Nick Maccario came oh, so close to qualifying for this year’s US Open at Los Angeles CC, which concluded Father’s Day with a new champion – 29-year-old Wyndham Clark.
It’s no secret that Maccario, who grew up playing at Bradford CC, is one of New England’s premier amateur golfers. The St. John’s Prep graduate carries a +2 handicap and made it to the final U.S. Open qualifying round at Canoe Brook CC in Summit, New Jersey.
Though he didn’t make the cut, Maccario played well, shooting 73-71 (+2) for the 36 holes. He was one of 67 players vying for four spots.
“It’s a long day. My alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. and I didn’t get done golfing until around 4:30 p.m. Then I had to drive back to Massachusetts,” Maccario said. “It’s a really long day when you play 36 holes in one day. You try to conserve as much energy as you can the day before.”
He was only three or four [strokes] off the pace after the first round.
His second round started a bit on the shaky side: bogey, bogey.
“I think subconsciously you’re pressing a bit to try and shoot a low score and keep yourself in it,” Maccario said. “It’s hard to dig yourself out of that (early bogeys). We did make some birdies on the last nine holes. It was good to take some takeaways from the round. It was a long day but we still had a lot of energy.”
He will try to qualify again next year.
“I think I’ll stop doing it when I don’t make sectionals,” Maccario said. “Last year I tried because I was playing pretty well and the qualifications were at The Country Club in Brookline so it was close to home. If I keep making sectionals I will continue to do it.”
Is Maccario, who has a full-time job in the investment field, considering turning pro?
“No way. There’s no chance of me turning pro. I’m way too old, (32)” he said. “Golf is super fun for me. I’ve seen friends be successful in turning pro and more friends be either unsuccessful or burnt out. At this point, I look forward to playing to get away from work. Where if it becomes work you can’t really get away from that. I’d rather use golf as an outlet.”
Maccario played in the 115th Massachusetts Amateur Championship on July 10-14 at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea. It was a competition that Maccario was looking forward to. He didn’t make it to match play.
Maccario previously had success in the Amateur, making the final in 2020. He also set a course record at Bradford CC that year, shooting a 15-under-par 56, breaking his and the course record by seven strokes. He was Mass Golf’s 2022 Player of the Year.
Early this year, Maccario won the Joseph F Healey Memorial Tournament, which has awarded almost $70,000 in scholarships to more than 90 youngsters in the Haverhill/Southern New Hampshire area. It is a 54-hole event played at Bradford CC, Crystal Lake GC and Atkinson CC.
“Playing in the Healey was great. It was at courses I knew so it gave me confidence and I played really well. I shot the best three-day total I ever had,” Maccario said. “I shot a 66, 64, 67 in the three rounds. I really felt strong, it’s not what I felt at the state Am so it was great to put that behind me.”
To Maccario it meant more than just winning.
“It’s named after a local pro whose family is close to (Bradford CC’s) Murphy family and I got to know them over the course of 15 years. The fact they give out scholarships to kids going to college who are involved in golf is fantastic,” Maccario said. “At one point that was me and to be able to support the Healey family as well as the local clubs around.”
Maccario planned to play in the U.S. Mid-Am at Sleepy Hollow CC in New York in early September. After that, his focus will switch to his upcoming wedding and honeymoon. The wedding will, of course, be on a golf course: GreatHorse CC in Hampden.
