Mekhala Costello dramatically takes the medal award at the Massachusetts Women’s Am

Mekhala Costello (Mass Golf photo)

As the sun broke through the morning mist and bathed Taconic Golf Club in brilliant color, the 121st Massachusetts Women’s Amateur Championship entered its second round on Tuesday, revealing not only brighter skies but another opportunity to solve the puzzle that is this majestic mountain-view masterpiece.

First-round leader Mekhala Costello (Blue Hill Country Club) of Canton struggled at times but produced the most exciting finish of the day. Overlooking Williams College Stadium, Costello raised her arms in the air as if for a touchdown as her third shot from 90 yards to the par-5 green of the 18th hole found the middle of the green and spun back into the hole, where she scored an eagle and finished with a 2-under-par 69 for the second day in a row.

“I’ve never beaten a hole for as long as I can remember,” said Costello, who won her first stroke play medal and finished one stroke under the women’s course record (3-under 68) every day. “Today I felt more pressure to repeat that. I played pretty consistently and it was just a good way to finish.”

Westford sisters Morgan Smith and Molly Smith finished at 2-over par and 3-over par, respectively, to round out the top three. Molly was on course-record pace, shooting 5-under-par 30 through the first nine holes, and will join Morgan and former champions Allison Paik (2020) and Shannon Johnson (2018) in the top 10.

Top-seeded Costello will begin the parade of matches in the Round of 32, which begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. She will face Hingham High School girls golf coach Samantha Leary (South Shore Country Club), who prevailed in a 3-1 playoff for the final match play spot. The winners will advance to the Round of 16 in the afternoon. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be Thursday, and the 18-hole final begins at 8 a.m. Friday morning.

Costello has been a standout soccer player her entire life and lives in the here and now. The fall schedule includes soccer at Amherst College, but she said Tuesday she may be back on the golf course in the spring to play golf as well. While she has to juggle multiple sports (including hockey), she is becoming more comfortable in the Mass Women’s Amateur. In her debut three years ago at Plymouth, she played with two Division I standouts — former champion Angela Garvin of Maryland and Rebecca Skoler of Virginia, who won the title last year.

“I felt like I was just thrown in, but honestly they were super nice to me,” Costello said of the 2021 experience. “That’s helped me every year. I can see what it takes to be at the top and then feel more comfortable.”

In 2022, Costello took a step forward by securing a 4th-place finish. Then last year, she played her way to 2nd place and made it to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Morgan Smith. On Tuesday, she answered both bogeys with birdies. After a bogey on the par-4 4th hole, she hit a birdie from 3 feet out on the par-3 5th, and after a bogey on the 15th hole, she countered with a birdie on the par-4 16th despite hitting the ball wide of the hole. After a decisive two-putt par on the 17th hole, Costello drove into the left edge of the fairway and laid up with a 4-iron to set up her finish.

“There’s something about this tournament that I love,” Costello said. “My chipping kind of saved me yesterday and today. I just enjoyed it. I know the points will be erased tomorrow, but it’s nice to feel what it’s like to be on top.”

Once Molly Smith has a course figured out, all you have to do is stand back and watch. That seemed to be the case halfway through the second round. In her second round at Taconic, Smith shined with a bogey-free 5-under 30 over the first nine holes, including three straight strokes between holes 4-6. She hit a pitch wedge into the green on nearly every hole, matching the number required.

“I felt more prepared,” said Smith, the University of Central Florida standout and 2023 finalist. “There are a few holes where I changed my strategy with clubs off the tee and things like that. The more you play, the more you learn. Today I felt more comfortable on most of the shots.”

While she was on a record pace, the back nine holes brought a little more trouble as she made bogey on the 10th and then hit the pin on the 12th followed by a failed chip. While the back holes went downhill, Smith managed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 18th to finish the round on a high note.

“I’m not quite sure what happened on the back side, but it’s nice to finish with a birdie because things got a little out of whack,” Smith said. “I made 11 birdies and made so many mistakes, so if I can iron out the mistakes and keep trying to learn a little bit more, I think my game is on the right track.”

After stroke play concluded, Samantha Leary found herself in a 3-1 playoff with Mia Yohe (Pinehills Golf Club) and Camille DeStefano (Youth on Course/Mass Golf) for the final spot in match play. After all five made 1 par on the par-5 hole, Leary broke the deadlock with a winning par putt on the par-3 17th.

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