SOUTH HADLEY — Heading into the final round of the 43rd Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Golf Championship at Ledges Golf Club on Wednesday afternoon, Dedham’s Joseph Lenane held a three-shot lead thanks to a low round of 8-under 64 on Tuesday.

On the fourth hole Wednesday, a 255-yard par 4, Lenane’s tee shot ended up right and a bit long of the green. He short-sided himself for his second shot – which was about 35 yards away from the pin. Even worse, his lie wasn’t great.

“It was sitting weird, so I didn’t really think I could get it too, too close,” Lenane said. “I tried to hit it just on the collar (of the rough), and if it came out a little dead, it would be perfect. If it came out a little hot, it would still be fine because the greens were still soft.”

Lenane, who plays out of Boston’s George Wright Golf Course, landed the ball exactly where he wanted, and it took the soft hop out of the rough that he predicted. It was tracking the whole way, and when it kissed off the pin and into the cup for an eagle, he knew another low round was in store.

The North Carolina State University junior fired a bogey-free, 5-under score of 67, and his once slim advantage ballooned to 10 by the time he made the turn. Lenane posted a combined score of 13-under par – 11 shots ahead of the next closest competitor – en route to the Mass. APL title on Wednesday.

“It definitely feels good to be back in the Mass Golf winner’s circle,” Lenane said. “I won the New England Am last year, but that was up in Maine. It’s good to win something in my home state.”

Granite Links Golf Club’s Kyle Buschmann, George Wright Golf Course’s Ben Spitz, the defending champion, and Westover Golf Course’s Michael Murray all tied for second at 2-under while Granite Links Golf Club’s Trevor Connolly (1-under) took solo fifth to round out the top five.

Playing with the lead on the final day of a golf tournament isn’t as easy as Lenane made it look, especially with Cody Miller – who’s a member at Ledges – breathing down his neck after round one. Yet the Dedham native didn’t care too much about his lead, and as it began to grow throughout the day, it became more of a battle with himself.

Breaking 130 was the goal for two days, and after shooting 32 on the front nine, he needed a 33 to finish at 129. Lenane picked up a birdie on 16, but parred the other eight holes to come in with a 35 and finish at 131 for his two rounds.

“I wasn’t really thinking too much about the lead, I was more focused on what I had to do out there and sticking to what I know was working,” Lenane said. “I didn’t wanna try to do anything crazy. Once I got off to a good start, I had the idea of breaking 130 for two days. It was a possibility, and I tried to play a little more aggressive on the back [nine] but I just didn’t play as well. But 131 for two days, I can’t complain with that.”

Lenane will now shift his focus to the 124th U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, held at historic Hazeltine National Golf Club (Minn.). The course has hosted several of golf’s biggest events – including the U.S. Open and Ryder Cup – and will welcome the world’s top amateurs Aug. 12-18.

Tied for second in the tournament was Belchertown High School student and Westover Golf Club’s Michael Murray, a 16-year old who entered the day at 3-under, which was low enough to put him in the final group with Lenane and Miller.

Murray shot a 1-over 73, but still ended up in second place due to his strong round of 69 on Tuesday.

Playing in the final group with proven, talented golfers spiked Murray’s nerves, he admitted. But those quickly washed away as he piped his drive down the middle on the first hole.

“There were some nerves on the first tee, for sure, but after that it was just smooth sailing,” Murray said. “I wasn’t really thinking about it too much. [Lenane] is lights out, man. Every wedge shot was to 10 feet or better. He makes pretty much every putt.”

Miller finishes top 10, Waskiewicz posts top 20 finish

For someone who plays golf once a week, and only plays nine holes when he does, firing a 5-under round of 67 on the first day of the Amateur Public Links Golf Championship is nothing short of impressive.

Well, Cody Miller did just that.

And although he couldn’t back it up with the same magic on Wednesday, as he turned in a 6-over 78, he was still more than pleased with his output this week. Miller finished tied for eighth at 1-over.

“I don’t play much golf, so it was nice to get to play two rounds in a row, to be honest,” Miller said with a laugh. “I play once a week. I have four kids, and they play other sports so I spend time traveling with them. I’m with them being a dad or working. A nine-hole league a week, that’s it.”

Being a member at Ledges Golf Club and having a tournament of this caliber at his home course was special to Miller. It can start to feel routine or regular playing the same place over-and-over again, but watching the course transform into a tournament destination for some top notch Massachusetts golfers helped bring new life to it.

“I had a lot of fun, and I’m really glad it was here,” Miller said. “I’m glad everyone had fun and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it. The place is in great shape right now and it was nice that everyone could see that.”

The lone golfer from a Franklin County course was Mark Waskiewicz, who carded a two-day total of 5-over – shooting a 76 (4-over) on Wednesday after starting the tournament with a 73 (1-over) on Tuesday – to come in a tie for 18th.

The Crumpin-Fox Club Club member played well on the front nine, heading out with a 1-over 37, but then ran into some daunting winds that made it difficult to score on the back. Waskiewicz did have six pars and a birdie on 18, but two double bogeys blemished his scorecard.

Still, the top 30 finish gives him an exemption to play in next year’s Amateur Public Links Championship.

“The wind was definitely tough, especially toward the second nine,” Waskiewicz said. “Ten, 11, 12, it really picked up. We played the (par-3) 12th hole directly into the wind, and it was already playing 230 yards. The wind was certainly a challenge, but I’m happy I got into the top 30, which gets me exempt into the next year. The double bogeys I was pretty disappointed with, but overall, I played pretty solid.”

There were three Franklin County representatives when the tournament started on Tuesday, but Waskiewicz was the only one standing on Wednesday – the others either missing the cut or withdrawing.

To be the lone local golfer in the field wasn’t something Waskiewicz thought of prior to his round, but he’s glad he could put on a decent showing for his community.

“I love these state events, that’s what I get up for to play,” he said. “We don’t get a whole lot of western Mass. representation, so it’s nice to see the Crumpin-Fox name up there. It’s good to represent our area and have my name somewhat up toward the top of the leaderboard.”