MGA: Massachusetts Golf Association Illustration Illustration

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 18, 2003

Ninety years ago a young caddie named Francis Ouimet walked through the gates of The Country Club and captured the 1913 U.S. Open Championship in what was one of the most memorable sporting moments of all time.

This afternoon, a former caddie from The Country Club, Andy Drohen (St. Anne CC) delivered one of the greatest upsets in recent Massachusetts amateur golf history by defeating four-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), 1 Up, in the final match of the 95th playing of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

With the victory this afternoon, Drohen's name will be etched on The Massachusetts Cup, a championship trophy that has been claimed by such golf legends as Francis Ouimet, Jesse Guilford, Frederick Wright and Ted Bishop.

Playing on a course that he made many a loop on during his tenure as a caddie, Drohen played with confidence and consistency during the early stages of the 36-hole match and jumped out to a 5 Up lead after 24 holes. The two players battled hole-for-hole throughout the first 18 holes. Vana, who started off the morning with a bogey on the 446-yard, par 4 1st hole, found himself trailing by three holes at the turn.

The door of opportunity opened for Vana as he found himself only 1 Down on the 18th tee. An errant tee shot, however, sailed far right and into the pine trees behind the 15th green. A double bogey on that hole - Drohen had made a routine par - dropped Vana to 2 Down at the break.

Drohen's momentum continued even after the brief lunch break as he captured that 5 Up advantage thanks to a birdie on the 310-yard, par 4 24th hole. Following a brief rain storm that suspended play for an hour, Vana began an incredible - and what would have been a historic - comeback. Vana posted birdies on three of four holes to pull within two holes of Drohen heading into the final seven holes.

As the rain began to threaten once again, the two competitors walked onto the 36th tee with Drohen holding onto a slim 1 Up lead. Drohen looked to be in trouble when his second shot landed in the left bunker short of the hole, but he came through with an outstanding shot out of the sand that left him with a 15-foot putt for par. Vana then missed his birdie putt - one that would have forced extra holes - and watched as Drohen calmly sunk his par putt to close out the match and earn the title of 2003 Massachusetts Amateur Champion.

Highlights From Day 4:

One finalist has been a stalwart on the Massachusetts amateur golf scene for the past decade, while the other is most known for his nearly decade of service as a caddie at the host club. Come Friday morning at 8:00 a.m., however, four-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) and former caddie Andy Drohen (St. Anne CC) will meet on the first tee at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts with a chance to capture the 95th Massachusetts Amateur Championship title.

For the past 10 years, Vana has dominated nearly every amateur event but the one title that has eluded this champion has been the Massachusetts Amateur Championship. Vana took a step closer to erasing that void this afternoon by advancing to the final match.

Vana came up with a clutch birdie on the 16th hole to take a 1 Up lead over University of North Carolina standout Kevin Silva (CC of New Bedford) in the semifinals. That 1 Up lead held out through the final two holes, giving Vana his first Massachusetts Amateur final berth.

Earlier in the day, Vana played like a man on a mission, defeating 2001 Massachusetts Amateur Champion Brendan Hester (Pleasant Valley CC), 6 & 5. Vana played near flawless golf as he broke the match open with seven birdies in 13 holes. After making birdie on the 1st and 4th holes, Vana posted four straight birdies on the 7th through 10th holes.

Meanwhile, Drohen quietly moved his way through the 2003 bracket on Thursday with a 5 & 3 morning victory over one of the longest drivers in the field, Jack Lander (Brae Burn CC). In that match, Drohen fell behind early but managed to pull away with two birdies and an eagle over the final five holes of play.

Drohen then faced off against Kevin Quinn (Charles River CC), a 3 & 2 quarterfinal winner over David Spitz (The Harmon Club), in the afternoon semifinal match. Drohen drew first blood on the 3rd hole when Quinn sent his second shot well wide of the green. Although Quinn was able to quickly square the match on the 4th hole, Drohen jumped out to a 3 Up lead thanks to two straight birdies on the 5th and 6th holes. Quinn stormed back and drew within 2 Up with an impressive up-and-down on the 8th hole out of a tricky bunker. With Quinn holding a 1 Up lead, Drohen pulled even with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. After Drohen sent his third shot to within five feet of the hole on 18, Quinn had to make a tough 30-foot putt to force extra holes. The putt stopped just short of the hole, giving Drohen the victory and a chance for the title.

