MEET THE PLAYERS SELECTED TO REPRESENT TEAM MASSACHUSETTS AT THE TRI-STATE MATCHES
For Immediate Release: October 7, 2021
NORTON, Massachusetts – For nearly a century, top golfers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut convene every fall to play the Tri-State Matches.
The tradition continues this year as Mass Golf is hosting the event October 12-13 at Cape Cod National Golf Club in Brewster. The last time Massachusetts hosted was 2018 at Oyster Harbors when Connecticut pulled off the upset and ended Mass Golf’s 14-year win streak.
Mass Golf won back the title in 2019 at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and the 2020 Matches at Hartford Golf Course (CT) were canceled last year due to heavy rain.
A view of the 15th green at Cape Cod National. (Courtesy, Cape Cod National)
Each team selected 10 of its top mid-amateur players, plus six of its top senior amateur players. Player selection for Team Massachusetts is primarily based on Mass Golf Player of the Year and Senior Player of the Year Standings.
The championship begins with foursome matches with mixed mid-am and senior teams on Tuesday morning, with mid-ams and seniors paired together in the afternoon. On Wednesday
The format will be “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.
MEET TEAM MASSACHUSETTS
mid-AMATEURS
Nick Maccario
Age: 29
City: Haverhill; Club: Bradford CC (Haverhill)
Tri-States Count: Fifth
Player Of The Year Points: 533 (5th)
2021 Accolades: U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship (Semifinalist); Norfolk County Classic (Winner), Mass Four-Ball Championship (T4); Gasparilla Invitational (T3); 2022 U.S. Four-Ball Qualifier (Medalist).
Matt Parziale
Age: 34
City: Brockton; Club: Thorny Lea GC (Brockton)
Player Of The Year Points: 903 (1st)
2021 Accolades: Mass Mid-Amateur Championship (Winner); Mass Amateur Championship (Finalist); New England Amateur Championship (4th place); Mass Four-Ball Championship (Runner-Up); Top 20 at Crump Cup Memorial Tournament at Pine Valley.
DOUG CLAPP
Age: 54
City: Walpole; Club: Old Sandwich GC (Plymouth)
Player Of The Year Points: 240 (12th)
2021 Accolades: U.S. Senior Open (Qualifier); U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier (Medalist); Hornblower Memorial (T3); Mass Mid-Amateur Championship (T6).
Fun Fact: With two national events under his belt this year, Clapp has now competed in 18 USGA Championships.
JOE HARNEY
Age: 29
City: West Roxbury; Club: Charles River CC (Newton)
Tri-States Count: Debut
Player Of The Year Points: 201 (17th)
2021 Accolades: U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifier; Mass Amateur Championship (Round of 16); New England Amateur Championship (T8).
Fun Fact: Harney regained his amateur status in April of this year after a stint playing professional golf.
ANDREW DIRAMIO
Age: 39
City: Duxbury; Club: North Hill CC (Duxbury)
Player Of The Year Points: 285 (9th)
2021 Accolades: Qualifier, U.S. Amateur; Medalist, U.S. Open Local Qualifying; 3rd place, Mass Four-Ball Championship; T4, Norfolk County Classic.
SHUVAM BHAUMIK
Age: 38
City: Chelsea; Club: Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Player Of The Year Points: 205 (16th)
2021 Accolades: Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship (2nd); North Shore Amateur (3rd).
Tri-States Fact: Bhaumik is one of six Thorny Lea Members on Team Mass Golf.
RYAN RILEY
Age: 32
City: South Easton; Club: Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Tri-States Fact: Riley has made three of the past four squads for Mass Golf.
Mike Calef
Age: 42
City: Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Club: Pine Oaks GC (Easton)
Tri-States Count: Ninth Year
Player Of The Year Points: 150 (24th)
2021 Accolades: Amateur Invitational (T2), Mass Four-Ball Championship (T4), Tarlow Invitational (T6), 2022 U.S. Four-Ball Qualifier (Medalist).
BRANDOn PARKER
Age: 33
City: Boston; Club: Worcester CC
Tri-States Count: Debut
Player of the Year Points: 246 (11th)
2021 Accolades: Norfolk County Classic (T2), Hornblower Memorial (T3), Mass Mid-Amateur Championship (T6), 2022 U.S. Four-Ball Qualifier (Medalist).
