Ryan Downes (Mass. Golf Association photo)

Ever since coming up short in last year's final match at Concord Country Club, the 17-year-old Vanderbilt University commit has never wavered in his pursuit of getting another shot at winning the title. With his 6&5 victory Friday over his friend and longtime clubmate Matthew Naumec, of Wilbraham, in the 36-hole final match at Essex County Club, the young phenom has officially hoisted the Massachusetts Cup before even receiving his high school diploma.

Prior to Friday, James Driscoll (1996) and Ted Adams (1939) were the youngest to win, doing so at age 18. Downes, whose accolades include a Mass Golf Christopher Cutler Rich Junior Player of the Year Award (2021), won't become a legal adult until this Halloween.

With the match tied through the first 21 holes, Downes kicked it into high gear. He won five of the next seven holes, pumping his fist as his 12-foot, sliding birdie putt dropped into the cup on the 10th green giving him a commanding 5-up lead and essentially making the title his to lose.

"I feel kind of speechless in a way, especially with how this week started on Monday. I didn't get off to a great start my first few holes," said Downes, who also became the first member of GreatHorse to win the Mass Amateur title. "To come full circle and become the champion...I'm just extremely excited."

While Downes held the edge with his putting, it was his iron play that set him apart from Naumec. Even if his drive wasn't in A-position, he often left himself with putts inside of 10 feet.

When he needed to turn the tide, he did, especially after his early 4-up lead was evaporated to all even early in the second half with Naumec. Unlike last year, this time he was not going to hand over the lead. Immediately after losing on hole 3 (the 21st of the match), Downes answered with a crisp 4-iron on the par-3 4th (233 yards) to set up the birdie putt that gave him the lead the rest of the way. Downes also stuffed his approach into the 5th hole with his second shot retiring around 5 feet from the hole, getting him to 2-up.

"It was a perfect 4 iron for me," said Downes, who made eight birdies in the final match. "All I had to do is make a great swing, and it just happened to settle about 8 to 10 feet, and I made it, and I just had momentum from there on out."

It wasn't exactly a beeline to the title as Downes and Naumec were called off the course after playing the 6th hole (24th total) due to lightning in the area. Despite the 45-minute break, Downes stepped right back up to the downhill par-3 7th. Playing up at about 120 yards, he almost aced it the first time. Downes hit another dart into the green and knocked it home to build the lead back to 3-up. After his birdie putt fell on the 10th, just about everybody at Essex could feel that this was meant to be Downes' day.

"That's when the nerves started to kick up a bit," Downes said of his birdie putt on the 10th. "I have to thank my caddie Cole Banning for really going through that read. I probably wouldn't have played enough break if it wasn't for him. And I happened to play just enough to catch the right side."

On Thursday, Downes admitted that the stretch of holes from 10-14 hadn't been among his strongest. He had yet to make birdie on hole 13 and during match play on Wednesday and Thursday lost more holes than he won in that section of the course. But after a massive birdie on the 10th, he won the 12th to bring the match to dormie, and Downes clinched the title after lag putting his birdie putt to two feet.

"He's one of my favorite people to play with," Downes said of Naumec. "He's a great guy. He's so respectful out there, and I have the utmost respect for him. It was just a really enjoyable experience."

It wasn't the finish Matthew Naumec (Framingham Country Club) wanted, but the former professional was gracious in his defeat. He never quit, even after hooking his drive into the penalty area on the final hole. He hit an excellent recovery shot that rolled into the rough behind the green, followed by a solid chip, to make Downes have to close it out by executing a challenging putt.

"It was a phenomenal week," said Naumec, a 26-year-old Boston College graduate. "I didn't even have a hotel room for yesterday, so I had to make a quick reservation for it. It exceeded my expectations. This stuff is a pleasure to be included and play in so all smiles here. I'm really happy with how I hit the ball. It's just been amazing week. It's been fun."

Friday was the first time Naumec played in the Mass Amateur final match, previously making the semifinals back in 2015 when he was a highly-touted recruit. He went on to have a successful collegiate experience, followed by a pro career that included a 2019 appearance in the U.S. Open. Since regaining his amateur status last year, Naumec has come excruciatingly close to winning both the Mass Open and Mass Amateur.

The final match just proved to be too much of a deficit to climb out of, especially down the stretch.

"It was kind of a pattern to my matches that I was getting down early," Naumec said. "I was never up quick in a match. I wasn't afraid that I would have enough time per se. It was nice to get all the way down to even at one point and then finish the first round 2-down. I knew that after lunch I would have a good chance, and I came out here and was able to get down to even. It's tough to battle back when you only have to make birdies."

"I just tip my cap to Ryan. He's just a great golfer," Naumec added.

Expect to see Downes and Naumec contend again next year and beyond, as Framingham Country Club and GreatHorse are set to host the Mass Amateur in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

"I'm super excited, both are great tracks," Naumec said. "I told Ryan afterwards that maybe third time's a charm so if we get paired up next year, I'm looking forward to getting another swing at bat there. Hopefully we meet again in the finals next year."