Lessons learned during Cinderella run

By Gary Larrabee

Golf is a game of dreams, of the unexpected, of the spirit.

No achievement in recent memory typifies that statement better than Larry Gannon Municipal member Mike Cole’s remarkable run at last month’s 96th Massachusetts Amateur at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown.

Cole, who turns 50 in September, emerged as the Cinderella story in the strong field of collegians, pro-wannabes and players who never miss a tournament, like newly-crowned champion Frank Vana Jr., arguably the best “life” amateur player the Commonwealth has turned out since three-time Amateur winner Jim McDermott (1980-84-89) of Fall River.

Cole became the first Lynn-based player ever to reach the championship match while shooting 77-70-147 in the 36-hole stroke play qualifier, then beating Andrew Boggini, 3 and 2, D.J. Hynes, 6 and 5, John Gilmartin, 2 and 1, and David Spitz in 19 holes.

Cole, playing in his fifth State Amateur, made a great run at becoming the third North Shore Golf magazine-region player in succession to win the coveted title. Haverhill native Andy Drohen beat the entire field last year, Indian Ridge’s Rob Oppenheim the year before.

“My only goal was to make match play,” said Cole, who skipped all major competition between 1992 and 1998 while sons Mile and Brian were playing youth sports. Brian caddied for his dad at Taconic.

“I’ve been playing quite a bit the last five years,” added Cole, a manager of training for the U.S. Postal Service’s Boston district. “And I was playing well going into Taconic. So I felt I could make a good showing. But I had no idea I’d get the chance to play a great player like Frank on Friday (in the 36-hole final).”

But there was the seven-time Gannon club champ, long-time friendly rival of another Gannon legend, Bob Small, knocking heads with Vana, the five-time Massachusetts Golf Association Player of the Year who was long overdue to capture his first state crown.

With wife Sharleen and chum Tom Fabrizio leading a brigade of Gannon supporters, Cole gave Vana all he could handle in the title match. The match was square after 15 holes before the heavily favored Vana won 16 and 17 with pars and took the same lead into the lunch break. Vana grabbed a 4-up lead after the third hole in the afternoon with a birdie on the 20th and a par on the 21st and Cole never got closer than three holes after that.

But Cole’s extraordinary performance made a compelling statement. “I simply showed,” Cole said, “that a lot of our North Shore guys can do the same thing I did if they keep their game solid, keep working at it, learn to control their emotions and play with confidence.

“Think of guys like Steve St. Amand from Salem, who won three State Public Links titles, and Bob Small and Mike Fecteau from Rowley and Cy Kilgore from Tedesco. We’re all approaching that 50-age milestone, but we’ve all still got game. Like I’ve said, I was humbled and honored to represent the North Shore in the final. There’s no reason why we can’t have someone in the final next year who can win it.”

Mike Foster, the long-time head professional at Gannon, would like to see Cole be that someone in 2005.

“Mike’s been a terrific player for what seems like 30 years,” said Foster. “So his reaching the championship match was no surprise to any of us at Gannon. “He regained his top form the last couple years and he put his tenacious, mature attitude to great use. What struck me is he put his children first and gave up golf for several years to get involved with their sports. If he’d been selfish, he might have been in the state final long before this, but that’s not Mike, never will be. He’s a fine role model for any golfer with a wife and young kids. He’s the perfect example of a guy who all but gave up the game, then got it all back and then some.”

Hopefully Cole’s inspiring story will create a path for others to follow. Equally important, he gave us a great memory for the Summer of ’04, just as Andy Drohen did a year ago in the same tournament.