News Release

For Immediate Release: August 23, 2004

Headline: Five Local Competitors Qualify for 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship

Norton, MA – After 18 holes of qualifying at two sites, nine golfers have earned a spot at the 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, which will be held on October 2-7 at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Local qualifying for this USGA-sponsored event was held today at Dedham Country & Polo Club and Cranberry Valley Golf Club.

In Dedham, it was Frank Vana, Jr. (Worcester, MA) who led the field with a medalist score of 2-under par 67. Vana, who last week advanced to the second round of match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship, posted three birdies – on the 5th, 6th and 8th holes – on the front nine to make the turn at 3-under par 32 and then capped off his round with two bogies and one birdie on the back nine. Finishing just one stroke back of Vana was Douglas Clapp (Walpole, MA), who turned in a score of 1-under par 68. Clapp, who like Vana qualified for the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship, struggled out of the gates by making bogie on three of his first five holes. He righted the ship very quickly as he registered three birdies, one eagle and zero bogies throughout the rest of his round. Also qualifying at that site were Billy Auger (East Providence, RI), Brendan Hester (Sutton, MA) and Paul Murphy (Arlington, MA). While Auger and Murphy qualified with a score of 2-over par 71, Hester captured the final qualifying spot following a three-for-one playoff.

Meanwhile at Harwich, Jon Fasick (Bellingham, MA) was the sole local competitor to advance after firing a 1-under par 71. Fasick, who qualified along with Austin Eaton III (New London, NH), Moose Brown (Baltimore, MD) and Roger Hoit (Summit, NJ), needed his strong 2-under par 34 back nine to propel him among the top of the leaderboard. Finishing as first and second alternates, respectively, were Bill Drohen (Haverhill, MA) and Michael Dunham (Sandwich, MA).

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.

About the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship:
In 1981, the USGA inaugurated its first new championship in 19 years, the U.S. Mid-Amateur. The Mid-Amateur, for amateur golfers of at least 25 years of age, provides a formal national championship for the post-college amateur, for whom the game is truly an avocation. The U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship has continued to grow in popularity and in 1989 topped 3,000 entries for the first time. In 2001, the final match, for the first time in the history of the championship, was expanded from 18 to 36 holes.