Over the last four years, Nick Maccario has found his golfing groove. He was told as a high schooler that his best golf was ahead of him. It was a statement that irked him at the time, but now it seems to be coming to fruition.
In 2019, Maccario claimed the Mass. Mid-Amateur with a blistering 8-under par to win by 15 shots over Herbie Aikens and David Spitz. The performance was highlighted by an opening round 64 at Brae Burn. He followed that up with a win in the 2020 Hornblower and locked up the Player of the Year award. He’s the only player not named Matt Parziale to win that award since 2016.
That success in 2019 and 2020 gave Maccario an exemption into the U.S. Mid-Amateur in his home state, an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. It did mean he had to sacrifice some state-run events, but he ran through the match play to the semifinal in the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sankaty Head in Nantucket.
The upward trajectory is tough to miss looking at Maccario’s resume. He joined the podcast fresh off a Round of 16 finish at this year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur. In a normal September, Maccario would be heading to Pine Valley for the Crump Cup on September 21. The Crump Cup is one of the most sought-after invitations in Mid-Amateur golf. Instead, Maccario is getting married on Saturday and will have to wait until next year to play in his second Crump Cup.