WINCHESTER – The flagstick barely visible in the fading light, Matthew Naumec knew exactly where to place his shot.
Facing an uphill approach to an invisible green, Naumec hit long and spun the ball back toward the target. The reaction of the small gallery at the top of the hill was all he needed to hear: get in the hole! … ooooohhhh.
Facing a shot about the length of his putter, Naumec concluded a long day at the 118th Mass Amateur Wednesday with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole to defeat fellow Framingham Country Club member Kyle Tibbetts in the Round of 32. The clincher happened at 8:11 p.m., 12 minutes before the official sunset to finish an even longer day for Tibbetts, who teed off at 8:28 a.m. to start his weather-delayed second round that also included a playoff.
Tibbetts played 43 holes Wednesday and got his steps in for the week. His caddie’s Apple watch read 13.2 miles on the third playoff hole in the match against Naumec.
“So he walked a half marathon today,” Naumec said.
At 7:25 p.m., Naumec prepared to offer congratulations to Tibbetts on the 18th green among long shadows. Tibbetts, needing to make a three-foot putt to clinch the match, missed and looked skyward as the players headed to the first tee to start the playoff.
“Kyle’s a phenomenal putter and I completely thought it was over,” Naumec, the 2024 champion, said. “I had my hat off and was ready to shake his hand. I definitely thought he was going to make it.”
Tibbetts did not play on a rainy Tuesday during what was scheduled to be the final day of stoke play. After shooting a second consecutive 74 Wednesday morning in his second round, he was one of six players to sit at 6-over par, but only three would advance into the Round of 32.
Tibbetts needed three playoff holes to move on and meet a familiar face.
“I was walking back from lunch and was going to hit some putts,” Naumec said, “and Kyle was hanging around and he said ‘hey, we’re going.’ I had no idea until Kyle told me.”
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Matt Naumec outlasts fellow Framingham CC member Kyle Tibbetts at Mass Am
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