Matthew Naumec wins the 116th Mass Am at Framingham Country Club

July 12, 2024

FRAMINGHAM – Matthew Naumec doubled over after hitting the final putt of the 116th Massachusetts Amateur Championship.

After 36 back-and-forth holes in the final, he was 1 up on the 18th green ahead of Ricky Stimets of Worcester Country Club. Stimets let his birdie putt slip to the right of the hole, allowing Naumec to finish the match with a par.

Naumec stopped just above the putt and hit it hard, then stopped the attempt because he knew the putt could stray off line.

“When I saw it going right down the middle, I knew it was going in,” Naumec said.

The putt dropped, ending years of close victories for Naumec, a member of Framingham CC. He finished second last year and played in the quarterfinals the year before. About 500 of his fellow members followed him twice around their familiar course on Friday in heat, humidity and light rain. His family rushed to greet him after he shook hands with Stimets and his caddie Kyle Hatton. Naumec became the first player since Gary Burnett at Longmeadow Country Club in 1972 to win the Mass Am on his home course.

“I felt a sense of relief,” Naumec said.

He avoided greeting members or greeting friends during the game so he wouldn’t get caught up in anything that might distract his concentration. Naumec lost one of his best friends, Dylan Pariseau, in late June after a shooting at his Wilbraham home.

“Knowing he was up there looking down, that was part of bending down and knowing he was up there kicking some balls out of the woods for me,” Naumec said. “All those emotions kind of rushed together a little bit.”

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He qualified for the US Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minnesota) and Chaska Town Course (Chaska, Minnesota) from August 12 to 18. It will be his second participation in this stage.

Naumec, the tournament’s 32nd seed who only made it to match play after a playoff on the second day, struggled in the morning and was 3-0 down after lunch.

“I played great in the morning but dropped a few points,” Stimet said. “He had a good start and the crowd was behind him. It’s hard to keep your composure when everyone is shouting in your favor.”

Naumec won the first three holes after lunch and evened the match with a birdie putt on hole 3. The finalists took turns with even holes until Stimets went 1-up with a par on hole 6. Naumec’s tee shot from hole 7 landed near a stone wall to the left of the fairway while Stimets had a comfortable view of the hole. It was impossible to set up a normal right-hand shot. Naumec considered hitting the ball left-handed to a more favorable position and took a few practice swings. Instead, he opted for an unplayable declaration and drop. His approach shot sailed far into the fringe. He tried to chip into a favorable position on the green but instead rolled the ball into the hole to thunderous applause and a tied game. A longtime member named Andy remarked in amazement, “I’ve been here 36 years and I’ve never seen anyone make that shot.”

“I didn’t want him to go in. He shouldn’t have gone in, but sometimes that happens,” Naumec said.

Home advantage: Members of the Framingham Country Club provide a piece of paradise on the 7th fairway at the 116th Mass Am

And so it continued. Naumec took the lead with a birdie on hole 9 after hitting his tee shot on fairway 1. He increased to 2-up on hole 10 and kept Stimets at bay.

Stimets got back to 1 with a birdie on hole 12, then Naumec countered with a birdie on hole 13 to put Stimets in danger. The Worcester Country Club member survived with a par on hole 16 and then won hole 17 after Naumec’s tee shot landed wide of the green and Stimets sank a par putt.

“When I knew I was going to the 18th tee, I thought, ‘Let’s just go and get a shot,'” Stimets said.

His approach shots gave him a chance, but Naumec rounded the green and happily walked into the clubhouse, greeted with hugs and handshakes at nearly every step. Naumec has been a member of Framingham CC for three years. He plays the course most Saturdays and Sundays. It’s the latest development in a golf career that began at the junior level in his hometown of Wilbraham, then took him to Boston College, the professional ranks, and eventually the U.S. Open and, after the COVID-19 pandemic, back to amateur status.

“I decided to turn golf from my job into my passion. I fell in love with the game again because of the value it brings me and the fun I have with the guys on Saturday and Sunday mornings,” said Naumec. “That’s what I enjoy about golf: being with good friends and good family. I knew golf would always be a part of my life, it just didn’t have to define me.”

Contact Kyle Grabowski at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.

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