Team Mass Golf Will Play For Fourth Straight Title In Team Matches With Rhode Island & Connecticut
For Immediate Release: October 6, 2023
NORTON, Massachusetts – The 89th edition of the Tri-State Matches is set to take place October 10-11 at Connecticut’s Wampanoag Country Club in West Hartford.
The club, which last hosted in 1977, is among the best layouts in Connecticut and maintains the same character from 1924 when Donald Ross sculpted this championship parkland course. Tyler Rae, Kyle Franz and Bradley Klein have created a restoration master plan that includes tree work to open up parts of the 166-acre site, fairway expansions, green rebuilding, about 400 yards of lengthening, and updating to the scale and placement of bunkers.
Team Mass Golf has won the past three titles in 2019, 2021, and 2022, with the 2020 matches being canceled. 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 regional title. Individual amateur golfers are selected each year by their state’s respective golf associations.
Event Format
Each state selected 10 of its best mid-amateur players, plus six senior amateur players (age 55 and up). 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 begins 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 foursomes and four-ball formats 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 nine consecutive holes will constitute their “front 9” and their next nine holes their “back 9”. Halved matches will result in half-points being awarded. In the singles matches, match points will be decided over the 18-hole round.
MEET TEAM MASSACHUSETTS
mid-AMATEURS
HERBIE AIKENS
Age: 41
City: Kingston; Club: Old Sandwich Golf Club (Plymouth)
Player Of The Year Points: 115 (T24)
2023 Accolades: Medalist at U.S. Amateur Qualifying at Berkshire Hills Country Club (shot 10-under-par in the 36-hole event); Played in U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
Fast Fact: Aikens owns an electrical contracting business — Lighthouse Electrical Contracting, Inc. He started his business at age 20 with a $267 job and now his business generates more than $20 million in electrical work with a staff of 60 employees.
shuvam bhaumik
Age: 40
City: Canton; Club: Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Player Of The Year Points: 203 (18th)
2023 Accolades: T4 in Mass Mid-Amateur Championship; T4 in North Shore Amateur.
Fast Fact: Bhaumik competed on the Long Island University men’s golf team in the early 2000s.
colin brennan
Age: 34
City: Pelham, N.H.; Club: Indian Ridge Country Club (Andover)
Player Of The Year Points: 108 (T27)
2023 Accolades: T2 in North Shore Amateur; T13 in Norfolk County Classic.
Fast Fact: Brennan won the 2017 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship.
Mike Calef
Age: 44
City: Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Club: Pine Oaks GC (Easton)
Tri-States Count: 12th Appearance
Player Of The Year Points: 120 (23rd)
2023 Accolades: Qualified for U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship; T6 in Mass Mid-Amateur Championship; T4 in Amateur Invitational.
Fast Fact: Calef won the Massachusetts Amateur Championship in 2012 and 2013.
BILL DROHEN
Age: 50
City: Easton; Club: Bradford Country Club (Haverhill)
Player Of The Year Points: 330 (8th)
2023 Accolades: Won the Norfolk County Classic; Won North Shore Amateur; T3 in Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship.
Fast Fact: Drohen is a math teacher at Southeastern Regional Vocational Tech.
SEAN FITZPATRICK
Age: 39
City: East Walpole; Club: George Wright Golf Course (Boston)
Player Of The Year Points: 160 (20th)
2023 Accolades: T4 in Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship; Medalist in U.S. Mid-Amateur Qualifying
Fast Fact: Fitzpatrick works full-time as an electronic security integrator.
JOE HARNEY
Age: 31
City: West Roxbury; Club: Charles River Country Club (Newton)
Player Of The Year Points: 321 (9th)
2023 Accolades: Semifinalist at Massachusetts Amateur Championship; Made the Round of 32 in U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship; Qualified for the 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (w/Jason Jason Parajeckas).
Fast Fact: Harney won the 2015 Massachusetts Open at Black Rock Country Club.
Matt Parziale
Age: 36
City: Brockton; Club: Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Player Of The Year Points: 425 (5th)
2023 Accolades: Winner in Amateur Invitational; Round of 16 in Massachusetts Amateur Championship; Competed in U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Fast Fact: Parziale played in this year’s prestigious Crump Cup at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey.
