U.S. Mid-Amateur: "Firefighter Parziale Faces Wedding Caterer Nichols in Final"

Brian DePasquale previews the U.S. Mid-Amateur final where a USGA trophy named after Bobby Jones, a Masters invite and a U.S. Open exemption are on the line.

No manager's of family trusts in this final...

Matt Parziale, a firefighter from Brockton, Mass., and Josh Nichols, a wedding caterer from Kernersville, N.C., each won quarterfinal and semifinal matches Thursday to advance to Friday’s 36-hole final match of the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The final is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. EDT and will be held on the par-70, 7,207-yard Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course.

For more coverage of the finals check out the official U.S. Mid-Amateur site.

Comments

[Steven T.]

And the Finalists are not former pros...like a fair amount of the rest of the field:

http://www.morningread.com/features/3aa98d34-714a-4dc3-bb07-1945c56aa8e2

[BM]

Parziale is a former pro

-Competed on NGA Hooters and eGolf tours before regaining his amateur status in 2013

-Made three trips to PGA Tour Qualifying School

That's from his USGA bio

[D. maculata]

The type of job one has to put bread on the table is secondary in one regard; how much are you willing to bleed? Natural talent a given, no player solid enough to make it this far has done it by practicing/playing only on weekends. Most, if not all free time is dedicated to living at the range and golf course. There's a reason so many top amateurs decide to sell insurance as an occupation.

[Sea Hag]

When not winning national championships, he stands ready to run into burning buildings to save lives.
Is there a better story in golf than that produced by this true public servant?