REHOBOTH, Massachusetts – Over two perfect summer days, the Massachusetts Father Son Modified Scotch Tournament was contested for the 45th time as one of the oldest parent-child tournaments on the Mass Golf schedule.
In the Senior Division, Mark and Michael Souliotis, of Haverhill Golf & Country Club, shot 5-under-par 66 and escaped a two-hole playoff to win their fourth Father Son tournament. While in the Junior Division, some new names find their way through a playoff for their first victory. Cory and Brayden Pavlik of Woodland Golf Club, finished the day with a 2-under par 69 and won a 1-hole playoff.
Sons 19 and over, and both the player and father cannot have a Handicap Index exceeding 12.0
Monday’s Senior Division wrapped up with with an exciting playoff between the Cordeiro and the Souliotis teams, both finishing their rounds 3-strokes better than their nearest competitors. After two holes, Mark and Michael Souliotis sealed the deal and walked away with another win and etched their name in the Mass Golf history books as one of the winningest teams in the event. Only Fordie and Fordie, Jr. Pitts and Joseph and Jason Cook have also won four times.
“We play this format quite often, and I think the secret is to play to your strengths and hopefully that is how it ends up playing out,” said Mark Souliotis. “Michael’s strength is the tee ball and his putting, whereas mine is my iron game. If he gets off the tee well, and I can put him close we have a good chance to put up a good score. You always need some luck and the putts to fall.”
Prior to their arrival in the scoring area after their 18-hole round, the leaders in the clubhouse were Eduardo and Oliver Cordeiro with a 5-under 66. After an uneventful front nine, the Cordeiros got hot on the final stretch, going from even par through 14 to 5-under par through 18. The pair made three consecutive birdies and capped the round off with an eagle on the 525-yard, par-5 18th hole.
A few tee times later, team Souliotis had been grinding from the start. They carded seven birdies in the difficult Modified Scotch format before they headed into the playoff. The pair recounted the excitement of the playoff that played across holes 18 and 10.
“We won two years ago in a playoff so I think that made us less nervous. (On 18) I left the birdie putt a bit short and Michael tapped in with the Cordeiros having a 20 footer for birdie. They just missed and made a difficult 5 foot comeback to send us to the 10th hole. We decided on another knockdown pitching wedge, similar to just a few holes back, and was able to hit it right at the pin landing about 8 feet short and rolled just past the cup to just 5 feet. The Cordeiro’s hit a similar shot but were 15 feet away. They just missed and Michael buried it, the 6th birdie putt he made today.”
The Souliotis’ previously won in 2016, 2018, and 2020. The pair have enjoyed playing in Mass Golf events for the past several years, but remarked that this one is different in so many ways for them.
“Having won together for the fourth time, each has been more exciting than the one before,” said Mark Souliotis. “We typically reflect on how we played during the drive home, these opportunities don’t come around that often and doing so together is even more satisfying as I like to think I did my best for him. It will be interesting to see if we can play well next year, the odd number years haven’t gone as well for us.”
Congratulations to the remaining top five finishers in the Senior Division:
Sons 14-18 years old, and neither player’s Handicap Index can exceed 20.0
For the second day, the winners of a division of the Father Son Modified Scotch Tournament was decided by a playoff. Cory and Brayden Pavlik took home some new hardware after posting a round of 2-under 69 and besting their opponents, Sheldon and Zach Hamilton in a playoff.
Team Pavlik earned its spot in the winner’s circle after carding five birdies during their round, including a crucial one on the 17th hole, a 142-yard par 3, after making double on the hole prior. Heading into the first playoff hole, the two capitalized on an errant shot by their opponents leaving them with some breathing room to par the hole and take the victory.
Congratulations to the remaining top five finishers in the Junior Division:
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