MASHPEE, Mass. — Ricky Stimets was getting accustomed to being the chaser, but at the Mass. Mid-Amateur, he grabbed the lead from the start and won the 54-hole event wire-to-wire at Willowbend CC by 13 shots.
"I finally got the monkey off my back," Stimets said as he settled in for a picture with the trophy near the island 18th green.
The Mass. Golf season began with Stimets finishing second in the Mass. Four-Ball with his partner, Kevin Blaser, at Hyannisport Club. That event and this Mid-Amateur championship were both on Cape Cod, where Stimets grew up.
His proximity to home was evident on Thursday as a small crowd of friends and family gathered to follow Stimets. His wife walked with him during the entire round.
"I know my whole family's smiling up there about this," Stimets said as he nodded toward the balcony of the clubhouse. "It's very cool."