Headline: Five Bay State Golfers Prepare For Major Challenge at The Capital Club in Atlanta This Week at the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2017

Five Bay State golfers will be taking on the many challenges of The Capital City Club's Crabapple Course in Atlanta this week.

Norton, Mass. – Five Massachusetts residents will be among the 264 in the field when the first and second rounds of the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship kicks off October 7 at two of Atlanta, Georgia’s championship courses.

Austin Smith (Belmont), Tommy Parker (Boston), Kevin Silva (New Bedford), Ryan Pelletier (Mansfield) and Matt Parziale (Brokcton) will compete at either the Capital City Club, the Propers Championship venue, or the Stroke Play co-host venue, Atlanta National Golf Club looking to advance to the match play portion of the event, scheduled to begin Monday, October 9.

The 37th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, the last of the USGA men’s competitions and the second to last USGA Championship being contested in 2017 (U.S. Women’s Mid Am), is the most notable event held at the Capital City Club since the 2013 NCAA Men’s Championship. After two days of stroke play, the match play Round of 64 will be contested on Monday while two rounds of match play will be held on each of the next two days. The 36-hole Championship match will be contested on Thursday, October 12.

Smith, Parker, Silva and Pelletier enter the Championship field after qualifying at various USGA local qualifiers held across New England during the month of August, while three-time MGA Player of the Year Matt Parziale, the reigning Massachusetts Amateur Champion, earned exemption into the field as a result of being among the top 400 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Parziale is one of 10 competitors in the field exempt due to their top-400 amateur golf ranking.

The entries were open to amateur golfers who will have reached their twenty-fifth birthday by October 7, 2017 and have an up-to-date Handicap Index® based on ratings for men not exceeding 3.4 under the USGA Handicap System.

R1 and R2 Tee Times:
Austin Smith - 1:03 PM (10 – CC) / 8:18 AM (1-AN)
Tommy Parker – 7:56 AM (1-CC) / 12:41 PM (10-AN)
Kevin Silva – 1:58 PM (10 –CC) / 9:13 AM (1-AN)
Ryan Pelletier – 1:47 PM (1 – CC) / 9:02 AM (10-AN)
Matt Parziale – 1:25 PM (10-AN) / 8:40 AM (1-CC)

*CC – Capital City Club / *AN – Atlanta National Golf Club

Schedule of Play:
Saturday, Oct. 7 (Stroke Play, Round 1, 18 holes)
Sunday, Oct. 8 (Stroke Play, Round 2, 18 holes)
Monday, Oct.. 9 (Round of 64, match play)
Tuesday, Oct.. 10 (Round of 32/Round of 16, match play)
Wednesday, Oct. 11 (Quarterfinals/Semifinals, match play)
Thursday, Oct. 12 (Championship Match, 36 holes)

Follow Along:
For more information on the USGA Mid-Amateur Championship, visit usga.org or follow the @USGA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #USMidAm.