Aidan Emmerich and Zac Georgantas survive semifinal tests, reach Massachusetts Amateur final

Sport admin July 10, 2026 0 Comments

Aidan Emmerich and Zac Georgantas survive semifinal tests, reach Massachusetts Amateur final

Then, there were two.

The rain delay from earlier in the week pushed the 118th Massachusetts Amateur Championship back a day, but the final round at Winchester Country Club is set.

Aidan Emmerich and Zac Georgantas will compete on Saturday morning for the title and an exemption into August’s US Amateur, after beating Matthew Naumec and Jake Mrva, respectively, in Friday’s semifinals.

They’re schedule to tee off at 7 a.m.

Emmerich, a Swampscott native playing out of Kernwood Country Club, was tested in a 2-up victory over Naumec, the 2024 MassAm winner.

“That was a stressful match, even being two up on someone like Matt,” said Emmerich, who lost in the semifinals last year. “It’s never really over until it’s over.”

At one point, Emmerich wasn’t even sure how much he led by; it was two after Naumec lost No. 14 with a bogey, but he regained life with a hole-winning birdie on the 16th. What followed were two final holes that left onlookers on edge.

Playing against a former champion when they start to find their groove can be challenging, but Emmerich stayed positive and didn’t allow himself to get in his own head. Parring the final five holes proved enough to win; Naumec bogeyed the 18th, his third on the back nine.

“Trying to make it as simple for myself as possible. Just another round of golf,” Emmerich said. “Matt is obviously a stud and has a hell of a game, but like I said [Wednesday], I trust myself and I know that I can play on the stage.”

Georgantas handled Worcester Country Club’s Mrva, 3 and 2, but it wasn’t without drama. He was 2 down after three holes, and halved Nos. 7 and 8 with bogeys before finally winning a hole on the ninth.

“I had a really difficult chip on nine. I was like long left. I just had to play it really high, hit a really good shot, so made par, and then he three putted,” Georgantas said. “I feel like that kind of started the momentum a little bit.”

Three straight bogeys for Mrva became six in seven holes, putting Georgantas 2-up through 13. With a crew of supporters egging him on, two more pars, plus a birdie on No. 15, closed it out.

“It’s pretty unreal,” Georgantas, a Foxborough native playing out of Foxborough Country Club and in his first MassAm, said. “I’m pretty speechless to be honest.”

Georgantas recently graduated from Foxborough High School and will play at Providence next season. The 18-year-old won the Cape Cod National Golf Club High School Invitational in 2025 and was named the Globe’s Division 2 Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

While Emmerich said his comfort in the match-play format has come with time, Georgantas likes the format more than stroke play, citing the opportunity to be aggressive and not worry about “blowing up” when he goes over.

He didn’t mince feelings on what it would mean to win the tournament.

“I want it bad,” he said. “[The US Amateur bid is] a big motivator for me, and just the people, the names that have won this tournament. It would mean a lot to win it to be next to them.”

Emmerich, 22, is a recent graduate of Temple. He’s a two-time winner of the Hornblower Memorial, and tied for 11th in the 116th Massachusetts Open last month.

“It hasn’t really set in yet,” Emmerich said of his first final. “But I’m pumped.”

Regardless of experience, both have taken match play in stride during the tournament. In the quarterfinals, Emmerich overtook top seed Max McColgan, 4-and-3. Georgantas pulled off a 6-and-5 victory over No. 31 Ricky Stimets.