Nantucket Invitational Preview: Sankaty Head, Miacomet and a New Amateur Major

Every amateur has a short list of golf trips that sit just out of reach. The Nantucket Invitational belongs at the top of it. Thirty miles off the coast of Cape Cod, on two of the most distinctive courses in New England, forty two-player teams will tee it up Oct. 5–6 for a 54-hole partnership championship that is as much about tradition and place as it is about the scorecard.

This year, AmateurGolf.com has added the Nantucket Invitational to our Majors Calendar — the short list of events we believe define the amateur season. It earns that spot on three counts: a world-class venue in Sankaty Head, a format that rewards real partnership, and a field that blends USGA champions, state-level contenders and decorated senior players chasing an island title.

The Format: 54 Holes, Two Days, Two Courses

The Invitational is a two-player team championship split into two divisions, each crowning its own champion: the Mid-Amateur Division (ages 25–54) and the Senior Division (55 and older).

Day One is a 36-hole marathon at Miacomet Golf Club. Teams open with 18 holes of four-ball in the morning off a shotgun start, break for lunch and scoring, then go back out for 18 holes of alternate shot in the afternoon. That second round is where championships are often lost — foursomes exposes every missed fairway and every short-sided miss, and there's nowhere to hide on a windy afternoon on the south shore.

Day Two moves to Sankaty Head for an 18-hole four-ball final round, after which both division champions are crowned at the awards lunch in the clubhouse.

Order of play (all times Eastern)

• Monday, Oct. 5 — Miacomet (36 holes): Range and breakfast 7:30 a.m.; Round One, four-ball, 8:30 a.m. shotgun; lunch and scoring 1 p.m.; Round Two, alternate shot, 2 p.m. shotgun

• Tuesday, Oct. 6 — Sankaty Head (18 holes): Range and breakfast 7:30 a.m.; Final Round, four-ball, 8:30 a.m. shotgun; lunch and awards ceremony 1 p.m.

Live scoring for both divisions is powered by Golf Genius and updates hole-by-hole. Follow along on the official leaderboard.

Sankaty Head: One of America's Purest Links Experiences

Sankaty Head Golf Club was founded in 1921 and sits on a 90-foot bluff above the Atlantic at the eastern edge of the island in 'Sconset. The original routing was drawn by local 'Sconset native Emerson Armstrong, refined by A.W. Tillinghast, and most recently restored by Jim Urbina in 2017. The Atlantic wraps roughly 270 degrees of the property, and the red-and-white Sankaty Head Light — completed in 1850 — stands over the front nine like a compass point you'll check on every tee.

What makes Sankaty special is that it plays like true links golf on American soil: firm turf, few trees, and wind that changes the course by the hour. The ground game matters. So does picking the right partner to take the aggressive line when the breeze is down.

Several holes define the final round:

• No. 1, "Outward Bound" (400 yards, par 4): A gentle handshake on paper, but with a four-ball start on the line, teams will want a birdie look before the course turns into the wind.

• No. 4, "Sesachacha" (500 yards, par 5): Named for the pond on the island's east side, it's a legitimate scoring hole and one of the best chances for a team eagle on the day.

• No. 6, "Pine Valley" (180 yards, par 3): A nod to the Tillinghast era — a mid-length par 3 where a center-of-the-green partner gives the other license to fire at the flag.

• No. 8, "Come About" (565 yards, par 5): The longest hole on the card, and a sailing term for a reason. Wind direction decides whether it's a reachable par 5 or a three-shotter.

• No. 12, "Westward Ho" (225 yards, par 3): The beast of the one-shotters. Pars here will win holes.

• No. 15, "Light Ahoy" (410 yards, par 4): The lighthouse returns to view as the round reaches its climax.

• No. 18, "Thar She Blows" (385 yards, par 4): A short closing par 4 in whaling-country vernacular, giving trailing teams one more birdie chance in front of the clubhouse.

Sankaty's championship pedigree is already well established. The club co-hosted the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur with Miacomet, where the USGA set it up at 6,652 yards and par 70 — and several players in this week's field, including Jason Lina, Kyle Davis, Michael Jensen, Joe Harney and Stephen Quartarone, were in that 264-player field five years ago.

Miacomet: The Contrasting Test on the South Shore

If Sankaty is the bluff-top links, Miacomet is its counterpoint. Located on Nantucket's south shore, the course opened in its current 18-hole configuration in 2007 and offers wide fairways framed by native fescue, deep bunkering and ocean views from the closing stretch. For the 2021 Mid-Am, it played to 6,765 yards and par 70.

The generous corridors are a little deceptive. With 36 holes in a single day — including the alternate-shot round — Miacomet is a test of stamina and patience as much as ball-striking. Key holes on the card:

• No. 1 (397 yards, par 4): The opening hole for many teams off the shotgun, and a chance to set a tone in the morning four-ball.

• No. 5 (510 yards, par 5): An early birdie opportunity — a hole teams will expect to birdie in four-ball and par in alternate shot.

• No. 9 (383 yards, par 4) and No. 12 (206 yards, par 3): Mid-round holes where the fescue starts to come into play for loose drives.

