Headline: 28 Golfers Punch Tickets for 2016 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship Following a Pair of Qualifying Rounds

For Immediate Release: August 9, 2016

2016 MGA Mid-Amateur Qualifying Host Sites - Sharon CC (top) and Beverly G&TC.

Norton, MA — In preparation for the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship at TGC on September 20-22, two of six qualifiers were held Tuesday at both Sharon Country Club and Beverly Golf and Tennis Club where a combined 28 players made the cut and will compete in the Championship Proper.

• Results from Sharon CC
• Results from Beverly G&TC

At Tuesday’s qualifier at Sharon CC, Geoff Fountain shot a 1-over par 73 to lead the group of 10 players who advanced to play on the Cape next month. The Thorny Lea GC member made the turn at 2-over par 38, but used a solid back nine, which included back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, to finish atop the leaderboard.

Behind Fountain was George Wright Golf Club’s Paul Mitchell, who fired a 3-over par 75 to lock up the second spot. After a solid front nine that included a pair of birdies, Mitchell battled through a difficult back nine to finish in second place on the leaderboard. He finished the day with a trio of birdies and 11 pars.

The next three players on Sharon’s leaderboard finished with scores of 4-over, 5-over and 6-over, respectively, before the remaining five qualifiers all shot 7-over par 79 to round out the day.

On the North Shore, another 18 golfer’s qualified for the main event at Beverly G&TC.
 
Atop the leader’s in Beverly were a trio of golfers who finished T1 after carding an even par 70 on the afternoon. Marc Lowell (Red Tail GC), Matt Perry (Springfield CC) and Andrew Reed (Tatnuck CC) combined for 12 birdies and 30 pars as they finished one stroke below the next lowest score, a 1-over par 71 that was turned in by Andrew DiRamio (Indian Pond CC).

The other qualifying scores ranged from 2-over par 72 to 5-over par 75 as the field saw 16 players and ties qualify for the Championship Proper.
    
A total of nine alternate players were also selected between the two qualifying sites on Tuesday.  All alternates will be will be placed on a priority list per the Alternate Policy which can be found on the MGA Policies & Procedures page.

Three more MGA Mid Amateur Championship qualifiers will be held over the next two weeks. Segregansett CC will host a qualifier on Wednesday, August 10 and Tekoa CC will host on Thursday, August 11. The sixth and final qualifier ahead of the Championship Proper will take place on August 17.  

Entries are open to amateur golfers who have reached their 25th birthday by September 20, 2016, who hold membership at an MGA member club and have an up-to-date MGA/USGA GHIN Handicap Index not exceeding 5.4 (as determined by the July 1, 2016 Handicap Revision), or who have completed their handicap certification.