Headline: Two-Time Champion Frank Vana, Jr. Paces Field With a Score of 3-under par 69 During Day 1 of Massachusetts Amateur Championship
For Immediate Release: July 12, 2010
South Hamilton, MA — It was no surprise that the host course and the clouds above took center stage during the first day of play at the 102nd Massachusetts Amateur Championship.
With a field of the top amateur competitors looking to capture the state's top prize, the Myopia Hunt Club layout proved to be a perfect venue for this year's championship as its unique and challenging holes provided a suitable and formidable test for the players. Add in some inclement weather systems that rolled through the area around 1:30 p.m. and forced a 75-minute delay and you have the setting for a historic championship battle.
In the end, some of the area's most seasoned players were able to manage their games and post strong scores heading into the second day of stroke play scheduled for Tuesday. Posting a day-low score of 3-under par 69 was two-time champion of this event Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), who is making a bid for his 20th consecutive appearance in Match Play at this event. (story continues below).
Day 1 Quick Links
Vana, who fell in the finals last year to Bill Drohen (Brookmeadow CC), finished with four birdies and one bogey to sit comfortably atop the leaderboard.
"I stayed out of trouble which is key," said Vana, who is coming off a first place finish at the 2010 New England Invitational and a second-place finish at last week's Worcester County Amateur. "The fescue is very unforgiving here, so whether you hit off the tee or in and around the greens it can be a nightmare. I just throttled back a bit and tried to hit as many fairways as I could."
Despite a three-putt for bogey on his first hole of the day – the 339-yard, par 4 11th hole – Vana figured out how to negotiate the greens which were considerably slower than he had experienced during his practice round the week prior. After receiving no rain for the better part of three weeks, the South Hamilton course was deluged on Saturday which made the greens and fairways softer and less severe.
"After [the first hole] I calmed down and I had a lot of birdie putts," said Vana, who was paired with Drohen and the 2006 champion of this event Ben Spitz (The Harmon Club). "The greens were a little slower today. When I played a practice round they were fast. Some of the greens here are pretty scary, so I was a little conservative out there today."
On the Heels of the Leader
Sitting two strokes back of Vana are three up-and-coming stars and one veteran who are all looking to capture this prestigious MGA Championship title. Noah Walker (The Harmon Club), Antonio Grillo (Farm Neck GC), Sean Deale (Brae Burn CC) and Kim Mertes (Wyckoff CC) all posted scores of 1-under par 71 and were the only other players in the field to break par today.
Walker, rising senior at Boston College High School, is known to be a long hitter (back in 2003 at the age of 10 he garnered national attention when he drove the ball 260 yards at The Golf Channel's Drive, Chip, and Putt Junior Golf Skills Competition) but he was humbled by today's layout and kept his driver in the bag for most of the day in hopes of staying out of trouble. The conservative strategy worked well as he registered four birdies – on the 1st, 4th, 8th and 15th holes – and just three bogies on the day.
Deale, who is currently finishing up his undergraduate studies at Fairfield University, was a member of the golf team this past season and helped his Stags team to a seventh-place finish at the 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship. Mertes, meanwhile, has a long history with collegiate athletics except his is associated with an entirely different sport. Mertes served as coach of the lacrosse and field hockey teams at Division III Virginia Wesleyan College for many years before recently returning to his hometown of Northampton.
Grillo, a two-time Massachusetts Junior Amateur Champion (2006, 2007) who is coming off a successful sophomore campaign at Harvard University, carded five birdies and four bogies en route to his 1-under par 71 round. One year ago, Grillo advanced to the quarterfinals of this event where he was defeated by a score of 3 & 1 to Scott Congdon (Foxborough CC).
Congdon, who earlier this season partnered with cousin Chris Congdon (Foxborough CC) and finished second at the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship, is one of five competitors who posted a score of even par 72 this afternoon. Included in that impressive list are Greg Shuman (The Country Club), John Gilmartin (Indian Ridge CC), Matt Broome (TPC of Boston), Jordan Burke (Needham GC) and Chris Scott (Wayland CC).
Other key players who sit comfortably near the top of the leaderboard are two-time and defending Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Champion Brian Higgins (Franklin CC), 2008 Massachusetts Amateur Champion John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC) and Mike Calef (Brockton CC), who was the one of two low amateurs at the 2010 Massachusetts Open Championship. Higgins and Hadges finished with scores of 1-over par 73, while Calef carded a 3-over par 75.
Looking for a Repeat… Defending Champion Update
One year after winning this title in triumphant fashion at The Country Club, Bill Drohen finds himself with some work to do on day two after posting a score of 8-over par 80 on Monday.
"It was a tough start," said Drohen, a math teacher at Southeastern Regional Vocational Tech in South Easton. "I was six over after the first four holes. That's not the thing I was looking for today. I was coming over the top and I wasn't feeling comfortable, but after that I just scraped it in and tried to limit the pain a little."
