn State University’s PGA Golf Management Program. He has interned at Sankaty Head Golf Club, in Siasconset, Mass., and Inverness Club, in Toledo, Ohio.
Matt Naumec, 25, of Wilbraham, Mass., was one of 17 players who advanced through both qualifying stages to the 2019 U.S. Open. He missed the cut at Pebble Beach Golf Links. He was a three-time All-Northeast Region selection at Boston College and a high school All-American at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. Naumec reached the Round of 16 in the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and played in the 2014 U.S. Amateur.
Aidan O’Donovan, 18, of Somerville, Mass., won the Greater Boston League Championship and was a Northeast Conference all-star at Somerville High School. He will play at the University of Rhode Island in the fall of 2022. O’Donovan, who qualified for the 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, made the 36-hole cut in the New England Amateur and qualified for the Massachusetts Amateur last year.
Rob Owen, 34, of Boston, Mass., comes from a hockey family. His father, Stephen, totaled 136 points for Harvard University, from 1969-71. His brothers, Chris and Stephen, played at Princeton University and Williams College, respectively. Owen, who was a high school lacrosse All-American at Noble & Greenough School, was a member of Princeton’s lacrosse and golf teams. He was a quarterfinalist in the 2020 Massachusetts Amateur.
Alex Pomerantz, 27, of Boston, Mass., will graduate this spring from Harvard Medical School and hopes to work as a pediatrician. He played his college golf at Carnegie Mellon University, an NCAA Division III program, where he earned first team All-University Athletic Association honors. Pomerantz earned a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship with undergraduate degrees in biology and international relations & politics.
Mark Purrington, 35, of Dartmouth, Mass., is an accomplished drummer who graduated from the Berklee College of Music. He has previously played with club bands in Boston and New York City and at Cape Cod weddings. Purrington, who was a member of the Dartmouth High School team and was a 2012 Massachusetts Amateur quarterfinalist, advanced through U.S. Open local qualifying in 2019 when he birdied the final hole.
Kevin Silva, 37, of Fall River, Mass., has competed in two U.S. Opens (2008, 2009). He has played in seven USGA championships and was a quarterfinalist in the 2001 U.S. Junior Amateur. Silva, who works for a medical equipment distributor, won the Rhode Island Amateur in 2015. He lettered at the University of North Carolina, from 2003-05.
Colin Spencer, 18, of Mashpee, Mass., won the MIAA Division 3 state championship by 11 strokes as a senior at Mashpee High School and will play at the University of Connecticut in the fall of 2022. He captured last year’s Massachusetts Junior Amateur and was the runner-up in the New England Junior Amateur. His father, Stephen, is the head professional at Cummaquid (Mass.) Golf Club.
Ben Spitz, 38, of Milton, Mass., has played in five USGA championships, including the 2006 and 2008 U.S. Amateurs. Spitz, who is an investment strategist, won the 2006 Massachusetts Amateur and the 2017 Massachusetts Amateur Public Links titles. He helped the University of Rhode Island win the 2004 Atlantic-10 Conference Championship.
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