News Release

For Immediate Release: May 24, 2004

Headline: Andy Drohen Fires 4-under 67 to Capture Medalist Honors at U.S. Open Local Qualifying

Longmeadow, MA – Fresh off a victory at the 2004 Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship, Andy Drohen (Granville, MA) continued to impress this afternoon by shooting a 4-under par 67 to capture medalist honors at U.S. Open local qualifying, which was held at Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

Drohen, the 2003 Massachusetts Amateur Champion, finished two shots better than Tele Wightman (Chicopee, MA), a former amateur standout who currently competes on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, and three shots ahead of 2003 MGA Richard D. Haskell Player of the Year Frank Vana, Jr. (Shrewsbury, MA). Rounding out the list of qualifiers was Casey Bourque (Biddeford, ME) with an even par 71.

Two weeks ago, the first of two rounds of local qualifying was held at Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth. Geoffrey Sisk (Marshfield, MA), the 1995, 1997 and 2002 Massachusetts Open Champion, led a pack of seven qualifiers from that site. All local qualifiers are vying for a spot at this year’s U.S. Open Championship, which will be held on June 17-20 at Shinnecock Hills GC in Southampton, NY.

The MGA annually conducts qualifying rounds for the major United States Golf Association (USGA) Championships, including the U.S. Open, Senior Open, Amateur, Junior Amateur, Senior Amateur, Mid-Amateur and the Amateur Public Links. For more information about the U.S. Open Championship, please visit the USGA’s web site at www.usga.org.

U.S. Open Local Qualifying
Monday, May 24, 2004
Twin Hills CC – Longmeadow, MA
Par 71 (35-36)

Qualifiers
1 a-Andy Drohen (Granville, MA) 33-34--67
2 Tele Wightman (Chicopee, MA) 34-35--69
3 a-Frank Vana Jr (Shrewsbury, MA) 35-35--70
4 Casey Bourque (Biddeford, ME) 34-37--71

Alternates:
1st Bart McCarthy (Feeding Hills, MA) 34-38--72
2nd a-Steve Alminas (East Longmeadow, MA) 36-36--72
3rd Ryan Porter (Providence, RI) 37-35--72
4th Kevin Giancola (Canton, CT) 36-36--72