Inspired by his reaching last year’s semifinal round, Kernwood Country Club’s Aiden Emmerich has done it again.
Winning both his matches Thursday at oven-like Winchester Country Club by solid 4 and 3 margins, the 22-year-old Temple University graduate continued to roll at the Mass. Amateur championships.
Emmerich was set to take on 2024 champion Matthew Naumec of Framingham, a 3 and 1 quarterfinal victor over host club favorite Aiden Monahan, in Friday’s semifinal round at 7:30 a.m. A victory there would put Emmerich in his first Mass. Amateur final, set for Saturday.
The Swampscott resident and St. Mary’s of Lynn graduate disposed of George Wright’s Ben Spitz, 4 and 3, before lunch, then handled co-medalist Max McColgan of Nashawtuc by the same margin in the afternoon.
The common thread in both matches? Emmerich was unbeatable after they made the turn, even though on two different nines on the Donald Ross-designed layout.
Leading Spitz by two holes after nine, Emmerich did not lose a single hole on the back — and actually did not lose a hole spanning the last nine. He put Spitz away with par wins on Nos. 11 and 13.
“Maybe I bear down a little more, have better focus on the second nine; not sure,” said Emmerich, a communications major at Temple.
He was ahead of McColgan by a single hole at the turn, then turned on the heat literally and figuratively, winning Nos. 11, 14 and 15 to eliminate his opponent.
Emmerich seems to love playing the second nine for scoring and strategic purposes.
“I don’t know about that,” said Emmerich, who has putted well with a new Taylor Made putter he just began using a week ago.
“I’m playing at a high confidence level,” the 5-foot-7, 145-pounder added. “I’m happy to be back in the semifinals. I just hope I can improve on last year’s showing from this point going forward.”
If Emmerich should win Friday’s semis and Saturday’s 36-hole final, he would become the first Kernwood member to win a men’s Massachusetts Amateur (though Ike Fermon and Peter Oppenheim had some strong showings in their prime).
Kernwood boasts one women’s state champion: Madeline Waxman, in 1926. If Emmerich can win the state title Saturday, that would make for beautiful symmetry — 1926 and 2026.