Arthur Zelmati of George Wright Golf Course in Boston remained on top of the leaderboard after the second round of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship Tuesday, shooting a 1-over par 71 at Concord Country Club to land at 2-under for the tournament. He was three shots clear of Will Frodigh of Dedham Country & Polo Club, who was in second at 1-over after shooting a 69 on the Donald Ross layout.
Matthew Naumec of Great Horse settled into third at 2-over (68).
Zelmati, the French-born 2020 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur champion, started slowly with a triple bogey on the first hole and a bogey on the second, but he rallied with a pair of eagle and two birdies on his way to 1-over par 71.
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The top 32 golfers advance to match play beginning Wednesday. Zelmati faces Christian Emmerich of Kernwood Country Club.
Reigning champion Michael Thorbjornsen, who took part in last month’s US Open but missed the cut, is not defending his title in Concord this year.
Concord Country Club proved to be a stern test as no golfer shot better then even par on the day. A playoff was needed to determine the final spot for match play among 11 players at 8-over. IAll but one player made par or better on the par-3 9th to wrap it up in the first round.
Zelmati is seeking his first match play victory after a first-round exit back in 2020.
Zelmati, the French-born 2020 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur champion, started slowly with a triple bogey on the first hole and a bogey on the second, but he rallied with a pair of eagles and two birdies on his way to 1-over par 71.
“That definitely made up for the little mess at the start,” said Zelmati.
Zelmati, who missed last year’s Mass Amateur due to injury, said he’s thrilled to be in this spot of being the top seed.
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“It’s just amazing,” Zelmati said. “Whenever you can keep playing great courses like this against a really good field, it’s just what we play for. It’s the biggest event of the year.”