News Release

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2005

Headline: Team Massachusetts Finishes Seventh at 2005 USGA State Team Matches

Norton, MA – The three-man team that traveled to Berkeley Hall Club in South Carolina last week to represent Team Massachusetts at the 2005 USGA State Team Matches did not disappoint.

The three local amateur golfers – Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC), Andy Drohen (St. Anne CC) and Bill Drohen (Bradford CC) – finished tied for seventh overall following three rounds of 18-hole stroke play. The best two scores from each day were counted towards the team total score. Team Massachusetts turned in a final score of 1-under par 431. The team from Texas dominated from the start as it captured the title with a sizzling 10-under par 422.

Leading the way for Team Massachusetts was six-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year Vana, who finished tied for fifth overall in individual stroke play with a score of 3-under par 213. Vana paced the team on the second day with a blistering score of 3-under par 69. Vana was one of only three players who were appearing in their sixth consecutive USGA State Team Matches. Vana was joined by Keith Decker of Virginia and Michael Podolak North Dakota.

The Drohen brothers were strong on the final day as their identical scores of 1-under par 70 spearheaded the team to its seventh-place finish. Bill Drohen posted a three-day total of 3-over par 219, while Andy Drohen scored a 4-over par 220.

The three golfers earned the right to compete at this biennial event after accumulating the highest State Team points – a variation of the MGA ’s Richard D. Haskell Player of the Year Points System – as of August 2, 2005 . Vana led the way with 2,386 points, while Andy Drohen and Bill Drohen finished with 1,435 and 1,125 points, respectively. Although Jim Renner (Foxborough CC) finished third in the points standings after a season in which he captured the Ouimet Invitational and New England Amateur Championship, he was not eligible as he is a collegian and participation in the USGA State Team Championship is prohibited by NCAA bylaws.

Since its inception in 1995, Team Massachusetts has never won the USGA State Team Championship. Two years ago, Vana competed alongside Kevin Quinn (Charles River CC) and Brendan Hester (Pleasant Valley CC) at Charles River Country Club and led his team to a sixth-place finish. Following the second round of play in which the trio had posted a 36-hole scoring record, Team Massachusetts could not keep up with the surging Tennessee team that prevailed for the victory.