Earning a spot into a USGA championship is old news to Frank Vana Jr. But it admittedly carries a little more meaning when the championship is going to be “a home game.” In this case, the U.S. Senior Amateur at The Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass., which begins Aug. 27.
If forced to sit and think for a little bit, Vana figures he’d be able to produce an accurate list, but he guesses “it’s probably around 35” USGA championships right now.
He’s played in the U.S. Senior Am several times and in the U.S. Senior Open. There have also been numerous appearances in the U.S. Mid-Am, the U.S. Amateur, and the U.S. State Team competition. The U.S. Junior Am? Vana shook his head, then laughed. “Not that one. I was a hockey player then.”
No question, said Vana, “things shook out this year,” because the qualifier was at Charles River “where I’ve played a bunch of times,” and he’s quite familiar with Kittansett, having competed in a few State Amateurs there.