SWAMPSCOTT — They say three’s company, and the Emmerich brothers agree. Monday afternoon at their home course of Kernwood Country Club, Christian, Aidan and Max Emmerich all qualified for the 111th Massachusetts Open Championship during a local qualifier. Out of only 11 total qualifying spots awarded, the Emmerich brothers took up three.
Christian shot the second-lowest score of the day, finishing as one of only two players under par with a 1-under 69.
“I played in a tournament over the weekend and came in with some confidence, but it was great to go out and qualify along with both of my brothers,” said Christian, who just finished up his sophomore year at Holy Cross. “It was a fun day and it’s a cool thing to share with them.”
It was a slow start to the day for Christian, who bogeyed two of the first four holes of his round. He responded with a birdie on the par-4 fifth and then birdied the eighth to make the turn at even-par. After a bogey on the 10th hole, Christian rallied to birdie the 13th and 17th holes to finish under par.
“My game felt good and I was striking the ball really well, but I just wasn’t scoring,” Christian said. “Obviously I know the course well, but you still have to go out there and perform. I thought I was able to finish strong, which was nice.”
Christian is going to be working on parts of his game over the next few weeks in preparation for the Open, with the only tournament on his schedule being Plymouth Country Club’s Hornblower Memorial Tournament from June 4-5.
Aidan, who won the Kernwood Country Club men’s club championship last summer, wasn’t far behind with an even-par 70 — the third-lowest qualifying score of the day.
“I honestly came in and didn’t have a ton of confidence in my putter because I putted horribly in a tournament over the weekend,” said Aidan, who is set to have a big senior year at St. Mary’s this fall. “I actually went back to my old putter right before the tournament, and even though things started bumpy, I was able to finish strong.”
Aidan was 2-over par standing on the 13th tee, and he knew he needed to make a move. After a solid drive on the par-5 13th, Aidan hit driver off the deck to set up a birdie and get a shot back. On the next hole, a difficult 429-yard par-4, Aidan chipped in for birdie to get back to even-par. He then went on to par the final four holes to make the cut at even-par.
“The wind was blowing maybe 25 miles per hour out there, so you really had to play defensive early on,” Aidan said. “But I didn’t know 2-over would make it through, so I figured I had to make a move to get to even if I wanted to make it.”
Aidan is also set to play in the Hornblower Memorial in the lead-up to the Massachusetts Open.
Max shot 2-over 72 to grab one of the final qualifying spots.
“It was really cool to be there with my brothers and have us all there pushing each other to be better,” said Max, who plays his college golf at Salem State University. “Especially over the past couple of weeks, I’ve really wanted to come out here and qualify. I knew that they would both make it, and I didn’t want to be the only one who missed out.”
Max was rolling to open up his round, notching a birdie on the second hole and making the turn at 1-under. The back nine wasn’t as strong, with a double-bogey on the 14th and a bogey on the 17th, but a par on the final hole of the day sealed his spot in the championship proper.
“I hit the ball really well, maybe better than I’ve ever hit it, and I think I hit 15 greens,” Max said. “I played smart on the tougher holes and then tried to attack where I could to get some shots back. Aside from one mental mistake on the 14th, I thought I played a really solid round.”
Max has a few more qualifiers on the docket over the next several weeks, with a Massachusetts Amateur Championship qualifier at Tedesco Country Club on June 7 and a New England Amateur Championship qualifier at Haverhill Country Club on June 8.
The 111th Massachusetts Open Championship will take place from June 14-16 at Oak Hill Country Club in Fitchburg.