Drohen, who has been enjoying time with his 9-month old son Matthew and not playing much golf, suffered a double bogey on three of his first four holes. Although he played 2-over par golf from that point on, the two-time Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Champion will look to better his performance come tomorrow afternoon.
"In this place you have to avoid the heather and I didn't do such a good job of doing that," said Drohen. "When you do avoid the heather it's a great course, but it is no fun when you are hitting it in that tall grass."
Drohen will be paired — once again — with Vana and Spitz on Tuesday. That threesome will tee off at 12:40 p.m. off the 1st tee.
Myopia Hunt Club – A Challenge for the Ages
As the only course in the United States to have been listed by Golf Magazine as having two of the United States's top 100 signature holes — the 4th and 9th — Myopia Hunt Club provides a daunting challenge for even the most seasoned and patient of competitors.
Many rounds have been made and lost thanks to the picturesque 392-yard, par 4 4th hole.
One such experience came in 1908 during the U.S. Open Championship when Ernie Way watched his putt on that treacherous green roll off the green and into the marsh. Thankfully no player in today's field will have to worry about a similar fate — a bunker now sits in that same spot following renovations — but the course provides challenges that will surely keep the birdies to a minimum.
To that point, the average score posted on the 4th hole was a 4.4, the average 18-hole score was 78.3 and the front side played nearly three strokes harder than the back side. To view all course statistics from this week's championship, click here.
A Moment of Silence for an MGA Legend
Although there was an air of excitement on the grounds of Myopia Hunt Club, there was also a sadness that pervaded the course. After all, it did not take long for word to spread that longtime MGA Executive Director Richard "Dick" Haskell had passed away on Sunday afternoon.
A pioneer in amateur golf for more than four decades, Haskell was scheduled – as he has done every year – to make an appearance at Myopia Hunt Club this week. Always quick with a smile and a kind word, Haskell has dedicated his life to amateur golf in the Bay State dating back to when he first took over as executive director in 1969. His contributions over the next 30 years were countless as he was the leading force behind the introduction of six new MGA Championships, the GHIN Handicap and Course Slope system and he valiantly and tirelessly fought for the rights of golf clubs and golfers.
"When I first entered this business nearly 20 years ago, Mr. Haskell, along with a few others around the country, were considered the deans of golf administration," said Joe Sprague, the current MGA Executive Director. "He was one of the key people who helped to professionalize the business of state and regional golf associations."
Following his retirement in 1998, Haskell continued to make his mark locally. He was the lead figure in the development of the MGA's nationally-acclaimed Centennial book – "A Commonwealth of Golfers".
Just this past year, Haskell, a long-time member of The Country Club, and a team of dedicated writers were recognized by the United States Golf Association for their work on "The Story of Golf at The Country Club". The literary tribute to golf at the Brookline layout was awarded the USGA's 2009 Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, the association's highest literary honor.
Golf will go on this week at Myopia — as Mr. Haskell would have wanted — but his presence and his indelible impact on the game of golf will never be forgotten.
Schedule of Play
In what is considered one of the more arduous tests of golf, the Massachusetts Amateur Championship features five days of competition. Following a second day of 18-hole stroke play on Tuesday, the field will be cut to the low 32 players who will advance to the Match Play portion of the event.
In the event of a tie, a sudden-death playoff will be conducted on Tuesday evening to determine the 32 Match Play spots. Match Play – which will take place over three days with a champion being crowned on Friday following a 36-hole (or however many holes it takes) on Friday. Here is a five-day schedule.
Monday, July 12, 2010
First Round, 18 Holes Stroke Play
— Morning Tee Times Begin at 7:30 a.m.
— Afternoon Tee Times Begin at 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Second Round, 18 Holes Stroke Play
— Morning Tee Times Begin at 7:30 a.m.
— Afternoon Tee Times Begin at 12:00 p.m.
(The low 32 scorers continue on to Match Play Competition. In the event of a tie, a sudden-death playoff will be used to determine the final Match Play competitors.)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
First Day of Match Play
— Round of 32 Matches Begin at 8:00 a.m.
(Remaining 16 move on to afternoon match)
— Round of 16 Matches (Afternoon)
(Remaining 8 move on to Thursday's matches)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Second Day of Match Play
— Quarterfinal Matches Begin at 8:00 a.m.
(Remaining 4 move on to Semifinals)
— Semifinal Matches (Afternoon)
(Remaining 2 move on to Finals)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Third Day of Match Play
— Morning 18 Holes Begin at 8:00 a.m.
— Afternoon 18 Holes Begin 45 minutes following the conclusion of the morning round.
(In the event of a tied match, (a) the winner shall be decided immediately by a hole-by-hole playoff, and (b) the stipulated round is deemed to extend to as many holes as are required for a match to be won.)
