News Release

For Immediate Release: August 6, 2007

Headline: Two-time Champions Ruschioni & Nunez Lead by 1 at Massachusetts Senior Four-Ball

Sharon, MA – Two-time champions Jim Ruschioni (Indian Meadows GC) and Paul Nunez, Jr. (Longmeadow CC) are clearly on a mission to capture their third Massachusetts Senior Four-Ball Championship title as they jumped out to a one-stroke lead following the first of two rounds of play at Spring Valley Country Club in Sharon.

Ruschioni and Nunez, who won this event in 2003 and 2004, fired a day-low score of 4-under par 68.

One back of the leaders are five teams at 3-under par 69 – Jim Dambrose (Thorny Lea GC) and Athan Sigalas (Thorny Lea GC), Richard Garnett (Acushnet River Valley GC) and Thomas Eldredge (The Ridge Club), Donald Anderson (The Kittansett Club) and Claude Hoopes (The Kittansett Club), Robert W. Tribou (Pocasset GC) and William R. Tribou (Poquoy Brook GC)and Bill Barry, Jr. (Elmcrest CC) and Alistair Catto (The Orchards GC).

Those first-round leaders will join the rest of the 92 two-person teams competing in this year's event in returning to Spring Valley Country Club tomorrow to compete in a second round of 18-hole four-ball stroke play. Following the first round, the field was re-paired according to score. Ruschioni and Nunez and Garrett and Eldredge are paired together and will tee off on the 1st tee at 1:40 p.m.

Ruschioni and Nunez got off to a strong start as Ruschioni, the four-time George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year, notched a birdie on the 487-yard, par 5 1st hole. Nunez followed with a birdie of his own on the 316-yard, par 4 3rd hole. After exchanging four straight pars, Ruschioni capped off the front nine with a birdie on the 9th hole to make the turn at 3-under par 33. A Nunez birdie on the 11th hole was immediately followed by the team's only miscue on the day – a bogey on the 400-yard, par 4 12th hole. Ruschioni made up for that bogey with his third birdie of the day on the 344-yard, par 4 15th hole. The duo traded pars down the stretch to finish at 4-under par overall.

The team of Garnett and Eldredge were the first to turn in their 3-under par 69 scorecard. Garnett was on fire to start the round as he made birdie on three of his first four holes, while Eldredge held it together on the back nine with two birdies of his own. Anderson and Hoopes played perfect four-ball golf as both players made two birdies on the day. Dambrose and Sigalas made the turn at 1-under par 35 and – thanks to exceptional playing by Dambrose – finished the day with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes. Equaling that performance during the afternoon hours were Barry and Catto, who are playing together for the first time in this event, and the Tribou brothers who were last year's runner-up.

Two-time and defending champions Tom Bergeron (Crumpin-Fox Club) and Jack Varner (CC of Greenfield) are still very much in the hunt following a round of 2-under par 70. Despite a rocky start to their round where they made two bogeys – on the 432-yard, par 4 2nd and 316-yard, par 4 3rd holes – they rallied well by each making a birdie on the front and back nine.