Massachusetts Golf Association

By: Becky Blaser on 11/02/09 04:17 PM

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It wasn't a question of whether he would win… it was more about how much would he distance himself from the field.

Brian Higgins (Franklin CC) took care of business on Thursday by calming posting a 5-under par 65 and claiming his second straight Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship title by an astounding 12 strokes. He finished with a three-day total of 14-under par 196. (Story continues below)

By finishing 12 strokes ahead of Phil Smith (Vesper CC), Higgins' victory represents the largest margin of victory ever recorded at this event. The previous record was posted by Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) in 2006 at Walpole Country Club when he won by seven strokes. Higgins is also only the sixth golfer in the 26-year history of the event to win more than one such title.

It was by far my best collective three days of golf I have ever played in my life," said Higgins, who spent time on the professional circuit prior to being reinstated as an amateur in 1998. "I have never gone this deep in my life and it feels great."

Adding to the list of accomplishments this week, Higgins was the only player to break par on all three days. In fact, during the second round, Higgins bettered the day's scoring average of 76.207 by an incredible 11 strokes.

"I kept my same game plan and didn't change any shots today," said Higgins, who made birdie on three of his first four holes to silence any hopes of a come-from-behind challenge. "I hit a nice wedge into the first hole and made a 12 footer after Phil made his birdie putt, which was a good way to start."

Higgins, the reigning Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year, entered the final round with a seven-stroke lead and was anything but complacent through his final 18 holes. Following a bogey on the 383-yard, par 4 5th hole – only his third in three days – Higgins went on cruise control and carded three more birdies – on the 12th, 16th and 18th holes – to cap off his second 5-under par 65 round of the tournament.

"It's fun," said Higgins. "I felt like I wasn't going to make any mistakes. I had a couple of anxious moments out there, but for the most part I kept calm and hit the shots I needed to and I was able to play aggressive when I thought that I could."

Even when it looked like he might be in trouble, Higgins managed to recover almost effortlessly. For instance, on the 401-yard, par 4 16th hole when his drive sailed right into the trees, Higgins used his 7 iron to chip out in front of the green. While most competitors would have hoped for par, Higgins calmly chipped in from 35 feet for birdie. He also managed to make par one hole earlier after his tee shot landed on the 16th tee box.

"It was very unexpected," said Higgins of his monstrous victory. "I came into the week thinking that I could win, but I never thought that it would be like this. I just hope that it continues on in the national events."

Before Higgins begins his preparation for the upcoming USGA Men's State Team Championship (see more below) and the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, he will do what most of the amateur competitors do following a round of golf… head home and attempt to do some work before picking up the kids.

"I'll grab the three kids at 5 and then make dinner for them all," said Higgins who enjoys time with his three children ranging in age from 8 to 7 months. "I'll be Mr. Dad tonight."

So while the young ones may be more impressed with his cooking talents tonight, perhaps one day they will hear stories about what their father accomplished on this special day.

Bound for St. Louis

Higgins won't have much time to bask in his new title because he – along with Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) and John Hadges (Thorny Lea GC) – will be jumping on a plane come Monday and heading to St. Louis to take part in the 2009 USGA Men's State Team Championship. This year marks the eighth playing of this USGA biennial event, which debuted in 1995 to celebrate the association's centennial anniversary.

This year's event will be held on September 23-25 at the Country Club of St. Albans. The three Bay State players earned the right to represent Massachusetts as a result of their dominating play throughout the past two years. A special point system was created in order to help the MGA select the top three players based.

Higgins was the top point getter out of the three thanks in part to his 2008 season which earned him the Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year honor. During that celebrated run, Higgins captured two MGA titles – the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship and Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship – and was the only Bay State golfer to qualify for both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships.

Vana, who will serve as team captain, will be the elder statesman on the squad as he is just one of two competitors in the country to compete in all eight USGA Men's State Team Championships. The only other player able to boast that distinction is Keith Decker of Virginia. Arguably the most dominating Bay State player from the past Decker, Vana is a nine-time Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year, seven-time Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Champion and two-time Massachusetts Amateur Champion.

Hadges has always been one of the most consistent golfers in the state and last year showed that his game was peaking when he captured the 2008 Massachusetts Amateur Championship at The Kittansett Club. Although he was unable to defend his title this season, Hadges advanced to the second round of match play and also posted an impressive third-place finish at the Ouimet Invitational.

The Bay State contingent will play 18 holes on each of three stroke-play rounds (Wednesday through Friday). The two lowest scores from each three-person team constitute the team score for each round. The three-day total is the team's score for the championship. Follow all of the action online at www.stateteam.org.

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