5 and 4 comin' at ya!

Only two days until the new year! What's your resolution? Our immediate resolution is to finish this countdown! We're down to numbers 5 and 4 on this frigid afternoon. But first a recap:

14: Team Titleist takes the Four-Ball
13: Dave Houghton proves that age is just a number
12: Colin Brennan's auspicious professional debut
11: A marathon playoff at the Senior Four-Ball
10: Two unbeatable families
9: Graham DeLaet joins our juniors for an ice bath

8: Jack O'Donnell's playoff bomb

7: Matt Naumec's come from behind victory

6: A very exciting Mid-Am finish

And now, number 5!

It's been a while since we introduced a new championship to the roster, but the guys were definitely clamoring for this one. We must have underestimated the demand, because in no time we had filled the field for the first ever MGA Super Senior Amateur Championship, and had a healthy wait list.

Thanks to the good folks at Cohasset Golf Club, we were able to expand the field from 80 to 120 and get everyone in. And what a great day it was down at Cohasset! First of all, the scenery there is stunning. A great Donald Ross at the beginning of the fall, as the foliage is just starting to turn - can't get much better than that.

The last time we added a new championship to the schedule was 1997 with the introduction of the Senior Four-Ball, but the last time we added a new individual championship was way back in 1984 with the Mid-Amateur. 

And a quiet, humble guy named Peter Brumme - who has only been playing golf for 10 years, mind you, joins names like Donald Ross, Arthur Lockwood, and William Blaney as competitors who captured inaugural MGA indivudual championships.

With his victory, Brumme joins the prestigious company of Donald Ross,Arthur Lockwood, Raymond Ouimet,William Blaney, Don Reycroft and Peter Drooker who all captured inaugural MGA individual championship titles.

"I'm not like them, but it still feels great," said Brumme, who began playing competitive golf in 2004. "I have been doing this for about 10 years now and this is the first time that I have won."

He was able to accomplish this feat under blue skies but often gusty conditions in Cohasset. On a classic Donald Ross layout that measured 6,140 yards, Brumme carded two birdies and three bogeys en route to his 1-over par score. It was an especially strong score given that the entire field managed just 96 birdies and the average score was 84.

"The putter was working," said Brumme. "I birdied the first hole and missed a few putts but made three more and that is what I needed."

Following his opening birdie on the 372-yard, par 4 1st hole – a downhill slider that he was “glad hit the hole” – Brumme would go on to make the turn at 1-over par 37. While his fellow competitors fell back, Brumme remained strong.

He carded his second birdie of the day on the 267-yard, par 4 13th hole and then gave it back quickly with what proved to be his final bogey of the day. He finished his round with four straight pars to secure a two-stroke margin of victory.

“I played as a kid and then I had a family and a job so I only just started competing in MGA events when I was 55,” said Brumme. “When I heard about the Super Senior I was very happy because I turned 65 last month. It was perfect timing."

And next year, the Super Senior Amateur Championship will be expanded to a two-day event and will take place at the beautiful Bass Rocks Golf Club.

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And number 4, ah number 4. What a night it was. It had been more than a decade since we had inducted anyone new into the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame, so a real celebration was in order! On October 16, we inducted six new members into the MGHOF and it was a celebration indeed. We were incredibly privileged to have three living legends in attendance - Pat Bradley, Bob Toski, and Joanne Goodwin, and they did not disappoint. 

Click here for event highlights and party photos!

From Pat Bradley's welcome address, to the family members of all inductees enjoying memories of their loved ones, to Joanne Goodwin making the crowd laugh with her funny stories, it was a fun, emotional, and inspiring night for all in attendance. Can't wait to do it again in two years!

See you tomorrow as we break into the top 3!!