Headline: Five Golfers With Bay State Ties Advance to Match Play at the USGA Mid-Amateur Championships Being Held in Pennsylvania

For Immediate Release: September 12, 2016

Shannon Johnson and Matt Parziale have earned co-medalist honors at the USGA's Mid-Amateur national championships in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Norton, MA — Over two days of stroke play contested at two different host sites located in Pennsylvania, the Bay State saw five of its own advance to match play at the USGA’s mid-amateur national championships.

Shannon Johnson (Norton, MA) and Tara Joy-Connolly (Palm Beach Gardens, FL and formerly of Cohasset, MA) as well as Matt Parziale (Brocton, MA), Kevin Silva (New Bedford, MA) and Antonio Grillo (Martha’s Vineyard, MA) all survived the grueling first stage of competition to advance to match play at their respective championships.

The Kahkwa Club in Erie is playing host to this year’s U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, while the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is being conducted less than six hours away at Stonewall’s Old Course in Elverson.

USGA Mid-Amateur Quick Links:

• Leaderboard @ Kahkwa Club
• Leaderboard @ Stonewall
• USGA Home Page

Stealing headlines and finishing as medalist at a USGA Championship Proper for a second straight year was Johnson.

One year ago, the South Dakota native who moved to Massachusetts in 2012 was individual medalist at the 2015 USGA Women’s State Team Championship where she set the event’s all-time record with a three-round score of 4-under par 212.

This past weekend in Erie, Johnson made birdie on her final hole on Sunday to post a two-day total of 1-over-par 145 and share co-medalist honors with 2013 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur champion Julia Potter.

CLICK HERE to read more about how Johnson – who now resides in Norton – recovered from a double bogey on the 16th hole to finish tied atop the leaderboard.

This marks Johnson’s seventh appearance in match play at a USGA Championship – U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur (R32 in 1999 and 2000), U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (R32 in 2004 and R16 in 2005) and U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (R64 in 2008, R16 in 2014).

“It’s great, but really the tournament starts tomorrow,” said Johnson to the USGA following her round. “For me, I wanted to come out and play well these first couple days. It’s just getting into a routine and getting my swing where I wanted to.”

Joining Johnson in match play as the 22nd seed is Joy-Connelly. Although she currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Joy-Connelly was a nine-time WGAM Player of the Year and is currently married to J.P. Connelly, who is the director of golf operations at Cohasset Golf Club.

Johnson will take on Staci Creech of Bangor Maine at 8:30 a.m., while Joy-Connelly will be in action at 1:09 p.m. against Caryn Wilson of Rancho Mirage, California.

On the men’s side, three competitors with Bay State ties are looking forward to another day of competition in Elverson.

Parziale – the reigning Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Champion – and Silva both finished with two-day scores of 6-over par 146 to finish T35.

Parziale is playing in his third straight U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. One year ago, he finished as co-medalist after posting a 4-under par 139 at John's Island Club in Florida. (CLICK HERE to read more about his sizzling summer of 2015, which also included a record-setting performance at the 2015 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship.)

Grillo, a two-time MGA Junior Player of the Year who now works for the PGA TOUR, avoided a playoff for the final qualifying spots by posting an 8-over par 148.

Following a 14-for-one playoff to be held on Monday morning, the Bay State trio will be in action.

@ 10:10 a.m. – Grillo vs. Derek Busby (Ruston, La.)
@12:30 p.m. – Parziale vs. Trevor Randolph (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)
@ 2:10 p.m. – Silva vs. Riley Pumphrey (Austin, Texas)

The 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and 2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship represent the 86th and 87th USGA championships, respectively, conducted in Pennsylvania. The U.S. Open was held at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club on June 16-19, while Rolling Green Country Club, in Springfield, Pa., hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur on Aug. 1-7.

The 2016 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship is open to female amateur golfers who are at least 25 years of age and who have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 9.4. It consists of two 18-hole rounds of stroke play followed by six rounds of match play starting on Monday, with the championship scheduled to conclude with an 18-hole final on Thursday.

The 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is open to any amateur golfer who is 25 years old by Sept. 10 with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4. The USGA accepted 4,131 entries for this year’s Championship Proper. The record of 5,271 entries was set in 1997.