All day, the crowds kept building. The heat rose. The sweat poured off their brows and down their torsos. And each well-executed shot drew an increasingly boisterous reaction from the droves of spectators lining the grounds of Framingham Country Club.

While the club has long been home to champions of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship, Framingham has never before hosted the state's largest amateur golf tournament. A scorching hot week concluded with a blockbuster 36-hole championship match that went the distance Friday, and the club added one of its own to its storied roster of champions.

Matthew Naumec, the former pro who transitioned from a short-lived profession in golf and made the sport his passion again, doubled over both in relief and rejoicing as the 6-foot clinching birdie putt on the 18th hole departed his Scotty Cameron and dropped into the hole, causing a booming cheer and collective applause to erupt from the crowd.

"It feels great. I feel like I've been so close for so long, and to do it at Framingham is special," said Matthew Naumec, 27, after his 1-up victory over Ricky Stimets (Worcester Country Club), another standout ex-professional who lived in Osterville on Cape Cod. "This is a family, and I'm proud to be a part of it. It just makes me really happy and a great end of the week."

Naumec becomes the first person since Gary Burnett (1972-Longmeadow Country Club) to win the Mass Amateur on their home course. Like Burnett, a member of the Western Mass Golf Hall of Fame, Naumec also rallied from three down in the championship match and went on to earn the victory. He also joins the Framingham champions fraternity with Clark Hodder (1936), Bill Mallon (1972, 1973), Ray Wright (1990), and John Salamone (1991).

What the Champion Receives

Matt Naumec receives the Massachusetts Cup, as well as a 10-year exemption into the Mass Amateur, and for the first time this year, an entry into the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National in Minnesota. All semifinalists — Naumec, Stimets, Matt Parziale, and Ethan Whitney — are exempt into 2025 U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying.

What Happened

Ricky Stimets, the 2023 Mass Golf Player of the Year, was in control of play for most of the morning, never trailing in the first half of play. Stimets chipped in for a birdie on the par-4 4th despite being short-sided in the left rough after pulling his tee shot left of the fairway.

After a walk-in putt for the 8th and a birdie at the turn, Stimets took a 3-up lead, which held going into the 45-minute lunch break. He made several clutch saves in that stretch, including on the 14th when he topped the ball across the green and still got up and down to keep his lead.

But sometimes, it takes just one hole, really one swing, to flip the script entirely. Teeing off for the second half on hole 1, Stimets proceeded to hook his tee shot out of bounds left, opening the door for Naumec, who wasted no time wrestling away control of the match. After winning the first hole, Naumec proceeded to make a pair of birdie putts on holes 2 and 3 to pull even. Previously, Naumec was visibly frustrated and raised his arms when his putts rolled off line, but that soon faded once he started winning holes.

"I think honestly it started with my putter," Naumec said when reflecting on his play after lunch. "Once I started seeing the golf ball go in the hole, it definitely made me feel more comfortable throughout my entire bag. You get in the hole pretty quickly, and that builds confidence, it builds momentum, and your swing starts to feel a bit smoother."

It turns out Naumec was just getting started, and it began to feel like this might be his day after all. Trailing by one again, Naumec pulled his 7th hole tee shot left along the stone wall bordering ornate backyards along the course. After a few left-handed practice strokes and seeing Stimets miss the green wide left on his approach, Naumec declared his ball unplayable but also sent his ball past the green. Hitting a chip back uphill from the back of the putting surface, the ball drifted on a perfect line, causing chants of "go in," followed by a joyous cry when it dropped into the cup.

"I knew it was going to be a tough four, so I was really playing for five once he went over," Naumec described. "I just knew the contour of the green and said get it up there, make him actually hit a good shot, and it just happened to fall in. It shouldn't have gone in, but sometimes that happens."

Stimets, determined to catch up, made a clutch two-putt on the 8th after landing short of the green. However, Naumec's precision with his 9th tee shot into the 1st fairway, followed by his approach to 6 feet and walking in his birdie putt, put him in the lead with nine holes to go. Stimets, in need of a response, unfortunately, found the fairway bunker on the 10th and lost the hole. Stimets managed to close the gap twice after three putts from Naumec on holes 13 and 17.

Going to the par-5 18th down by 1, Stimets teed his ball high and crushed his driver with little hesitation, leaving him within range of the green. Naumec also took driver but took a much nervier swing and hooked it into the left rough. After Naumec laid up on his second, Stimets landed his second just short of the green on the upslope. Naumec played his third pin high, and after Stimets missed his eagle bid that would've brought it to extra holes, he couldn't help but take off his hat and smile when Naumec knocked home the clinching put.

"It was a grind," Stimets said, reflecting on the match. "I played great in the morning. I let a couple slip by, and then he came out to hot start, and the crowd got behind him. It's tough to keep your composure when everyone's screaming in his favor. But I had a blast. I was just like, 'Get me to 18,' and once I got to 18, I felt pretty good. I played it great, but he made a hell of a birdie from where he was, so hats off to him. He played great."

Naumec's victory and success over the past two years is far from a surprise, despite a recent trend of junior golfers holding the upper hand over mid-amateurs in open state amateur championships. Not only was it a matchup of all mid-amateurs Friday, but it was a showcase of two men truly playing for the love of the sport and the pride that comes with playing among their fellow statesmen.

Earlier in the week, Naumec fawned over his weekend golf experiences, saying he wanted to stay within how he'd play the course on casual weekends. For as much affection is bestowed upon him by the Framingham membership, what means the most to Naumec is that he rekindled his love of the game over the past three years and is playing with more purpose and conviction than he has in his lifetime.

"I loved BC. I loved the balance between the ability to play great golf and have great academics, and then I decided to play pro for a few years," Naumec said, reflecting on his golf journey. "COVID hit, and it changed a little bit of things, but I decided to switch golf back from my profession to my passion again. I started to fall back in love with the game just for what the game brings to me and how much fun I have out there on Saturday mornings and Sundays with the guys. That's what brings me joy about golf; it is being out there with good friends and good family and then transitioning back into competitive mid-am golf.

"I was excited to play knowing that I have good buddies like Matt Parziale, who have had a bunch of success doing it," he continued. "So, I knew that golf was always going to be a part of my life. It just didn't have to define me. So I've really liked the ability to lean on golf as an outlet rather than my profession."

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