RICKY STIMETS
Age: 32
City: Osterville; Club: Worcester Country Club (Worcester)
Player of the Year Points: 853 points (1st)
2023 Accolades: Won the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship by 13 strokes; Low Amateur (T5 overall) at Massachusetts Open Championship; T7 at New England Amateur Championship.
Fast Fact: Stimets won this year’s Mid-Amateur 30 years after his grandfather won the same title.
GEORGE ZOLOTAS
Age: 37
City: Danvers; Club: Tedesco Country Club (Marblehead)
Player Of The Year Points: 114 (26th)
2023 Accolades: 3rd in Worcester County Amateur; T4 in Amateur Invitational; 8th Norfolk County Classic; T9 Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship.
Fast Fact: Zolotas played Division I college golf at both Old Dominion University and St. John’s University.
SENIOR AMATEURS
john hadges
Age: 63
City: North Easton; Club: Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 500 (2nd)
2023 Accolades: Qualified for U.S. Senior Amateur Championship; T3 in New England Senior Amateur Championship; 3rd in Ouimet Memorial Tournament (Lowery Division).
Fast Fact: Hadges won the Massachusetts Amateur Championship in 2008 and 2010.
JOHN MCNEILL
Age: 62
City: Stow; Club: Amateur Golf Tour Of New England
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 225 (6th)
2023 Accolades: Qualified for U.S. Senior Amateur; T3 in New England Senior Amateur Championship.
Fast fact: McNeill is the Dean of Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
JIM PATTERSON
Age: 55
City: Southampton; Club: Orchards Golf Club (South Hadley)
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 191 (9th)
2023 Accolades: Low Senior in Norfolk County Club; 2nd in Senior Hornblower Memorial Tournament; T5 in Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship.
Fast Fact: Patterson is the owner of Tour Tuned, LLC in Southampton, which serves as a resource for Edel Putter, wedge and iron fittings.
Keith smith
Age: 65
City: Franklin; Club: Franklin Country Club (Franklin)
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 399 (5th)
2023 Accolades: Won New England Senior Amateur Championship; Won Massachusetts Super Senior Amateur Championship; 2nd in Norfolk County Classic (Senior Division).
Fast Fact: Smith is one of only two people to win the Massachusetts Senior Amateur (2021), Massachusetts Super Senior Amateur (2023) and New England Senior Amateur (2023).
Steve Tasho
Age: 64
City: North Easton; Club: Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton)
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 425 (4th)
2023 Accolades: Made Round of 32 in U.S. Senior Amateur Championship; 4th in Ouimet Memorial Tournament (Lowery Division); 2nd in Amateur Invitational (Senior Division).
Fast Fact: Tasho is a two-time Massachusetts Amateur champion (1981, 1985).
Frank Vana Jr.
Age: 61
City: Boxford; Club: Marlborough Country Club
Tri-States Count: 29th Appearance
Senior Player Of The Year Points: 504 (1st)
2023 Accolades: Won Senior Hornblower Memorial Tournament; 2nd in Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship; 2nd in Ouimet Memorial Tournament (Lowery Division).
Fast Fact: Vana was inducted into the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame in 2016.
RHODE ISLAND ROSTER
| Michael Arter* |
Jamie Lukowicz |
| Mike Caparco |
Dave Marshall* |
| Tyler Cooke |
Tom McCormick |
| Darren Corrente* |
Brian O’Leary* |
| John Drohen |
Dean Parziale* |
| Mike Hamilton |
Dr. George Pirie* |
| Larry Lafauci |
Kevin Silva |
| Bobby Leopold |
Auggie Sottile |
CONNECTICUT ROSTER
| Glen Boggini* |
Dave Jones* |
| Benjamin Conroy |
Rick Malafronte* |
| Benjamin Day |
Patrick McGuiness* |
| Richard Dowling |
Bob Murphy* |
| Adam Friedman |
Arthur Ouimet |
| Anthony Guerrera |
Cody Paladino |
| Rick Hayes |
James Sheltman |
| Bill Hermanson* |
Peter Tomlinson |
*Denotes Senior Amateur
STAY CONNECTED
Mass Golf will have coverage of the 89th Tri-State Matches at Wampanoag Country Club. Visit MassGolf.org and follow @PlayMassGolf on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news and content.