The two players will return to The Country Club for a 36-hole final match, which will begin at 8:00 a.m. Following the first 18 holes, the players will take a 30-minute lunch break before returning to the course for the final stretch of play. The victor will then have his name etched on The Massachusetts Cup, a championship trophy which has been claimed by such golf legends as Francis Ouimet, Jesse Guilford, Frederick Wright and Ted Bishop.

Highlights From Day 3:

Three days ago, 144 golfers had dreams of capturing the Massachusetts Amateur Championship. Following two days of stroke play and two rounds of Match Play, only eight players remain. The 32 qualifiers from the first two days of play competed in the Round of 32 on Wednesday morning, while the winners of the morning matches advanced to the afternoon Round of 16 matches.

This year's medalist - Hans Sherman (The Country Club) - battled through his two matches, knocking off Robert Malcolm, Jr. (Oakley CC) in the Round of 32 by a score of 2 & 1, and then making quick work of Jay Sieber (Sterling CC), 4 & 3. After falling behind on the front nine of his morning round, Sherman took control of the match over Malcolm and did not fall behind again throughout the rest of the afternoon.

Sherman's competition in the quarterfinals will be University of North Carolina standout Kevin Silva (CC of New Bedford). Silva, who is coming off a successful freshman campaign with the Tar Heels, snuck by host club player R.D. Haskell (The Country Club) before knocking off 2003 Massachusetts Open low amateur Eric McPhail (New Sandy Burr CC), 2 & 1, in the afternoon match.

Meanwhile, Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), a four-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year, avenged his 2002 Massachusetts Amateur Championship loss by defeating Jim Ruschioni (Oak Hill CC) this morning in a marathon 22 holes. Last year, the two veteran players faced off in the Round of 32 and it was Ruschioni who escaped with the 1 Up victory. This time around, Vana outlasted Ruschioni in extra holes and then went on to push past Keith Orlen (The Orchards GC), a young talent out of Elon College by a score of 2 & 1.

Still very much in the hunt is 2001 Massachusetts Amateur Champion Brendan Hester (Pleasant Valley CC). Hester, who was eliminated from last year's tournament in the Round of 16 by eventual champion Rob Oppenheim, began match play as the fourth seed and defeated Joe Cunningham (The Country Club) and Jay Donovan (The Orchards GC) today. Hester will take on Vana tomorrow morning.

Filling out the list of quarterfinalists were Andy Drohen (St. Anne CC), who finished off his day with a 1 Up victory over Brian Baker (LeBaron Hills CC) in the Round of 16, and John Lander (Brae Burn CC). At one point during the afternoon, Lander found himself 3 Down to Joe Keller (Oyster Harbors CC), the 1993 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year. However, Lander gained momentum when he made eagle on the 526-yard, par 5 14th hole to bring himself within two holes of Keller and had squared the match by the 17th hole. Lander closed out the match on the 19th hole to earn him his first quarterfinalist appearance at this event.

The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will take place on Thursday, while the final 36-hole match will be conducted on Friday morning. The first quarterfinal match between Sherman and Silva will begin at 8:00 a.m.

Highlights From Day 2:

Hans Sherman (The Country Club) continued his dominance on Tuesday afternoon as he turned in a two-day score of 6-under par 136 to earn medalist honors at the 95th Massachusetts Amateur Championship, which is being held this week at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Sherman, the reigning host club champion and a semifinalist at this event last year, shot a 1-under par 70 this afternoon to finish atop the 144-player field. The top 32 qualifiers from the first two days of stroke play will now move on to the Match Play portion of the event, which will begin on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m.

One day earlier, Sherman made history when he posted a 5-under 66, which represents the lowest score turned in by an amateur player on The Country Club's historic Championship Course. Despite making bogey on two of his first three holes this afternoon, Sherman bounced back nicely with four birdies during the middle stages of his round. Sherman will now face Robert Malcolm, Jr. (Oakley CC), who advanced following a three-for-two playoff.

