HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS Over two picturesque
summer days at Renaissance in Haverhill, the Massachusetts Father
Son Modified Scotch Tournament saw both a first-time
winning pair emerge, as well as some repeat champions.
In the Senior Division, Jack
Bohman and Lane Bohman, of Eastward
Ho!, shot 5-under-par 67 and escaped a two-hole playoff to win
their first Father Son tournament. On Tuesday,
Brendan Hester and Jack
Hester, of Pleasant Valley Country Club, continued their
success from last year with a 2-under 70 to emerge with the
title.
The senior division is for sons 19 and over, and both the player
and father cannot have a Handicap Index exceeding 12.0. The junior
division is for sons 14-18 years old, and neither players Handicap
Index can exceed 20.0. In the modified scotch format, players
select which drive to play and then alternate shots until the ball
is holed.
ONLINE: SENIOR DIVISION RESULTS | JUNIOR DIVISION RESULTS | EVENT HOME | PAST CHAMPIONS
JUNIOR DIVISION
Brendan Hester and his son Jack
Hester are no strangers to the Father Son Tournament or
the modified scotch format. In 2020, they shot 2-over 74 and needed
a playoff to earn a victory. This year, they ran away from the
field, winning comfortably by three strokes.
We put it in play all day, that was the biggest thing, said
Jack, 18. I was able to get in the fairway a lot, for him being the
better approach player. We had a lot of wedges, a lot of good
looks, and a lot of stress-free holes, which is really what helped
us through the entire way.
Three teams finished behind the Hesters at 1-over 73.
Richard Green and David
Cammarata-Green, of Pine Brook Country Club; Keith
Burch and Brady Burch, of Crumpin-Fox
Club; and Joseph Iaciofano and
Joey Iaciofano of TPC Boston.
Jack and Brendan Hester repeated as Junior
Division Champions. (Mass Golf)
The Hesters finished with six birdies, but they didnt feel like
they hit their stride until the back nine.
I was fortunate enough to drive the green on 10, and that was a
pretty big turning point because I didnt really hit that great of a
drive, and we got a lucky break, Jack said. A two-putt birdie there
was nice.
On the 16th, the Hesters were 1-under and trying to hold on to
their lead. Brendan had a short putt for par, but his attempt
lipped out, and they settled for a bogey. However, they responded
with birdies on 17 and 18 to close out their day in style.
I was able to hit an approach into about seven or eight feet on
17, Brendan said. He [Jack] had a downhill, pretty-fast putt, and
he just hit it perfect right in the middle. We kind of knew at that
point we had at least a couple shot lead, so it made 18 a little
bit easier.
This year was the last time Brendan and Jack will be able to
compete in the junior division before Jack ages out, so it was
certainly sweet to exit with back-to-back victories.
Jack hit a lot of great shots and made it pretty easy on me,
Brendan said.
He added with a smile that winning any event with his son will
never get old.
No way. Its the coolest thing ever.
SENIOR DIVISION
On Monday, the finish in the Senior Division came with some
dramatics. Jack Bohman andLane
Bohman shot 4-under on the front nine and made some big
shots late in the round to stay in contention. The duo made eagle
on the 14th (481-yards, par-5) and then made birdie on the 16th
(363-yards, par-4).
Paired with Steven Tasho, Sr. and
Steven Tasho, Jr. of Thorny Lea Golf Club, both
groups went shot-for-shot. Despite a double-bogey on the 12th, they
rallied to match the Bohmans eagle on 14, then they made a clutch
birdie on the 18th to tie things at 5-under-par 67 and force a
playoff.
Jack and Lane Bohman won the Senior
Division. (Mass Golf)
The playoff went just two holes, with the 1st hole (384-yard,
par-4) being played twice. The Tashos had a chance to end it with a
birdie opportunity the first time through, but their putt lipped
out.
The miss opened the door for playing the hole over again, and
the Bohmans got in for a par and ultimately grabbed a victory. Jack
and Lane worked together to rise above a field that included a
total of 124 competitors.
The win marked their first-ever together in the Father Son
Modified Scotch event. They were able to outlast the
Tashos, who won the Junior Division in 2015 and the Senior Division
in 2017.
Weve been so close for so many years and we always believed we
had a chance, Lane said. We always got ourselves in the hunt, but
we hadnt quite been able to make it happen. We showed up with full
belief that we could win and with a mindset of believing that
something good is going to happen today and we approached every
shot like that, which was really exciting. We just believed in
ourselves and each other. It felt really great to make it
happen.
Jack, 61, has played a lot of golf over the years with Steven
Tasho, Sr. and was grateful to be paired with Tasho and his son for
the round. We knew that if we hung with them, we were going to be
OK, said Jack. It was great because they pushed us and we pushed
them. We were lucky to have such a wonderful pairing. Theyre good
guys. We had a lot of good laughs.
Like most tournaments in this sort of format, playing to
strengths is key. That is exactly how Jack and Lane approached the
day to finally capture that elusive first Father Son Modified
Scotch crown.
I think weve learned how to communicate with each other, Jack
said. When to push, when to pull, its pretty minimal now because we
know each others strengths and weaknesses. It was pretty cool. Lane
absolutely bombs the ball and the strategy was for me to put my
little drive in play for insurance and then Lane rips it. I have a
pretty strong short mid-iron game, really steady, so I hit most of
the shots into the green and then Lanes putter just caught fire. It
was an ideal combination.
Two other pairs also came in under par. Eduardo
Cordeiro and Oliver Cordeiro, of
Belmont Country Club, shot 4-under 68 to finish one stroke behind
the leaders and in solo second place. Mark
Chylinksi (Wyndhurst Manor and Club) and Brent
Chylinksi (Wahconah Country Club) finished at 1-under 71
in solo third.
BACK IN THE BAY STATE
Finishing in sixth place on Tuesday was the pair of
Scott Coteand Ryan Cote, of
Country Club of Greenfield, shooting 3-over-par 75. While they
didnt crack the top three, Ryan, 17, has only been back competig in
Massachusetts for a few weeks since moving to South Carolina back
in January.
A former standout at Greenfield High School, Ryn moved down to
Pawleys Island, South Carolina, and enrolled at Waccamaw High
School where he is continuing to play golf. His father still lives
at their house in Greenfield and travels back and forth between the
two locations, but getting to get back out on the course in
Massachusetts is an opportunity the 17-year-old has relished.
Ryan Cote celebrates his
fathers made putt on the 14th hole. (Mass Golf)
I always love coming back, said Ryan, who played in the CC of
Greenfield club championship. Its a fun event to play in, and its a
lot different coming back and forth [between states]. You have
different grass, different kinds of courses, theres water
everywhere down there, and the fairways are kind of narrower
here.
Getting to return to playing in the Bay State is nice, then also
doing so with his dad is another added bonus.
Its tough to not rip each others heads off in this kind of
format, Ryan said with a laugh. Its a lot of teamwork, so its fun
to have that kind of talk and play off each other.
Come the fall, Ryan will be a senior at Waccamaw and will be
eligible to compete in team events with his schools golf team after
being forced to sit out this past season due to transfer rules.
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