A BOMB for number 8!

We hope everyone had a fantastic, restful, food-filled holiday! As we inch closer to 2015, we can't forget about the rest of our countdown. We are up to number 8, which is pretty darn amazing. But first let's 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

And now, on to number 8!

2014 was the final year of the Boys Division at the Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship - next year, the boys get their own show! But that means that a 12-year-old from The Kittansett Club had quite the gallery for his moment in the sun.

First of all, let me just say that these 12- and 13-year-olds play better golf than I could ever dream. But we're getting off topic here.

After shooting a first-round 70 at Nashawtuc, Jack O'Donnell ended up in a sudden-death playoff with 13-year-old David Rogers of Willowbend. As the pair approached the green on the first playoff hole, Jack had visions of an awe-inspiring putt in his head:

Jack O’Donnell (The Kittansett Club) played out his boyhood dream on Wednesday afternoon when he sank a 50-foot birdie putt on the first sudden-death hole to capture the Boys Division title.

Although it was not the 80-foot putt to win the Masters that has played through his mind for most of his 12 years, it was a moment that he won’t soon forget.

“I was thinking going into playoff that I just wanted to make a par and see what would happen,” said O’Donnell, who turns 13 in September. “I was trying to lag that last big putt and fortunately it went in.”

It was a putt that veterans could only dream of making as O’Donnell - with poise beyond his years - sent his third shot on the 502-yard, par 5 1st hole to the back of the green. With his opponent – David Rogers (Willowbend) – on the green in four and facing a challenging downhill putt, O’Donnell was simply looking for a par to place the pressure back on Rogers.

What he delivered was so much more.

O’Donnell struck his putt with confidence and watched as it gained speed down the hill, found the subtle break in the green and then dropped into the bottom of the hole.

It was especially rewarding for O’Donnell who entered the final round with a two-stroke lead after posting a 2-under par 70 on Tuesday. Rogers evened the score heading to the 18th hole, but O’Donnell had a chance to win in regulation but watched his par putt come up inches short. 

“I knew I had to make that putt to win, but it fell just short,” said O’Donnell. “I tapped it in and went to the playoff.”

And what happened next was simply a dream fitting for a new MGA Champion.

Can you imagine being 12 and experiencing this incredible moment?! I don't think we've heard the last of Mr. O'Donnell. Certainly a moment worthy of number 8 on our Top 14 Moments of '14.

We'll see you tomorrow for number 7!