Finishing four strokes back of Sherman with a score of 2-under par 140 was Kevin Quinn (Charles River CC), the 2002 New England Amateur and 1999 Massachusetts Open Champion. Quinn, whose brother Brian was victorious at the 2003 Massachusetts Open Championship last month, followed up his Day 1 score of 3-under par 68 with a 1-over par 72. At the turn, Quinn was 4-over par 39, but rebounded with a 3-under par 33 on the back nine. Quinn will face off against Phil Miceli (Sagamore Spring GC).

Shooting the round of the day was David Spitz (The Harmon Club), who turned in an unblemished 2-under par 69. Spitz, who will be a senior at the University of Rhode Island in the fall, posted 16 pars and two birdies on the day en route to his 4-over par 146 finish. Spitz, who finished in a three-way tie for 6th overall, will face James Drohen (Crystal Springs GC) in the Round of 32 on Wednesday morning.

The Round of 32 and Round of 16 of Match Play will be conducted on Wednesday, while the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will take place on Thursday.

Massachusetts Amateur Championship - Day 2 Highlights:
• Mike Dunham (The Ridge Club) may not have made the cut this afternoon, but the New York Rangers goaltender made a splash at his first MGA Championship event. Dunham, who qualified for this event at Cohasset Golf Club last month, finished the event with a 16-over par 158.
• Only one of the four past Massachusetts Amateur champions in the field - Brendan Hester (Pleasant Valley CC) - advanced to Match Play this year. Steven Tasho (Thorny Lea GC), John Salamone (Framingham CC) and Ed Fletcher (Quashnet Valley CC) all failed to make the cut.
• This year's Massachusetts Amateur Championship field consisted of 127 qualifiers and 17 exempt players. The inaugural Massachusetts Amateur Championship took place in 1903 at Myopia Hunt Club.

Highlights From Round 1:

Hans Sherman (The Country Club) proved that local knowledge can play in your favor, especially at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship which is being held this week at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Sherman, who is the reigning club champion at the host site, shot a blistering 5-under par 66 this afternoon during the first round of play.

According to officials at The Country Club, Sherman's round of 66 represents the lowest score posted by an amateur player on the famed Championship Course. The record low score on that course is currently held by PGA TOUR Professional Peter Jacobsen, who posted a 7-under par 64 during the 1988 U.S. Open Championship.

Sherman, a semifinalist at this event last year, started his round on the back nine and posted birdies on the 11th, 13th and 17th holes. A bogey on the 486-yard, par-4 12th hole proved to be his only blemish on the day as Sherman made the turn at 2-under par 34. Sherman finished off strong with back-to-back birdies on the 8th and 9th holes to cap off an impressive round. Heading into this event, Sherman's personal low score on the Championship Course was a 1-under par 70.

Two shots back of Sherman is a familiar face to Massachusetts golf, Kevin Quinn (Charles River CC), who finished at 3-under par 68. The defending New England Amateur Champion registered six birdies and three bogies on the afternoon. Much like Sherman, Quinn made birdie on the 8th and 9th holes.

Only four other players - Ed Budz (Taconic GC), Doug Clapp (Walpole CC), Robert Malcolm, Jr. (Oakley CC) and 2002 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) - managed to break par during Round 1. Budz fired a 2-under par 69 while Clapp, Malcolm and Vana posted a 1-under par 70. Also still very much in the hunt is 2001 Massachusetts Amateur Champion Brendan Hester (Pleasant Valley CC), who came in with a score of 1-over par 72.

The entire field will return to The Country Club on Tuesday to compete in a second and final day of stroke play. Following that round, only the top 32 finishers will continue on to Wednesday to take part in the Match Play portion of the Championship. The Round of 32 and Round of 16 of Match Play will be conducted on Wednesday, while the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will take place on Thursday.

This year's Massachusetts Amateur Championship field consisted of 127 qualifiers and 17 exempt players. The inaugural Massachusetts Amateur Championship took place in 1903 at Myopia Hunt Club.