


Josiah Hakala will remember Wednesday for a long time.
Hakala, who plays out of Northern Spy Golf Club in Townsend, captured the 91st Massachusetts Boys Junior Amateur Championship at Bayberry Hills in West Yarmouth.
And he did so in extremely impressive fashion.
In the final match, Hakala trounced defending champion Carson Erick, a Boston Golf Club member, 6 and 5.
A resident of New Ipswich, N.H., Hakala is already well known in the Granite State for his golfing prowess.
Hakala, set to begin his senior year of high school, has already captured states title as an individual and as part of Mascenic High’s championship squad..
In July, he defeated a field of more than 300 players from around the nation to capture the PGA Boys High School Golf National Individual championship in Frisco, Texas. Tied for fourth, Hakala carded a terrific 65 during his third round to collect the win.
He defeated Davis Hartwell of Oregon by one shot and his three-round total of 14-under par (202) was a tournament record. The previous record of 10-under had been set in 2020 and tied in 2022.
With Wednesday’s victory, Hakala guaranteed a return trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, where he reached the Round of 32 in match play last year. The 2025 event will be held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
Although he has received plenty of interest, Hakala’s college plans haven’t been decided.
Hakala dominated Erick, grabbing a 2 up lead on just the third hole. On the fifth hole, Hakala drained a 35-foot putt for a birdie to extend his lead. Hakala didn’t let up, keeping the pressure on Erick.
Longtime PGA member James Driscoll is among the previous boys champions.
On the girls side, Isabel Brozena of North Reading and Andover’s Indian Ridge Country Club survived quite the battle with Lillian Guleserian of Blue Hill Country Club to win the title.
Brozena, who will embark for Xavier University and her freshman year next week, sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to defeat Guleserian, 3 and 2. This marked the first year the Girls’ Junior utilized match play to decide a champion.