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For Immediate Release: July 15, 2004

Headline: Frank Vana, Jr. & Mike Cole to Face Off in 2004 Massachusetts State Amateur Final

Williamstown, MA – Two clutch playoff putts by Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) and Mike Cole (Gannon Municipal GC) proved to be the difference during the semifinal matches of the 2004 Massachusetts State Amateur Championship. Both players drained putts on their 19th holes of the day to earn a spot in tomorrow’s State Amateur final match. The two players will begin the 36-hole final match at 7:30 a.m. at Taconic Golf Club.

Vana, the five-time MGA Player of the Year who has yet to win this title, found himself in a dogfight with Bill Drohen (Bradford CC) during his semifinal match. The two players battled back-and-forth throughout the match, never letting the other get more than one hole ahead. Vana took a brief 1 Up lead after making birdie on the par 4 15th hole but quickly gave it back on the very next hole with a bogey. With the match all square on the 18th hole, Drohen put the pressure squarely on Vana’s shoulders by making a difficult downhill 15-foot putt for birdie. Vana was able to drain his 10-foot putt to force extra holes. On that first playoff hole, it was a case of déjà vu – except this time around Vana was the first to putt. He made his 10-foot putt, while Drohen was unable to put away his 9-foot putt and fell in 19 Holes.

Meanwhile, Cole continued to turn a lot of heads on the amateur golf scene when he notched his semifinal victory over a very talented young former collegiate standout, David Spitz (Rockland GC) to secure a spot in the finals. Cole, who has never advanced to stroke play until this year, broke out to an early lead when Spitz made his first bogey of the day on the par 4 2nd hole. The lead changed several times over the course of the match, but Cole finally looked like he was closing in on victory when he took advantage of a double bogey by Spitz on the par 4 16th hole to go 1 Up. That lead held up until an approach shot by Cole on the 18th hole clipped a tree and fell short into the greenside bunker. Cole was unable to recover as Spitz evened the match and forced extra holes. Cole’s incredible story was not meant to end there, however. After both players missed the green with their approach shots, Cole drained a 40-foot putt for the birdie and the match victory.

Quarterfinal Highlights:

Brendan Hester (Pleasant Valley CC), this year’s stroke-play medalist who cruised through his first two matches yesterday by identical scores of 5 & 4, could not find a way past Spitz in the first quarterfinal match. Hester actually found himself with a 2 Up lead over Spitz courtesy of an eagle made on the 1st hole and a birdie on the par-3 3rd hole. He held on to his lead through 11 holes, but Spitz managed to take his first lead with a birdie on the par-4 15th hole. A birdie on the 18th hole sealed the victory for Spitz, who last year advanced to the quarterfinals where he was defeated by Kevin Quinn.

Drohen, meanwhile, held off a late charge by Brian Alberico (CC of New Seabury) en route to his 2 & 1 victory. Drohen stormed out of the gates and made birdie on four of his first six holes to take a 3 Up lead. Alberico fought back valiantly and closed the gap to 1 Up with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 9th hole, but he couldn’t find a way past Drohen as the match wore on. Drohen, whose older brother Andy was eliminated in the Round of 16, closed out the match on the 17th hole when both players made par.

Cole knocked off John Gilmartin (Renaissance GC), 2 & 1, in his quarterfinal match. Cole took advantage of a few Gilmartin bogeys before posting two birdies of his own on the 3rd and 4th holes to extend his lead to 3 Up through nine holes. Despite struggling on the back nine (he posted three bogeys and one double bogey during that stretch), Cole’s lead proved strong enough as he closed the door on Gilmartin with a par on the 17th hole.

The closest battle of the quarterfinals was the match-up between the veteran Vana and 20-year-old Jim Renner (Foxborough CC). Neither player was able to pull away through the match as the gap between them never extended beyond one hole. The outcome came down to one miraculous shot by Vana on the par 3 17th hole. Vana’s tee shot sailed over the green and landed in the left rough, while Renner found himself with a 15-foot putt for birdie. Facing a very steep, sloping green, Vana’s chip shot somehow found its way into the hole. Renner was unable to match that birdie, so Vana stepped onto the 18th tee with a 1 Up lead. Both players made birdie on the final hole, giving Vana the 1 Up victory.

©2004 Massachusetts Golf Association.