PORTSMOUTH, Rhode Island – Massachusetts continued its recent dominance at the Tri-State Matches with yet another victory on Wednesday at The Aquidneck Club. The win marks three-straight for Massachusetts over Rhode Island & Connecticut and 17 of the last 18.
With a roster loaded with talent and a 20+ point overnight lead, it felt more like a formality on Wednesday for the players representing Mass Golf. Nine of the ten mid-am players on the Massachusetts roster advanced to Match Play (top 32 players) at the 2022 Massachusetts Amateur and seven players on the roster competed in USGA Championships this year as well.
Leading the talented bunch in points this week was Doug Clapp (Old Sandwich GC) who earned 13 of a possible 14 points and Sean Fitzpatrick (George Wright GC) who tagged on 12 points, which was the most among the mid-am players.
FINAL SCORES
Massachusetts – 81 points
Connecticut – 62 1/2 points
Rhode Island – 48 1/2 points
In any team victory, earning the clinching point is an opportunity every player hopes for. This year the duo of Steve Tasho (Thorny Lea GC) and John McNeill (Amateur Golf Tour of New England) had the honor of clinching the win for Massachusetts. Their 5 1/2 points won on Wednesday also happened to be the most earned by any Massachusetts duo on the day.
“It feels good, but it’s a team effort. You never know when you’re out there if your point’s going to matter. But it’s just a lot of fun. It’s a great thing to qualify for and to play at the end of the year. You get to see the guys from other states, the guys you just competed against at the New England Senior, so it’s fun.” said Tasho.
In the group of Mid-Amateur players, Sean Fitzpatrick led the team in points earned. He and Mike Calef (Pine Oaks GC) teamed up to earn 4 1/2 on Wednesday, which helped halt Connecticut’s comeback hopes.
“It was fun, you know. It’s always fun to play well and this is a really fun event. I guess having the most points (amongst mid-ams) is just icing on the cake, really.”
Fitzpatrick also talked about what it was like teaming up with the guys that he’s usually playing against.
“It’s a whole different format. It’s a whole different approach. You know, there’s so many good players down here and when you can play with them, on your team, we can all root for each other finally. It makes it a lot of fun.”
Three other players from Massachusetts joined Clapp and Fitzpatrick as players to earn 10 or more points in the event. Joe Harney (Charles River CC), John McNeill and Ricky Stimets (Worcester CC) all helped lead Massachusetts to yet another sizable victory.
Next year’s event will be contested in Connecticut with the venue to be announced at a later date.
Each team selected 10 of its top mid-amateur players, plus six of its top senior amateur players. Player selection for Team Mass Golf is primarily based on Mass Golf Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year Standings.
The championship began Tuesday morning with foursomes in the morning followed by singles matches in the afternoon. The final day will feature one round of four-ball matches.
The foresomes and four-ball formats are “Nassau Style “matches (1 point for winning the front nine, 1 point for the back nine & 1 point (overall match). A competitor’s first 9-consecutive holes will constitute as their “front 9” and their next 9-holes their “back 9”. Halved matches will result in half-points being awarded. In the singles matches, match points are decided over the 18-hole round.
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