Team Massachusetts Wins 2017 New England Junior Amateur Invitational; Imai Takes Home Individual Honor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2017
Manchester, VT – Team Massachusetts entered the final day of the 2017 New England Junior Amateur Invitational with a sizeable lead. They did not falter nor relent on Wednesday at Manchester Country Club en route to capturing its 16th crown and the fifth in the last seven years.
Led by individual medalist James Imai (Brookline, MA) the Bay State squad recorded a three-round score of 9-under par 1071. Team Connecticut finished in second at 14-over par 1094, while Rhode Island (25-over 1105), Vermont (46-over 1126), New Hampshire (49-over 1129) and Maine (89-over 1169) rounded out the 2017 standings.
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Day 2 Quick Links
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“This team came together and performed exceptionally well for three straight rounds,” said Joe McCabe, executive director of The First Tee of Massachusetts who is serving his first year as captain of Team Massachusetts. “The consistency and focus that we saw from all seven guys is what allowed us to win today.”
The New England Junior Amateur Invitational is an annual event that features seven-person junior amateur teams from the six New England states. The format is the best-of-seven scores for 54 holes played over a two-day period.
While Imai took home the individual title with a final score of 10-under par 206, Team Massachusetts enjoyed contributions from its entire squad.
Imai, Chris Francoeur (Amesbury, MA), Mark Turner (Gloucester, MA) and Jack Boulger (Walpole, MA) finished in the top-10 overall, while all seven members figured into the best-five-of-seven scoring during the two-day event.
“Last night we were hanging out in the game room talking about how we needed to get the job done,” said Imai about his team which also included Andrew McInerney (Natick, MA), Lane Bohman (Chatham, MA) and Jared Winiarez (Norton, MA). “Whether we had shot 80 or 65, we were all really confident and wanted to play well today. A lot of guys contributed today which made it a great experience.”
For Imai, this year’s performance marks his appearance at this event and his most successful to date. In addition to capturing the individual scoring title, Imai carded a Manchester Country Club course record score of 7-under par 65 on Tuesday during the first round.
He was one of only two competitors in this year’s field who posted three straight under-par rounds. Imai followed up his course-record 65 with a 2-under par 70 on Tuesday afternoon and then a finishing round of 1-under par 71 on Wednesday. The only other player in the field to accomplish that feat was Jackson Fretty (Cos Cob, CT), who posted three straight rounds of 2-under par 70.
Fretty finished T2 in the individual race with a three-round score of 6-under par 210 and four back of Imai. That second-place mark was matched by Patrick Welch (Providence, RI) and Chris Fosdick (Middlefield, CT).
Welch was just two back of Imai heading into the final round after posting a 6-under par 66 on Tuesday afternoon. He finished with a 2-over par 74 on Wednesday, while Fosdick moved up the leaderboard by posting the best score on day two – a 4-under par 68.
“Today I had the same mentality as I did in the second round which was to go with the flow,” said Imai, who is 16 years old and plays out of George Wright Golf Club. “I got off to a great start which gave me the cushion to work with and is what I needed.”
On his second hole of the day – the 535-yard, par 5 2nd hole – Imai chipped in from just in front of the green. He would go on to make another birdie two holes later on his second par-5 of the day.
“I took advantage of the par 5s today which was big,” said Imai.
Imai would cap off his individual victory with a final birdie made on the 496-yard, par 5 17th hole.
“We are all pretty excited that we got to win as a team,” said Imai. “We wanted to get the job done. I knew that if I did my job I would get the individual title, but most importantly the team win.”
Manchester, VT – Team Massachusetts entered the final day of the 2017 New England Junior Amateur Invitational with a sizeable lead. They did not falter nor relent on Wednesday at Manchester Country Club en route to capturing its 16th crown and the fifth in the last seven years.
Led by individual medalist James Imai (Brookline, MA) the Bay State squad recorded a three-round score of 9-under par 1071. Team Connecticut finished in second at 14-over par 1094, while Rhode Island (25-over 1105), Vermont (46-over 1126), New Hampshire (49-over 1129) and Maine (89-over 1169) rounded out the 2017 standings.
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Day 2 Quick Links
- Final Results
- Photos (see gallery below)
- Day 1 Highlights
- Past Champions
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“This team came together and performed exceptionally well for three straight rounds,” said Joe McCabe, executive director of The First Tee of Massachusetts who is serving his first year as captain of Team Massachusetts. “The consistency and focus that we saw from all seven guys is what allowed us to win today.”
The New England Junior Amateur Invitational is an annual event that features seven-person junior amateur teams from the six New England states. The format is the best-of-seven scores for 54 holes played over a two-day period.
While Imai took home the individual title with a final score of 10-under par 206, Team Massachusetts enjoyed contributions from its entire squad.
Imai, Chris Francoeur (Amesbury, MA), Mark Turner (Gloucester, MA) and Jack Boulger (Walpole, MA) finished in the top-10 overall, while all seven members figured into the best-five-of-seven scoring during the two-day event.
“Last night we were hanging out in the game room talking about how we needed to get the job done,” said Imai about his team which also included Andrew McInerney (Natick, MA), Lane Bohman (Chatham, MA) and Jared Winiarez (Norton, MA). “Whether we had shot 80 or 65, we were all really confident and wanted to play well today. A lot of guys contributed today which made it a great experience.”
For Imai, this year’s performance marks his appearance at this event and his most successful to date. In addition to capturing the individual scoring title, Imai carded a Manchester Country Club course record score of 7-under par 65 on Tuesday during the first round.
He was one of only two competitors in this year’s field who posted three straight under-par rounds. Imai followed up his course-record 65 with a 2-under par 70 on Tuesday afternoon and then a finishing round of 1-under par 71 on Wednesday. The only other player in the field to accomplish that feat was Jackson Fretty (Cos Cob, CT), who posted three straight rounds of 2-under par 70.
Fretty finished T2 in the individual race with a three-round score of 6-under par 210 and four back of Imai. That second-place mark was matched by Patrick Welch (Providence, RI) and Chris Fosdick (Middlefield, CT).
Welch was just two back of Imai heading into the final round after posting a 6-under par 66 on Tuesday afternoon. He finished with a 2-over par 74 on Wednesday, while Fosdick moved up the leaderboard by posting the best score on day two – a 4-under par 68.
“Today I had the same mentality as I did in the second round which was to go with the flow,” said Imai, who is 16 years old and plays out of George Wright Golf Club. “I got off to a great start which gave me the cushion to work with and is what I needed.”
On his second hole of the day – the 535-yard, par 5 2nd hole – Imai chipped in from just in front of the green. He would go on to make another birdie two holes later on his second par-5 of the day.
“I took advantage of the par 5s today which was big,” said Imai.
Imai would cap off his individual victory with a final birdie made on the 496-yard, par 5 17th hole.
“We are all pretty excited that we got to win as a team,” said Imai. “We wanted to get the job done. I knew that if I did my job I would get the individual title, but most importantly the team win.”
