Headline: Team Massachusetts Performs Well on Day 1... Stands in a Tie for Sixth Place at the 2009 USGA State Team Championship
For Immediate Release: September 23, 2009
St. Louis, MO — It was a good day for Team Massachusetts.
Following the first of three rounds of play at the 2009 USGA State Team Championship, the three-person team of Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC) and Brian Higgins (Franklin CC) finished with a score of 1-over par 141 to stand in a tie for sixth place. (Story Continues Below)
Event Links of Interest
The biennial USGA event is being held this week at The Lewis and Clark Course at The Country Club of St. Albans in St. Louis, Missouri and features 51 teams representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Given the level of competition on display at this national event and the inclement weather in St. Louis (1.3 inches of rain fell on Monday night)… the three players are quite comfortable with their position with two rounds to go.
"We are right in there," said Hadges who finished with a score of 1-over par 72. "We didn't shoot ourselves in the foot today. As long as you have a chance, that's all you can ask for. I feel really good about where we stand right now."
Helping the cause today was Higgins who is peaking at the right time of the year. Just days after capturing the 2009 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship title by a record 12 strokes, Higgins continued his stellar play by posting a team low score of 2-under par 69. What is even more exciting for Team Massachusetts is that Higgins managed that impressive score despite having a nightmare day off the tee.
"The way I drove it today I was extremely pleased with 2 under," said Higgins who carded three birdies and one bogey. "I had a couple of drives that really made me question my golf swing. Sometimes you wake up and have a different golf swing, I guess. The guys I was playing with said that I had a pretty amazing short game."
While Higgins was getting up and down from just about everywhere, Hadges was on his way to a sub par round… that is until he came to the final two holes. After having made birdie on three of his last four holes, Hadges made bogey on the 484-yard, par 4 17th hole and then hit his second shot on the 18th hole into the creek just in front of the green. His next shot sailed over the green and then he chipped in for bogey.
"It was a wild last two holes," said Hadges. "I was cooking pretty good and thought that I could turn it into a good round. After all that, I went from feeling lousy to feeling pretty good."
While Vana suffered a disappointing start and could not seem to get his putter to cooperate all day long, he knows from experience that the event is truly a test of endurance.
"I am happy that I have two good partners," laughed Vana who posted a 4-under par 75. "It is a big golf course that is long with fast and firm greens. I had a terrible start and then just couldn't seem to make anything. I hit it so close all day long, so I am hoping that I can turn things around tomorrow and keep us in the hunt."
Team Massachusetts will look to cut into the lead established by Kansas, which posted a score of 9-under par 133. Much credit goes to Jon Troutman (Spring Hill, KS) who carded the day's low score of 7-under par 64.
It will be an early wake-up call for Team Massachusetts on Thursday as the threesome will tee off in 10-minute intervals beginning at 7:50 a.m.
Follow all of the action online at www.stateteam.org.
Photo of the Day – 12th hole at The Country Club of St. Albans
