Parziale impresses from the No. 32 seed at Massachusetts Am
Matt Parziale (David Colt/Mass Golf)
On the first day of match play at the 111th Massachusetts Amateur Championship, a combined 18 matches were completed at The Country Club, plus a continued playoff from Tuesday’s stroke play competition before play was suspended due to a dangerous situation (weather). All 16 matches in the Round of 32 were completed, and an additional two matches in the Round of 16 were finished before play was suspended at 3:40 p.m.
Brockton’s Matt Parziale, who defeated Gloucester’s Mark Turner in a playoff Wednesday morning to punch his ticket to the match play round after shooting a combined 6-over 148 in the first two rounds of stroke play, garnered the No. 32 seed, where he squared off against Herbie Aikens. Earlier this year, Parziale and Aikens advanced to the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball quarterfinals together. The two had also won two Massachusetts Four-Ball championships together in 2016 and 2017.
Parziale defeated Aikens, 3 and 1, before defeating Turners Falls resident Cody Booska, 7 and 6, in the Round of 16 Wednesday afternoon.
Parziale becomes the first No. 32 seed since 2014 to advance out of the first round of match play, and the first to advance to the quarterfinal round since Ian Thimble in 2013. That time around, Thimble advanced all the way to the championship match before falling to then defending champion, Mike Calef. Since 2000, only five 32-seeds have advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship, with Thimble and Larry Nuger (2000) as the only 32-seeds to advance to the 36-hole Championship match.
In addition to Parziale, Steven DiLisio of Swampscott was the only competitor to book a spot into the quarterfinals before play was suspended.
ABOUT THE Massachusetts Amateur
Qualifying - 32 Holes at Stroke Play to determine
32 Qualifiers for Match Play. Entries are open to
amateur golfers who have an active MGA/GHIN
Handicap Index at any public, private, semi-private,
municipal or non-real estate MGA member course/club
not exceeding 4.4.
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