MASHPEE, MA – It was a picture perfect setting on Wednesday, as The Club at New Seabury hosted 30 Cape Cod Chapter Professionals for the 2024 edition of the Chapter Championship. The day was a marathon and not a sprint, with the champion being decided over the course of 36 holes on the scenic Ocean Course at New Seabury.
In the morning wave, it was Matt Baran of The Ridge Club who set the pace, using a strong start to his round to finish at 2-over 74 heading into the lunch break. Not far behind were Sankaty Head’s Kevin Maynard (+3, 75) and Host General Manager Jim Clay (+4, 76) who used his local knowledge to card four birdies in the opening 18.
36 holes proved to be enough to shake up the leaderboard, as some new faces made their way onto the podium come the end of the grueling day at New Seabury. Andrew Stolze, Director of Golf at New Seabury and defending Chapter Champion, cleaned up his Round 1 scorecard of 5-over 77 and rallied to fire an afternoon 74 and grab a share of third place. Sharing this spot with him was Clay, who improved by a shot in the afternoon to finish at the same mark of +7 151.
John Paesani, representing the Bay Club at Mattapoisett, opened with a 77 to begin his chase of the championship, and followed it up by rattling off five birdies in the final 18 to card an even par 72 and lock up solo second place. With this effort, Paesani secured the concurrently run Cape Cod Chapter Senior Championship, outlasting Cape Cod National’s Gregg Richbourg who posted rounds of 80 and 72.
The round of the day ended up being a timely one, as Shayne Sakson of Ocean Edge was forced to chase down the leaders when his opening 6-over 78 left him four shots back. Sakson did just that and more, signing for a blistering 4-under 68 that was one of just two under par rounds on the day. This ten shot improvement began with an eagle at the 1st and birdies on 4 and 5, vaulting him up the leaderboard and solidifying his first Chapter Championship by a comfortable three shots.
On behalf of the Cape Cod Chapter, Thank you to Jim Clay, PGA, Andrew Stolze, PGA, and the entire New Seabury community for hosting! Additionally, thank you to our sponsors, Avidia Bank, Cobra Puma Golf, Tournament Solutions, and The PGA Tour for their continued support of the Chapter Championship. Coming up on The Chapter schedule is the Cape Cod Pro-Senior, which has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 24th. REGISTER HERE!