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Many fans who walk the TPC Boston during the PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship must be under the assumption that the golf course off Route 140 in Norton certainly must be one of the 10 best in Massachusetts.

Well, almost - at least according to Golf Digest.

TPC Boston was ranked number 11 in the Bay State in the magazine's annual rankings of golf courses across the United States and the world. Golf Digest contracts with more than 900 golfers/panelists who play and rate courses in compiling the list.

Who beat out TPC Boston? Here's the list:

1) The Country Club, Brookline. 2) Kittansett Club, Marion.

3) Old Sandwich Golf Club, Plymouth.

4) Boston Golf Club, Hingham.

5) Eastward Ho! Country Club, Chatham.

6) Essex Country Club, Manchester-by-the-sea.

7) Worcester Country Club.

8) Myopia Hunt Club, South Hamilton.

9) Salem Country Club, Peabody.

10) International Golf Course (Oaks Course), Bolton.

Just 10 courses in Rhode Island made the list (Golf Digest placed as many as 35 courses on same states' list, and as few as five): 1) Wannamoisett Country Club, Rumford.

2) Newport Country Club.

3) Shelter Harbor Golf Club, Charlestown.

4) Rhode Island Country Club, Barrington.

5) Carnegie Abbey Club, Portsmouth.

6) Sakonnet Golf Club, Little Compton.

7) Warwick Country Club.

8) Newport National Golf Course, Middletown.

9) Point Judith Country Club, Narragansett.

10) Agawan Hunt Club, East Providence.

TPC Boston fared better with another magazine, Masters Links, which ranked the Norton layout second among the nation's 29 TPC courses, behind only TPC Sawgrass, site of The Players Championship.

The nation's best course? That's Augusta National, home of the Masters, according to Golf Digest.

Chip shots

The MGA Links at Mamantapett, the par-3 course in Norton formerly known as Wading River Golf Course, received the Best in Norton award from the U.S. Local Business Association for business performance for the second straight year. The course is run by the Massachusetts Golf Association and focuses on golf instruction.

In case you missed it, Glen Ellen Country Club in Millis has run into financial difficulty and faces auctioning this week. Wentworth Hills Golf Club in Plainville has stepped up to offer to take any functions booked at Glen Ellen in the event it closes.

Mark your calendar: Deutsche Bank Championship tickets go on sale June 19.

Got a hole-in-one? Contact me at the e-mail or phone below and we'll get 2009 aces in the paper.

MIKE KIRBY can be reached at 508-236-0344 or at mkirby@thesunchronicle.com.