MGA: Massachusetts Golf Association Illustration Illustration

News Release

For Immediate Release: April 27, 2004

Starting times, pairings and course assignments for the first and second rounds of the 2004 Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship are now available online.

First Round Starting Times
Second Round Starting Times

The 24th playing of the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship will be held on the North and South Courses at Stow Acres Country Club on May 10-11. The initial starting field was set for 180 teams, but due to a high-level of response from competitors and the generosity of Stow Acres Country Club, the MGA was able to increase the Championship field to 200 two-person teams.

All competitors will compete in 36 holes of Four-Ball Stroke Play. Two-time defending champions Michael McCarthy (Hyannisport Club) and Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) will begin their first round at 9:00 a.m. on the South Course. McCarthy and Vana, Jr. successfully defended their title last year with a one-stroke victory over three other teams. In the 24-year history of the State Four-Ball, only four teams have captured consecutive titles – James Hallet and Rick Edwards (1982-83), Burton Page and Mike O’Keefe (1984-85), Jon Fasick and Carter Fasick (1997-98) and McCarthy and Vana, Jr. (2002-03). If the defending champions are victorious again this year, they will become the first team to collect three straight Massachusetts Four-Ball titles.

The Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship debuted in 1981 and has become one of the most popular events on the MGA Championship schedule. The event is open to two-person teams of amateur golfers who hold membership in an MGA member club and have an up-to-date combined MGA/USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 6.0.

A complete list of tee times as well as first and second round results will be available online throughout the duration of the championship.

Related MGA News:
A complete 2004 MGA Championship schedule, including qualifying sites, can be found in the current issue of MassGolfer™ magazine. The award-winning publication also features several ways that you can “Enjoy Golf More in 2004”. In addition, you’ll learn how to ease your winterized body back into the golf season with a “GolfShots” lesson by Stow Acres CC golf professional Jacques Panet-Raymond and take a deeper look into the newly redesigned www.MGAlinks.org web site.