BOYLSTON, Mass. – The New England PGA has seen record participation numbers in the opening three 2025 Stroke Play Series Events. The Stroke Play Series is a season-long points race based upon finishes in the five Stroke Play Series events and Chapter Championships. The top 54 point-earners will qualify for the Stroke Play Series Finals at Winchester Country Club on October 1, 2025.
The first installment of the 2025 Stroke Play Series was played at Newport National on April 22nd. Liam Friedman, PGA of Wollaston GC took home first place, shooting 4-under, earning him 500 points in the race to kick off the season.
The second Stroke Play Series event was held on July 7th at Kernwood Country Club in Salem, Mass. and boasted a record-setting field of 103 NEPGA Golf Professionals. The event also saw the largest tie in Stroke Play Series history, with eight players taking home a share of the top spot on the leaderboard. Frank Dully, PGA (Kernwood CC), Brendon Ray, PGA (Point Judith CC), Shawn Warren, PGA (Old Marsh), Eric Barlow, PGA (Winchester CC), Rich Berberian, PGA (Vesper CC), Nick Hallowell, PGA (The Country Club), Chad Penman, PGA (Boothbay Harbor CC), and Matt Baran, PGA (The Ridge Club) all shot even par-70s, collecting 299.38 points apiece in the season-long points race.
The third SPS event of July was held at George Wright Golf Course in Boston, Mass. on July 21st. 95 NEPGA Golf Professionals came out to play in the event with three individuals taking home the tie for first place at 3-under, 67: Brendon Ray, PGA (Point Judith CC), Ed Kirby, PGA (The Aquidneck Club), and Jeff Seavey, PGA (Goose River GC). Each Professionals received 383.33 points towards the season-long points race.
Friedman sits at the top of the top of the SPS points race leaderboard with a total of 717.88 points. He collected 600 points at SPS #1 at Newport National, 68.33 with his T4 finish in the Massachusetts Chapter Championship on June 18th at Foxborough CC, and 49.55 points with a T17 finish the SPS #2 at Kernwood CC.
Brendon Ray is right behind him with 700.25 points over three events. He posted 106 points with his T5 finish at Newport National, 214.25 points in the eight-way tie in SPS #2 at Kernwood, and 380 more added on from his T3 finish at SPS #3 at George Wright.
The final two events of the series will be held on August 18th at Nashawtuc CC in Concord, Mass. and August 26th at Concord CC in Concord, N.H. The finals will feature the top 54 point-earners and will be held at Winchester Country Club on October 1, 2025.