This was quite a year for the game of golf. Globally, tensions grew as professional tours butted heads over what is best for the future of their game. The USGA and R&A made a sweeping change to the game when they decided the golf ball was flying too far. Rory McIlroy, Tyrell Hatton, Keegan Bradley, and Adam Scott visited Fenway Park as members of Boston Common Golf for the TGL (whose debut had to be postponed until 2025 after its indoor golf facility was destroyed by a storm in Florida.).
In the New England golf scene, the stories came thick and fast. Youth reigned supreme in major events in numerous states. John Broderick (Wellesley, Mass.) caught fire on a Tuesday at Essex CC, shooting a 62 to shatter the course record at the renowned venue by three shots. Ricky Stimets ran away from the field in the Massachusett Mid-Amateur, winning by 13 shots and securing his Mass. Golf Richard D. Haskell Player of the Year Award. Another Mass Mid-Amateur stalwart, Nick Maccario (Waltham, Mass.), made a deep run in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, reaching the Round of 16 at Sleepy Hollow in New York.
Team golf also had some highlights. The Rhode Island girls took home the New England Junior championship while the boys from Massachusetts held off Connecticut. Connecticut triumphed in the spirited Tri-State matches, which have been dominated by Massachusetts for the majority of this century.
There were plenty of moments to choose from. As the calendar turns, here are the highlights that left the deepest impressions.