Erin O’Hara admitted that she surprised herself by winning the Worcester County Women’s Amateur last year at Tatnuck Country Club and she ranked her victory as her greatest accomplishment in golf.
Then just a few weeks later, she topped that by qualifying to compete in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur for the first time.
The Boylston resident hopes to do the same thing this year.
O’Hara will defend her title in the third annual Worcester County Women’s Amateur at Tatnuck CC next Friday and Saturday. Then she’ll tee off in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur qualifier at The Ranch in Southwick on July 21. The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur will be held Sept. 13-18 at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va.
Last year at Tatnuck, O’Hara shot 74-72 for a total of even-par 146, three shots ahead of defending champion Vincenza “Vinny” Papa (75-74-149) and four in front of Morgan Macleod (73-77-150).
At 58 last year, O’Hara was old enough to be a grandmother to the 15-year-old Papa of Foster, R.I.
“You’re never too old to do this, that’s for sure,” she said.
Then on July 31, O’Hara shot a 76 to tie for second at Pinehills GC in Plymouth to qualify to play in the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur at the Broadmoor GC in Seattle. She shot 86-83 to miss the cut there, but she considered it to be the experience of a lifetime.
“You felt like a professional golfer,” she recalled. “You were roped off and you had areas for players and caddies only. At the range, they asked if you wanted Pro V1s or Pro Vs when you got there. It was mind blowing, it was so cool.”
Her two daughters flew out to watch her and her significant other, Marty McDonald, skipped competing in the senior club championship at Worcester CC to caddie for her. He also caddied and read the greens for her at Tatnuck.
By defeating plenty of golfers much younger than her at Tatnuck, O’Hara served as an inspiration to older golfers.
“I was lucky enough to win it last year,” she said. “To repeat is going to be really tough against all these young, talented women, even the older folks who are talented as well. I’m just hoping I can play well and my game shows up.”
O’Hara still receives words of congratulations for her victory at Tatnuck last year.
“I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until after the fact,” she said of her victory.
Last weekend, O’Hara teamed with Deb Esposito to finish second in the Tatnuck Ladies Invitational. Last year, they won the event.
At Worcester CC, O’Hara has won the last seven women’s club championships and nine overall, and she’s captured the last five senior women’s club championships. At Lakewood National Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., she’s also won two women’s club championships, three senior women’s club championships and two couples club championships with McDonald.
O’Hara rated 2024 as the “craziest, most successful” year of golf she’s ever had.
“I felt so, so lucky to play so well and to be in so many tournaments,” she said.
By qualifying for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, O’Hara also qualified to play in the 2025 Ouimet Memorial at Wollaston GC in Milton and Woodland GC in Auburndale July 23-25.
She also plans to play in the Mass. Women’s Senior Amateur at the Cape Club in East Falmouth Sept. 2-3.
Macleod, a North Attleboro resident who placed second in 2023, will be a senior on the Merrimack golf team this fall. Neither Papa nor Macleod have registered this year, but a total of 23 women have so far. Last year, 19 women took part.
“We are thrilled with this year’s field of contestants,” said Bob Spellane, chair of Tatnuck’s golf committee and a member of the board of directors. “They represent the best in central Massachusetts high school, collegiate, reigning club champions and past club champions.”
“Very happy,” Tatnuck head pro P.J. Breton said. “Like to see it growing. We’ve got a lot of different players this year. Pretty strong field it looks like.”
Spellane credited Rick and Mary Sheils, chairs of the host committee, with nearly doubling the number of volunteers for the weekend to 17.
Wachusett CC has hosted the Worcester County Amateur for men since 1986 and Spellane said Tatnuck started the tournament to provide a similar opportunity for women.
“It’s a really great thing that Tatnuck is doing for women’s golf,” O’Hara said.
O’Hara grew up in a golfing family. Her late father, Terry, was an accomplished golfer at Pleasant Valley CC. Her brother, Terry, was director of golf at Cyprian Keyes for 12 years before taking the same job at the Resort at Longboat Key Club in Florida in 2009. Her brother John is the Assumption University’s men’s golf coach and her brother Michael plays at The Haven CC in Boylston.
“I’m just so glad that my dad gave us this gift of golf,” she said.
O’Hara didn’t take up golf on a regular basis until 15 years ago.
“It’s a tremendous lifelong sport,” she said.
O’Hara pointed out that her brother John shared the first-round lead in the senior division of the Worcester County Amateur last weekend and she was rooting for him to capture the division, but he finished third.
Papa shot 69-73-146 to win the inaugural WCWA in 2023 by four shots over Whitney. Papa and Whitney both shot 5-under 69s in the opening round in 2023 to set the competitive course record.
Grace Farland is back in the field after finishing fourth in 2023 and 10th last year. The recent graduate of the University of Hartford golf team lives in Sturbridge and is the daughter of Cohasse CC head pro Greg Farland. Lilly Sprister, a Wachusett Regional graduate who will attend Hartford in the fall, is also in the field. She works in the bag room at Tatnuck and is the daughter of Worcester CC general manager Troy Sprister.
The field also includes Brianne Spellane, Bob’s wife and Tatnuck’s women’s club champion the last two years, and Sophie Kamil, the 2023 T&G Hometeam Girls’ Golfer of the Year as a freshman at Westborough High, who finished fourth last year. Mary Gale and Christine Gagner, both of Bedrock CG in Rutland, have also registered. Gale won the Mass. Women’s Amateur in 1996 and the Mass. Women’s Senior Amateur in 2010 and 2012. Gagner won the Mass. Women’s Senior Amateur in 2016.
The tournament is open to any female amateur with a handicap of 12.0 or lower. The registration fee of $135 includes two rounds of medal play, lunch on Friday, a tee gift and prizes. Golfers will have tee times on Friday morning and Saturday afternoon, and they will play the nine-hole course twice each day from the red and yellow tee markers at a distance of 5,500-5,700 yards.
Spellane said entries will be accepted until 5 p.m. Monday by calling the pro shop at (508) 757-0231.
Plenty of locals aiming for Mass. Amateur title
Last year, Matthew Naumec became the first golfer in 52 years to win the Mass. Amateur on his home course. Naumec defeated Ricky Stimets of Worcester CC, 1 up, in the 36-hole final at Framingham CC.
This week, Naumec will try to repeat as champion on another course he knows very well. Naumec will be among those teeing off in the 117th Mass. Amateur on Monday at GreatHorse in Hampden. Naumec has belonged to GreatHorse for many years and is a native of nearby Wilbraham.
In 2023, Naumec lost in the 36-hole Mass. Amateur final at Essex County Club to Ryan Downes, who at age 17 became the youngest Mass. Amateur winner.
Downes is a member at GreatHorse and will compete in the Mass. Amateur this week. He lives in Longmeadow.
Stimets is also scheduled to play this week. So are a number of other Worcester area golfers who will try to become the first Mass. Amateur champion from Central Mass. since Brendan Hunter of Red Tail GC in Harvard won at Taconic GC in 2016.
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—Contact Bill Doyle at [email protected].
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