Headline: Team Massachusetts Finishes in a Tie for Sixth Place at the 2009 USGA Men's State Team Championship
For Immediate Release: September 25, 2009
St. Louis, MO — They may not have won the title, but the three-man team from Massachusetts came home with a record.
Following three days of stroke play against a field of 51 three-man teams representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Team Massachusetts – which included Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC) and Brian Higgins (Franklin CC) – finished in a tie for sixth place at the 2009 USGA Men's State Team Championship which was held this week at The Lewis and Clark Course at The Country Club of St. Albans in St. Louis, Missouri. (Story Continues Below)
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That finish represents the best performance posted by a team from the Bay State since the event's debut in 1995. Prior to this week, the best finish to date was a T7 posted four years ago when the event was held at Berkeley Hall Club in South Carolina. Another strong finish came just two years ago when the event was hosted by Charles River Country Club. In that championship. Team Massachusetts stood in second place overall heading into the final round of play.
"We were creeping up the leaderboard all day long, but we weren't able to close the deal," said Vana, who is one of only two competitors in this year's 152-player field who has competed in all eight USGA State Team Championships. "We almost got it done, but we came up just short."
While frustrated that they weren't able to overcome a phenomenal performance by 2009 champion Pennsylvania, Team Massachusetts can bask in the fact that they were able to keep pace with the nation's best non-collegiate talent. The Bay Staters finished with a three-day total of 2-over par 428. At one point on Friday, Team Massachusetts was 4-under par for the tournament and in third place overall. That realization by the players certainly got the competitive juices flowing.
"When I was going up 16 I saw that we were tied for third," said Hadges, who posted a 2-over par 73 this afternoon. "Needless to say I played pretty hard the last few holes."
Hadges, who like Higgins was making his first appearance at the USGA Men's State Team Championship, did his best to give his team a chance to win as he came through with a par on the very challenging 480-yard, par 4 18th hole (the second hardest hole on The Lewis and Clark Course). It marked the first time he made par on that hole all week.
Unfortunately for Team Massachusetts, their best on Friday was not good enough as their three-day score was bested by teams from Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Kansas, Illinois and South Carolina.
"We had a chance," said Hadges. "All week long I never saw Massachusetts on the scoreboard out on the course. I finally saw us on the board the final day and I thought that it was great."
Leading the way for Massachusetts was Vana, the veteran and team captain. Following a disappointing first round, the nine-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year displayed his championship poise and competitive spirit as he posted identical scores of 1-under par 70 on Thursday and Friday. His three-day total of 2-over par 215 was not only tops for his team but it was also the 12th lowest score posted by any golfer in the field.
"I started off really badly on the first four holes of the tournament and then I started hitting it better," said Vana, who at one point on Friday was 3-under par for the day. "The conditions were really wet, but I was able to hit the fairways and keep it in the right places which enabled me to score well."
It was truly a nightmare start for Vana who found himself 5-over par after the first four holes. He was simply outstanding from that point on, however, as he played 3-under par golf through his final 49 holes.
"We all hit it off great," said Vana. "It was the first time that all three of us have spent a lot of time together and we had a great time. Despite the wet conditions, the course was conducive to playing well and we all did that. It was a fun week."
Getting the team off to a strong start was Higgins, the 2009 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Champion who captured the title last week by a record 12 strokes. On day one, Higgins used an untouchable short game to post a team low score of 2-under par 69. Although he was unable to match that score on day two and three, he has a lot to look forward to as he will compete in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship scheduled for later this month.
"It was a really fun week overall," said Higgins. "I didn't hit the ball well, but my chipping and putting was good this week."
Higgins – like many of the other competitors – fell victim to a 7,150-yard layout that played harder than normal due to the nearly two inches of rain that fell in St. Louis this week. Missing fairways translated into a sure bogey or even worse.
"I missed a number of fairways and made a few up and downs from long distances," said Higgins. "It catches up to you after time. It was very challenging given the weather conditions. The fairways were wet and it really benefited the long hitters."
Following such a memorable – and record-setting – performance, the three Bay State players will no doubt work hard next year in order to secure their spot in the 2010 USGA Men's State Team Championship, which will be contested at the Mayacama Golf Club
in Santa Rosa, California on September 14-16, 2010.
2009 USGA Men's State Team News & Notes
Follow all of the action online at www.stateteam.org.
Photo of the Day – Brian Higgins
