LYNN — St. Mary’s senior Christian Emmerich has done just about all one can do in high school golf. He’s been named a Catholic Central League player of the year, he’s helped his team win two state championships (2017, 2018) and he’s won two individual state championships (2017, 2018). There’s nothing left to do but move on to the next level, and Emmerich solidified that reality last week by committing to play Division I golf at College of the Holy Cross.
“It feels really good to get all the college stuff over with, so now I can focus on enjoying what’s left of my senior year,” Emmerich, a Swampscott native, said. “I’m really excited to go and join the Holy Cross community, it just feels like the right fit.
“I actually toured the campus a couple years ago when my brother (Max Emmerich) was touring schools and I didn’t pay much attention,” Emmerich added. “But when I went in August and toured the place, I had a totally different feeling. It just felt like a place I wanted to be.”
The 2018 season was quite a run for Emmerich. With high expectations following a Division 3 state individual title win his junior year, Emmerich came into his final high school season on fire. He helped lead the Spartans to a Catholic Central League title during the regular season, then went on to help lead St. Mary’s to its second straight Division 3 state team title after shooting a 72 at Black Swan Country Club in Georgetown. That 72, which helped give the Spartans a one-point win over Dover-Sherborn, was also good enough to net Emmerich his second consecutive Division 3 state individual title.
“It was a really satisfying year, especially repeating as a team and an individual,” Emmerich said. “We had a lot of fun, but going back-to-back was tough. It’s hard to win it all one year and then come back the next year and get in that same place mentally, but we were able to do it as a team and that felt great.”
And let’s not forget the winning that Emmerich did outside of the high school circuit. Over the summer before his senior year, Emmerich took first place in the Bay State Cup Invitational and the Kernwood Club Championship on back-to-back days. He also went on quite a run in the 100th Massachusetts Junior Amateur, making it all the way to the semifinal round.
Emmerich won’t join the Crusaders until the fall, which means he’s got an entire summer to continue to sharpen his game. He’s anticipating a few scheduling conflicts this year due to graduation and things of that nature, but he still has plans to compete in a number of big tournaments this summer. Emmerich started hitting balls again a couple weeks ago with his coach Keith Bursey — an assistant professional at Kernwood Country Club, Emmerich’s home course — and is gearing up for his first Massachusetts Open qualifier on May 6 at Salem Country Club. He may travel down to Lexington, KY. in mid-June to compete in the Southern Junior Amateur as well. But the big event Emmerich is aiming to compete in this summer is the Junior PGA Championship, which will take place at the end of July at Keney Park Golf Course in Hartford, Conn.
“I’m excited about this summer and I think it’s really going to help me gain more experience on the golf course and help me find more ways to improve my game,” said Emmerich. “Hopefully I can continue to play well and ride that momentum right into my freshman year.”