• No. 15 (177 yards, par 3): A short iron with real consequences if the wind is up.

• No. 17 (446 yards, par 4): The toughest par 4 in the closing stretch — a must-par hole in the afternoon foursomes.

• No. 18 (492 yards, par 5): A reachable finisher with the ocean in view, offering the last swing of the day before teams head to Sankaty.

The 2026 Field: 40 Teams, 80 Players

The Mid-Amateur Division features 28 teams and the Senior Division 12, for a full field of 80 players from across the U.S. and abroad.

The headline name in the Mid-Amateur Division is Trip Kuehne, the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1994 U.S. Amateur, who partners with Ben Newton. Defending champion Aengus McAllister returns with a new partner, Peter O'Brien, after winning in 2025 alongside tournament director Dan O'Callaghan.

Watch for familiar mid-am names in Stephen Quartarone (with Garren Poirier), Jason Lina (with Andy McDaniel), C.J. DeBerg and Kyle Davis, Michael Jensen and Jon Michael Reese, and Joe Harney and Dylan Evans. The all-Barribeau pairing of Blake and Derek Barribeau is another team to track, as are two Cassinis on separate teams — Nick Cassini with Brian Kelleher and Dmitri Cassini with Ryan Grant.

The Senior Division may be the best storyline of the week. Scott Mackesy and Dan Keogh have won the last two Senior titles (2024 and 2025) and arrive chasing a three-peat. Standing in their way are several past champions playing in new combinations: Dan O'Callaghan, last year's Mid-Am co-champion, now aged into the Senior Division with Eoghan O'Connell; Erik Martin, the 2024 Mid-Amateur champion, now in the Senior ranks with Chris Cupit; and Matt Sughrue, the 2023 Senior champion, teaming with Tom Cunningham.

Mid-Amateur Division (28 teams)

• Peter O'Brien & Aengus McAllister

• Stephen Quartarone & Garren Poirier

• Reid Longley & Peter Scialabba

• Shane Heise & Scott Loving

• Courtney Carson & Adam Mitchell

• Nick Resor & Jake Ratti

• Kyle Osler & Daniel Langley

• C.J. DeBerg & Kyle Davis

• Tom Egbers & Palmer Sadlowski

• Tobin Whitman & Daniel Hallissey

• John Goldasich & Tyler McKeever

• Joe Harney & Dylan Evans

• Nick Robillard & Hal Dove

• Jason Lina & Andy McDaniel

• Dave Cox & Bill Hutchison

• Nolan Trepeck & J.J. Black

• Tyrone Clarke & Jason Zubatkin

• Nick Cassini & Brian Kelleher

• Trip Kuehne & Ben Newton

• Michael Jensen & Jon Michael Reese

• Chad Fultz & Jake McGlone

• Ryan Grant & Dmitri Cassini

• Zach Springer & Drew Stubbs

• Jack O'Donnell & John Bowen

• Ben Conroy & Shep Stevens

• Phil Doyle & Patrick Cullen

• Blake Barribeau & Derek Barribeau

• James Cimini & Justin Feldman

Senior Division (12 teams)

• Dan O'Callaghan & Eoghan O'Connell

• Geoff Beattie & Nigel Hollidge

• Tom Hurley & John Karcher

• Dan Keogh & Scott Mackesy

• Mark Loomis & Matt Meyer

• Scott Osler & Rich Rebholz

• Tom Reynolds & John Lombardozzi

• Pete Williams & Brian Keenan

• Erik Martin & Chris Cupit

• Kevin Sullivan & Pete McCarthy

• Frank Queally & Dan O'Donnell

• Matt Sughrue & Tom Cunningham

Past Champions

The Invitational has been contested through fog, gale and high summer light, with a pause from 2020 to 2022.

Why It's on Our Majors Calendar — and Why You Should Want In

The amateur calendar is crowded with good team events. Very few combine a championship-caliber links, a second course worth the trip on its own, a format that tests both best-ball aggression and alternate-shot discipline, and a setting this memorable. Nantucket does all of it.

For mid-amateurs and seniors, the Invitational also fills a gap. It's a true championship with its own honor roll and a field deep in USGA experience, yet it keeps the spirit of a member-guest — breakfast on the range, lunch between rounds, and an awards ceremony on the bluff. It's the kind of event you circle in January and plan the whole season around.

If you're building your 2027 schedule, this one belongs on it. Find a partner whose game complements yours, start working on your alternate-shot rhythm now, and keep an eye on the official site at nantucketinvitational.com for next year's invitation details.

Getting to the Island

Nantucket is reached by ferry from Hyannis on Hy-Line Cruises or the Steamship Authority, or by air into ACK, with seasonal service from Boston, New York and the Northeast corridor on JetBlue, American and Cape Air. The tournament recommends booking early. Top lodging includes The White Elephant, The Wauwinet, The Beachside and The Summer House, while The Wade Cottages in 'Sconset sit within walking distance of Sankaty Head. Bring layers — bluff weather can turn in an afternoon.

Tournament inquiries can be directed to Tournament Director Dan O'Callaghan through the official tournament website.

AmateurGolf.com will follow the Nantucket Invitational live Oct. 5–6. Follow live scoring here.