Headline: 14 Competitors Advance to 2017 Massachusetts Open Championship Following Qualifying Round at Tedesco Country Club

North Easton native Steven Burak earned a share of medalist honors at the 2017 Massachusetts Open Qualifier held at Tedesco CC on May 22.

For Immediate Release: May 22, 2017

Marblehead, MA — The fourth of six qualifying rounds for the 2017 Massachusetts Open Championship was held on Monday at Tedesco Country Club. When the final scorecard was turned in, a total of 14 competitors had earned a spot in next month's Championship Proper.

The 108th Championship Proper will take place June 12-14 at TGC at Sacconnesset in Falmouth. The Open Championship, the second longest running tournament hosted by the MGA, remains the only Championship Proper with a professional purse.

The 14 qualifiers scores ranged from 1-under par-69 to 1-over par 71 while five players who posted scores of 2-over par 72 are listed as alternates and will be placed on a priority list per the Alternate Policy, which can be found on the MGA Policies and Procedures Page.

CLICK HERE for complete results from the Tedesco CC qualifier. A list of qualifiers and alternates is as follows:

QUALIFIERS:
Steven Burak (Thorny Lea GC) 69
Matthew Jennings (Prairie City, IA) 69
Pat Wilson (Andover, NJ) 69
Chris Houston (a) (Gilford, NH) 70
Brandon Parker (a) (Worcester CC) 71
Edward Montone (Tedesco CC) 71
Mark Turner (a) (Bass Rocks GC) 71
Nick Antonelli (North Andover CC) 71
Jackson Lang (a) (Nashawtuc CC) 71
Colin Brennan (A/R) (Indian Ridge CC) 71
John Gilmartin (a) (Indian Ridge CC) 71
Kevin Fay (Lawrence, MA) 71
Louis Kelly (Sewell, NJ) 71
Christopher Tallman (Cold Spring CC) 71

ALTERNATES:
Yaroslav Merkulov (Penfield, NY) 72
Ben Balter (a) (Weston GC) 72
Phil Miceli (a) (Sagamore Spring GC) 72
Steven Dilisio (a) (Salem CC) 72
David Rogers (a) (Needham GC) 72

NOTES:
This latest qualifying round was one of the most competitive to date as a mere two strokes separated the medalist and final qualifier. Leading the charge with a medalist score of 1-under par was Steven Burak (Thorny Lea GC), a former amateur from North Easton who is currently competing on golf's mini tour down south. Burak shared medalist honors with fellow professionals Matthew Jennings (Prairie City, IA) and Pat Wilson (Andover, NJ).

UP NEXT:
The final two Massachusetts Open qualifiers will be held this week to conclude the qualifying schedule. The MGA will be at Taconic GC on May 23 and Eastward Ho! on May 24 as the remainder of the field is determined.    

For continued information regarding the Massachusetts Open Championship, visit mgalinks.org or follow the MGA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #MassOpen.