NEWTON — After rain held off the start of the 113th Massachusetts Amateur Championship for a day, the tournament officially teed off Tuesday morning under an overcast sky.
A number of local players took on the first round Tuesday, with Tedesco Country Club’s George Zolotas finishing highest among the local qualifiers after shooting a 4-under 68 and finishing tied for first place.
Zolotas got off to as hot a start as one could get off to. Starting on the back nine, Zolotas shot 6-under through his first six holes — making four birdies and an eagle. He took it as deep as 7-under through 14 holes, but he closed his round by bogeying three of his final four holes to settle for a 68.
Swampscott native and Kernwood Country Club member Christian Emmerich finished up with a score of 2-over 74. Emmerich got off to a blazing hot start, making three birdies and a bogey in his first five holes to open at 2-under par. Unfortunately, a double bogey on the 18th hole saw him make the turn at even par. After making two bogeys on his back nine, Emmerich wrapped up his round in a tie for 38th place.
Chris Francoeur, who starred at St. John’s Prep and then played three years at the University of Rhode Island before transferring to the University of Louisville, also shot 2-over 74 and is sitting in a tie for 38th place. After making a double bogey on his first hole of the day, Francoeur rattled off four birdies over his next five holes to get to 2-under. But he closed his front nine with three straight bogeys and then shot 1-over on his back nine to finish with a 74.
Tedesco’s Hunter Stone had a great day after an early start, shooting a 3-over 75. It was a largely uneventful front nine for Stone, who made eight pars with a bogey on the eighth hole to make the turn in 36 strokes. After a bogey on the 11th hole, Stone made back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes to get back to even par for the round and get some momentum rolling. Unfortunately, a bogey on the 17th and then a double bogey on the 18th forced Stone to settle for a 75 and a tie for 51st place after the first round.
Defending Kernwood Country Club men’s club champion Aidan Emmerich got off to a solid start, but a 40 on the back nine led the St. Mary’s rising senior to shoot a 4-over 76. A couple of early bogeys were offset by a birdie on the eighth hole to make the turn in 36. But then a double bogey on the 11th hole and a closing bogey on the 18th led to a 76 and a tie for 62nd place.
Tedesco’s Brad Tufts, who recently competed in the Massachusetts Open Championship, finished with a score of 8-over 80 in the first round. Three straight pars to start got things moving in the right direction, but a bogey on the fourth hole and then a double bogey on the seventh led to Tufts making the turn in 38 strokes. A birdie on the 13th hole was the lone bright spot of the day, as Tufts played the final five holes in 5-over par to finish with an 80 and a tie for 109th place.
Salem Country Club’s Ryan Daly struggled to a 13-over 85 after a tough front nine that saw him make three double bogeys and make the turn in 44 strokes. He recovered a bit on the back nine and made a birdie on the 15th hole to finish with an 85 and a tie for 139th place.
The second round of the 113th Massachusetts Amateur will tee off Wednesday morning, with the first group starting at 7:30 a.m.