10-07-2025
Host GreatHorse well represented at 117th Massachusetts Amateur
Downes, who became the youngest Mass Am champion in history with his 2023 title at Essex County Club at just 17 years old and followed that up by winning the MIAA Division 1 title at GreatHorse, picked up 3 and 1 victories over Ben Balter and Reese Jensen to reach the quarterfinals.
Walthouse is the 16th seed and Downes is 18th, putting them in opposite sides of the draw, keeping the possibility of an all-GreatHorse final in play for Sunday.
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The morning saw the top two seeds bounced as Valois bounced medalist Matthew Johnson, 3 and 1. Jensen, who won the ISL title as a senior at Milton Academy and will be attending Harvard in the fall, knocked out GreatHorse member and defending champion Matthew Naumec, 1 up.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday morning with the semifinals in the afternoon before a 36-hole final on Friday. The winner will earn an exemption to next month's US Amateur.
In the top half of the draw, Walthouse will face No. 8 Patrick Kilcoyne and No. 13 Aiden Emmerich gets No. 5 Trevor Drew. Downes faces No. 23 Jake Ratti and 2006 champion No. 11 Ben Spitz faces No. 3 Joey Lenane in the bottom half.
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Keith Pearson can be reached at