KYLE TIBBETtS
Age: 33
City: South Boston; Club: Framingham CC
Tri-States Count: Second Year (Including 2020)
Player Of The Year Points: 252 (10th)
2021 Accolades: Mass Mid-Amateur Championship (5th), Mass Amateur Championship (Round of 16), Ouimet Memorial Tournament (T5), Worcester County Classic (T4), 2022 U.S. Four-Ball Qualifier (Medalist).
SENIOR AMATEURS
Frank Vana Jr.
Age: 59
City: Boxford; Club: Marlborough CC
Tri-States Count: 27th Year
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 473 (3rd)
2021 Accolades: U.S. Senior Amateur (Qualifier), Mass Senior Amateur Championship (T2), Mass Mid-Amateur Championship (4th), Mass Amateur Championship (Round of 16), Mass Four-Ball Championship (T3).
Keith Smith
Age: 63
City: Franklin; Club: Franklin CC
Tri-States Count: Sixth Year
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 745 (1st)
2021 Accolades: U.S. Senior Amateur (Round of 32), Mass Senior Amateur Championship (Winner), Mass Senior Four-Ball Championship (Winner), Ouimet Memorial Tournament (T2).
Tri-States Fact: Smith has been part of the last three Tri-State teams for Mass Golf.
Steve Tasho
Age: 62
City: North Easton; Club: Thorny Lea GC (Brockton)
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 380 (5th)
Tri-States Fact: 4th Consecutive Appearance
2021 Accolades: Ouimet Memorial Tournament (Winner-Lowery Division), Mass Senior Four-Ball Championship (Winner), Tarlow Invitational (Winner-Senior Division), Norfolk County Classic (2nd-Senior Division).
JOHN MCNEILL
Age: 60
City: Stow; Club: Amateur Golf Tour Of New England
Tri-States fact: First appearance since 2018
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 551 (2nd)
2021 Accolades: New England Senior Amateur Championship (Winner), Senior Hornblower Tournament (Winner), Ouimet Memorial Tournament (T4-Senior Division).
Fun fact: McNeill’s New England Senior Amateur victory was his first on the NEGA stage.
DAVID PIERCE
Age: 60
City: East Bridgewater, Georgia; Club: Thorny Lea GC (Brockton)
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 250 (6th)
2021 Accolades: Mass Senior Amateur Championship (T2), Senior Hornblower Memorial (T2), Tarlow Invitational (3rd-Senior Division).
JOHN HADGES
Age: 61
City: North Easton; Club: Thorny Lea GC (Brockton)
Tri-States Debut: 1982
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 405 (4th)
2021 Accolades: Norfolk County Classic (Winner-Senior Division), Mass Senior Amateur Championship (T2), Ouimet Memorial Tournament (T2-Senior Division), Tarlow Invitational (2nd-Senior Division).
RHODE ISLAND ROSTER
Bobby Leopold (Mid-Am)
Jordan Amorin (Mid-Am)
Tom McCormick (Mid-Am)
Mike Hamilton (Mid-Am)
Jamie Lukowicz (Mid-Am)
Kevin Blaser (Mid-Am)
Austin Cilley (Mid-Am)
McKinley Slade (Mid-Am)
Tyler Cooke (Mid-Am)
Kolby Simmons (Mid-Am)
Darren Corrente (Senior)
Dean Parziale (Senior)
George Pirie (Senior)
Randy Millen (Senior)
Dante Najarian (Senior)
John Auclair (Senior)
CONNECTICUT ROSTER
Brian Ahern (Mid-Am)
Mike Kennedy (Mid-Am)
Ben Conroy (Mid-Am)
Dan Murphy (Mid-Am)
Ben Day (Mid-Am)
Jamie Sheltman (Mid-Am)
Rick Dowling (Mid-Am)
Peter Tomlinson (Mid-Am)
Patrick Griffin (Mid-Am)
Nick Waddington (Mid-Am)
Bill Hermanson (Senior)
Dave Jones (Senior)
Bob Murph (Senior)
Craig Platt (Senior)
Donal Reilly (Senior)
Dick Stevens (Senior)
TRI-STATES HISTORY
The first Tri-State Matches event took place in 1907 when the team from Massachusetts won at the Agawam Hunt Club in Providence, Rhode Island. Ever since 1928, teams from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut have competed for the title over a two-day period to compete for the regional title. Individual amateur golfers are selected each year by their state’s respective golf associations.
STAY CONNECTED
Mass Golf will have complete coverage of the 87th Tri-State Matches at Cape Cod National Golf Club. Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and content.
