Ryan Downes a teenage sensation again in winning his second MassAm title — this time on his home course
Downes represents the tenth player to win at his home course in tournament history, and the second consecutive after Matthew Neumac took home the crown at Framingham Country Club last year.
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'I grew up playing here and it worked out pretty well to my advantage,' said Downes.
After falling two years prior in the Massachusetts Juniors semifinals at GreatHorse, he tuned out the pressure to earn his share of redemption.
Downes wasted no time getting off on the right foot, winning the first and second holes. With birdies on the par-5 second and par-4 fifth, he sprung to a commanding 4-up advantage through seven holes.
He never looked back.
'I got much less nervous as the week went on,' said Downes. 'Even today, I didn't really feel many nerves because I was able to get up to an early lead.'
The 7,228-yard track at GreatHorse presented a unique challenge as the longest courseof any MassAm tournament venue since 2015. Well-bunkered holes with narrow fairways and undulating greens didn't faze the steady-handed Downes, who showcased his exemplary course management. When he did miss, he picked the right side.
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His father, Billy Downes, works as the head golf professional at GreatHorse. He wore black sunglasses and a teal GreatHorse golf polo and observed his son's play from the fairways edge or behind the greens, keenly monitoring his son's every moment as his swing coach.
'It's really special to win at the place that he's a head pro at,' said Ryan.
Billy Downes lauded his son's 7 a.m. workouts and unwavering passion for the game, honing his craft every day. At Longmeadow High, Ryan won back-to-back MIAA Division 1 championships, winning his second-consecutive title as a senior at a familiar venue – GreatHorse.
'You saw it at 2 or 3 years old when we put a plastic club in his hand,' said Billy. 'When the course was being built, he was hitting bunker shots at 5 or 6 years old. It's a passion. You can't teach the passion that he has for the game.
' You could throw him down in the short game area and he didn't want to come home,' Billy continued. 'I had to go get him when I was done with a shift.'
Ryan remained confident during the championship match, staying in lockstep with his caddy.
After he struck a stellar 7-iron over the trees from the left rough, sending it 207 yards on the par-4 fifth hole, Ryan offered a fist pump after two-putting for par and holding off a surge from Kilcoyne in the afternoon session of the 36-hole championship match.
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It was a rare display for Downes, who remained cool as a cucumber.
Downes proceeded to turn the screws with birdies on the seventh and eighth holes to go 7 up. On the 569-yard par-5 eighth, Downes striped his tee shot down the middle of the fairway. He walloped a fairway wood onto the center of the green, taming the lengthy, bunker-laden monster of a hole with a putt to within 2 feet.
Downes understood the pin placement on the par-3 202-yard 12th hole equated to a probable up-and-down par.
Downes dropped his tee shot on the fringe of the hole. He left himself a shoe-in par putt to cap the victory, fittingly, on the 12th.
Kilcoyne, 21, of Belmont, who will be a senior on Gettysburg's golf team, had never won in match play at the MassAm— until this year. Seeded eighth in the field, Kilcoyne ripped off four victories to make the final.
'I'm really excited for next year,' said Kilcoyne, a member at Woodland Country Club in Newton. 'Just to make it this far into match play is huge for my confidence.'
A two-time Globe All-Scholastic during his time at Belmont High, Kilcoyne made his presence felt with his booming drives.
'It's definitely bittersweet,' he said. '[You] lose today, but I'm proud of what I was able to do through the first four days.'
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