Emmerich brothers duke it out in match play at Massachusetts Amateur
Jul. 14—Just before sunset Tuesday evening at Concord Country Club, Swampscott's Christian Emmerich became the final golfer to punch his ticket to match play at the 114th Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
Emmerich advanced through the two-day stroke play opener via an 11-for-10 playoff hole, earning the No. 32 seed in the looming match play bracket. As the lowest seed in the one-and-done format, Emmerich faced a head-to-head bout with top-seeded stroke play medalist Arthru Zelmati Wednesday. To say he passed the test with flying colors may be an understatement.
A rising senior at Holy Cross, Emmerich clinched the matchup on the 14th hole (winning 5 & 4), earning some well deserved rest before gearing up for a Round of 16 clash later that day.
Meanwhile, Emmerich's younger brother Aidan also qualified for match play and was penciled in for an opening battle with George Wright's Sean Fitzpatrick. The younger Emmerich, who most recently starred at St. Mary's Lynn, came out on top in 19 holes, setting the stage for a brother vs. brother afternoon round.
Christian ultimately prevailed by the narrowest of margins (1 up), and realistically it could've gone either way.
"Usually on any given day it's a toss up for who wins," said the 21-year-old Christian. "But today I think I just had a little extra gas in the tank after being able to rest for almost two hours after finishing off my (first) match early on hole 14.
"We were both pretty much playing with our 'C' games," he continued, "so it was a true grind and it just happened to fall my way. I'll take what I can get, I guess."
In what eventually proved to be a back-and-forth battle, Christian seized an early two-hole lead after wins on the third and fourth holes. Aidan stayed the course, however, and cut the deficit to just one as they made the turn. Then on No. 12, Aidan tied the match by making par on the par-3 12th.
An errant approach shot from Aidan that sailed into the penalty area on 17 allowed Christian to regain the lead, and the latter held on on the final hole to secure the tight victory. It was the first time in over two decades that brothers have squared off in a Mass. Amateur match — and it certainly lived up to the hype.
In advancing to Thursday's quarterfinals, the elder Emmerich is now just three wins away from hoisting the trophy for the Commonwealth's premier amateur event.
"It's a great sign that the hard work I've been putting in is paying off," said Christian. "My confidence is at an all time high. Mentally I feel like I have so many experiences at this point to draw back on when things aren't going my way; that makes me a little tougher and smarter in certain situations."
It'll be a quick turnaround for Emmerich, who tees off at 7:30 a.m. Thursday against Charles River CC's Conner Willett. Should he advance, Emmerich would then play an afternoon match for a chance to move on to Friday's 36-hole championship finale.
"It's basically go to bed early, wake up, stretch a lot and get as loose and hydrated as possible and stick to my game plan," Emmerich said of his overnight preparation for another demanding day of golf. "I know Conner (Willett) decently well; it should be a very fun match."
The lone other player with North Shore ties to tee it up on Wednesday was Far Corner's Nick McLaughlin. The former St. John's Prep standout won the tournament back in 2015, and nearly made another crack at this week. He wound up falling to Willett, however, in a marathon 20-hole bout.
Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
Contact Nick Giannino at NGiannino@Salemnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGiannino_SN.
