SOUTH HADLEY — Orchards Golf Club played host to a 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier on Monday afternoon, and five players fired a 2-under round or better to make the cut and advance to the U.S. Mid-Am Championship set for Sept. 13-18 at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Milton’s Benjamin Spitz and Wellesley’s Ben Balter were two of the five players to advance as the pair of Massachusetts natives each made four birdies on the day. James Pleat also had four birdies, as the native of Nashua, New Hampshire grabbed a bid to the championship alongside Pittsfield’s Adam Brickle and Boston’s Sam Russell.
Spitz birdied two of his first three holes and added another birdie on the par-5 ninth to post a 33 on the front nine. He dropped a shot at the par-4 12th before getting it right back at the 14th. Spitz then cruised into the clubhouse with four consecutive pars to round out his day.
Balter birdied his first hole of the day, a 411-yard par 4, to start off on the right foot before a bogey on No. 4 brought him back to even par. He birdied the 9th hole and posted consecutive birdies on holes 12 and 13 to get him to 3-under. A bogey on 18 dropped him to 2-under, but still inside the cut line to advance.
Pleat had a very similar day to Spitz and Balter, as a birdie on the first and a preceding bogey on No. 2 had him at even par before a stretch of birdies put him in red figures for good. Pleat birdied the par-4 8th, the par-5 9th and after a par on 10, he got another stroke back at the par-4 11th. Seven straight pars clinched a bogey-free back nine and a spot in the U.S. Mid-Am Championship.
Brickle had the best round of western Massachusetts residents, shooting a 2-under 68 that featured a bogey-free back nine and birdies on the 13th and 14th, while Russell erupted for five birdies on the front nine to get him off to a strong start. He shot a 1-over 35 on the way in to finish with a 68.
With how difficult of a course Orchards is, pars were certainly not a bad score on Monday. It’s no surprise that those who advanced to September’s title only had one bogey apiece all day, and long runs of just making par after a couple of birdies were enough to get the job done.
South Hadley’s Cody Miller was the lone Hampshire County competitor in the field of 70 golfers on Monday, and he posted an 8-over round of 78. Miller birdied the first hole but bogeyed two of the next three, and he couldn’t find his footing the rest of the way. A double bogey on the 10th followed by a triple bogey on the 12th put him out of contention, but he did birdie the 18th and final hole, a 444-yard par 4.
