Brian Higgins MGA Player of The Year

Brian Higgins Captures 2008 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year Honor

Joe Keller and Bradley Kushner Named MGA Senior, Junior Players of the Year

Norton, MA -- For the first time in eight years, the Massachusetts Golf Association (MGA) has crowned a new Player of the Year. Brian Higgins (Bellingham, MA) captured a total of 903 points this past season and has earned the right to call himself the 2008 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year.

Higgins takes over the crown, which had been worn by perennial Bay State standout Frank Vana, Jr. (Marlborough CC) for the past seven years.

Also receiving end-of-the-year recognition are Joe Keller (Osterville, MA) and Bradley Kushner (Mendham, NJ), who earned MGA Senior and Junior Player of the Year honors, respectively.

Higgins, Keller and Kushner ˆ along with all of the 2008 MGA Champions ˆ will be honored at the MGA's Annual Salute to Champions Dinner, which will be held on Thursday, January 8 at Wellesley Country Club.

Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year ˆ BRIAN HIGGINS

This year, Higgins made sure that there was no question as to who the most dominating and consistent golfer was in the state of Massachusetts. The Bellingham resident began his season with a win at the 2008 Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship at his home course in Franklin. That victory served as the starting point of an impressive year of golf which saw him collect 903 points and finish 270 points better than second-place finisher John Hadges (North Easton, MA).

Higgins, a reinstated amateur who finished seventh in the Player of the Year standings in 2007, followed up his victory at the Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship with consistent and steady play throughout the next five months.

His season was highlighted by victories at the New England Invitational, Tarlow Invitational and the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship. It was only fitting that Higgins sealed his Player of the Year honor with a win at the Massachusetts Mid-Amateur Championship in September ˆ one of the last events on the MGA‚s schedule. In that event, Higgins defeated Phil Smith (Tyngsboro, MA) in a playoff.

He was also the only Bay State golfer to qualify for and compete at two USGA Championships ˆ the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur ˆ this past season.

Even when he was not victorious, the 34-year-old continually found himself battling for the top spot at major events. To wit, he advanced to the Round of 16 at the Massachusetts Amateur Championship, finished fourth at the Norfolk County Classic and was the low Bay State scorer at the New England Amateur Championship. He capped off his season by helping Team Massachusetts to its record fifth-straight victory at the 2008 Tri-State Team Matches.

George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year ˆ JOE KELLER

It seems only fitting that Joe Keller ˆ one of the most prolific and consistent golfers on the Bay State senior circuit ˆ earned George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year honors this past season. Keller, 59, made a strong statement this year as he posted 585 points to finish 205 points ahead of Paul Murphy (Arlington, MA).

He is the first player ever to win both the MGA Player of the Year (1993) and MGA Senior Player of the Year awards.

Keller distanced himself from the senior field when he captured the 2008 New England Senior Championship in September, the first NEGA Championship title for the Oyster Harbors Club member. Two weeks later, Keller, the 2005 Massachusetts Senior Champion, excelled on the national stage. After qualifying for Championship Proper, he went on to win three matches and advance to the quarterfinals. Along that impressive route, he dispatched of impressive competition which included the 1991 U.S. Amateur champion and 2007 USGA Senior Amateur runner-up.

Keller is no stranger to local dominance as he was the 1993 Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year and has finished third in the George M. Cohen MGA Senior Player of the Year standings the past two years.

Christopher Cutler Rich MGA Junior Player of the Year ˆ BRADLEY KUSHNER

This past season, Bradley Kushner picked the right event to win. The 17-year-old who resides in Mendham, New Jersey and plays out of Country Club of New Seabury, was victorious at the Massachusetts Junior Championship at Brae Burn Country Club. Kushner‚s three-day total of 3-over par 219 was good enough for a four-stroke victory over second-place finisher Dan McQueen (Bellevue GC). As a result of his win, Kushner picked up 300 Junior Player of the Year points and secured himself as the year‚s top junior player.