News Release

For Immediate Release: November 20, 2007

Headline: Frank Vana, Jr. Named Massachusetts Golf Association Player of the Year for 9th Time

Norton, MA – He may not have won any major championships during the 2007 golf season, but perennial amateur standout Frank Vana, Jr. (Boylston, MA) once again proved that he is the most dominating and prolific golfer in Massachusetts.

For the seventh straight year and ninth time overall (1994-95, 2001-07), Vana has been crowned the 2007 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year.

Also receiving end-of-the-year recognition are Alistair Catto (South Hadley, MA) and Antonio Grillo (Vineyard Haven, MA), who earned MGA Senior and Junior Player of the Year honors, respectively.

Vana, Catto and Grillo – along with all of the 2007 MGA Champions – will be honored at the MGA's Annual Salute to Champions Dinner, which will be held on Thursday, January 3 at Wellesley Country Club.

Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year – FRANK VANA, JR.:
The 2007 golf season was an odd one for Vana, the 1990s MGA Player of the Decade. While he didn't capture a major MGA Championship title, he found a way to dominate the amateur golf scene like no one else as he posted 987 MGA Player of the Year points this season, which represents the third most points ever recorded by an amateur player in this state.

This past year, Vana – the 13-time club champion at Marlborough Country Club – showed that his game is rising to the level of the best in the region. One week after finishing as runner up to Burgess Houston (Wellesley, MA) in the Massachusetts Amateur Championship, Vana went on to place second at the rain-shortened New England Amateur Championship. In that event, Vana posted a remarkable 6-under par 138 through two rounds to finish just two shots back of collegian standout Brent Paladino from Connecticut. Later that summer, Vana squared off against a red-hot Darren Bolton (Lynnfield, MA) in the Francis Ouimet Memorial Tournament and finished second. While the title represented Bolton's first, Vana remains a part of Ouimet Tournament history as he is the only golfer to have won four such titles.

Lightening struck again as Vana captured second place at the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship held in September at Cohasset Golf Club. In an event in which Vana has won seven titles since its debut in 1984, it took a superman-like performance by Philip Smith (Tyngsboro, MA) to take over the top spot. Over the course of the summer, Vana also finished second at the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship (with partner Brendan Hester (Northbridge, MA)) and tied for third at the Norfolk County Classic and Massachusetts Father & Son Championship. He did find the winner's circle at the New England Amateur Invitational and with his mother Debbie at the WGAM Mother & Son Championship.

On the national front, Vana made USGA history as he was one of only two players to appear in a seventh-consecutive USGA Men's State Team. Vana helped lead Team Massachusetts to a T11 finish at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. Despite the summer of second places, Vana continues to establish himself as the most prolific amateur golfer this state has ever seen since the days of Francis Ouimet as he has captured 12 MGA Championships and nine Player of the Year awards over the course of his career. The closest players to Vana in the former category are Jim Ruschioni (10), Frederick Wright (9) and Francis Ouimet (7).

George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year – ALISTAIR CATTO
For the first time in four years, the MGA crowned a new George M. Cohen Senior Player of the Year. Veteran Alistair Catto, 56, earned that prestigious honor this past season as a result of his stellar play both locally and nationally. The highlight of Catto's season came in September at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship where he advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3 & 2 victory over Larry Grant of California. This marked the first time that Catto, who plays out of The Orchards Golf Club, had advanced to Championship Proper. Although the Scotland-native and Amherst College graduate had previously competed in three U.S. Amateurs (1987, 1990, 1995) and the 1990 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, his quarterfinal performance in 2007 at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship was his best result to date!

Additional season highlights included a third place finish in the Lowery Division at the Francis Ouimet Fund Invitational and a T5 place at the Massachusetts Senior-Four Ball Championship with partner Bill Barry, Jr. (Hampden, MA). He also earned bonus points for qualifying for match play at this year's Massachusetts Amateur Championship and by finishing third at the Western Massachusetts Amateur Invitational. As a result of his impressive performance this season, Catto was selected as a member Team Massachusetts at the 2007 Tri-State Matches held at Point Judith Country Club (RI). En route to the team's fourth consecutive title, Catto was dominant during the singles matches as he captured a maximum six points to lead his team to victory.

By being recognized as the MGA Senior Player of the Year, Catto becomes only the third golfer to earn such an honor as Edward Fletcher (1998-2002) and Jim Ruschioni (2003-06) have dominated this category since its inception in 1998. In the point standings, Catto finished 82 points ahead of 2007 Massachusetts Senior Champion Doug Crawford (Stow, MA).

Christopher Cutler Rich MGA Junior Player of the Year – ANTONIO GRILLO: For the second straight year, Antonio Grillo has established himself as the best junior golfer in Massachusetts by collecting his second consecutive Christopher Cutler Rich MGA Junior Player of the Year award. Grillo, a senior at Martha's Vineyard High School who turns 18 on November 7, successfully defended his Massachusetts Junior Championship title this year at Crumpin-Fox Club. Although the result was the same, the road to victory was a bit more challenging for Grillo as he edged Josh Salah (Gloucester, MA) by one stroke for the title. With the victory, Grillo became the first golfer to capture two straight Massachusetts Junior Championship titles since Rick Karbowski posted back-top-back victories in 1971 and 1972. In the event's 89-year history, only six golfers – Grillo (2006-07), Karbowski (1971-72), Arthur Burke, III (1968-69), Robert Barclay (1961-62), Ed Lowery (1919-20) and Frederick Wright (1914-15) – have equaled that impressive feat.

Earlier in the summer, Grillo, who plays his golf out of Farm Neck Golf Club, claimed medalist honors at U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying by posting a remarkable 7-under par 133 at Ledgemont Country Club. He also was the youngest competitor to advance to the Round of 32 at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship where he was defeated by former MGA Player of the Year Steve Tasho in 19 holes. As a result of his strong play, it was no surprise that Grillo was one of seven golfers selected to compete for Team Massachusetts in the New England Junior Invitational at New Haven Country Club (CT).