Headline: Frank Vana, Jr., Brian Higgins and John Hadges to Represent Massachusetts at USGA Men's State Team Championship
For Immediate Release: September 21, 2009
Norton, MA —It isn't often that a local golfer is featured by the United States Golf Association, but one of the Bay State's own is front and center on the official web site of the USGA Men's State Team Championship web site. Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), the nine-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year, was featured on the national web site because he is just one of two players who will be making their record eighth appearance at the biennial USGA event.
Vana will be joined by Brian Higgins (Franklin CC) and John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC) this week at The Lewis and Clark Course at The Country Club of St. Albans in St. Louis, Missouri. The three competitors will take on 50 other three-person teams representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia in three days of 18-hole stroke play.
"It is always a special honor to play in a USGA event," said Vana, who led Team Massachusetts to a T11 finish two years ago in Texas. "Having the opportunity to represent your state as part of a team is truly unique and it is something that I have enjoyed throughout the years."
The three Bay State players earned the right to represent Massachusetts as a result of their dominating play throughout the past two seasons. A special point system was created in order to help the MGA select the top three players based on their performances in a series of local, regional and national competitions.
Vana, who will serve as team captain, was the top pointer for Team Massachusetts as he earned a total of 1,790 points during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The 47-year-old brings 14 years of experience at this event to the team. The only golfer who can match that accomplishment is Keith Decker of Virginia.
"The comfort level of competing in this event in the past will certainly be a benefit because I know what to expect in terms of the format and schedule," said Vana. " No matter how many of these events you play, the level of competition and the caliber of the golf course is so high that it gets your competitive juices flowing."
Arguably the most dominating Bay State player from the past decade, Vana is a nine-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year, seven-time Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Champion and two-time Massachusetts Amateur Champion. Over the course of his celebrated amateur career, he has also competed in 27 USGA Championship events and is the only golfer to have captured four Francis Ouimet Memorial titles. He is considered the most prolific amateur golfer this state has ever seen since the days of Francis Ouimet as he has captured 12 MGA Championships over the course of his career. The closest players to Vana in the former category are Jim Ruschioni (11), Frederick Wright (9) and Francis Ouimet (7).
Higgins, who is coming off a dominating performance in last week's Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship where he captured the title by 12 strokes, earned a spot on the team thanks in part to his 2008 season which earned him the Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year honor. During that impressive run, Higgins captured two MGA titles – the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship and Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship – and was the only Bay State golfer to qualify for both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships. In addition to his 2009 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship title, Higgins won the Tarlow Invitational and qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship scheduled for later this month.
Hadges has always been one of the most consistent golfers in the state and last year showed that his game was peaking when he captured the 2008 Massachusetts Amateur Championship at The Kittansett Club. He is a seven-time winner of the Southeastern Amateur Championship… and just one year won that title by record 10 strokes over a strong field of competitors. Although he was unable to defend his Massachusetts Amateur Championship title this season, Hadges advanced to the second round of match play and posted an impressive third-place finish at the Ouimet Invitational.
The Bay State contingent will play 18 holes on each of three stroke-play rounds (Wednesday through Friday). The two lowest scores from each three-person team constitute the team score for each round. The three-day total is the team's score for the championship.
Follow all of the action online at www.stateteam.org.