Sisk Outlasts Zackheim to Win Mass Open by 2 Shots
Cleveland Star Joins Elite Company with 4^th State Open Title

 June 23 by Dominic Dastoli

            Sutton, MA-In a whirlwind two month stretch that has already included two wins and a 48^th place finish in the U.S. Open , Geoff Sisk put a resounding exclamation point on his recent performance by firing a closing 2-under par 69 to capture his 4^th Mass Open title. Eil Zackheim, Sisk’s chief rival thus far this season, put up a valiant effort in his Mass Open debut but struggled down the stretch to finish two shots back at 5-under par. This marks the second time in as many events that Zackheim has finished runner up to Sisk, with their showdown at the season opening Cleveland Golf Tour’s Atkinson Open also resulting in a Sisk triumph. “We’ll have at it again,” said an enthusiastic Zackheim while speaking to the media.

            Fellow Cleveland Golf Tour stars Billy Downes, Eric Egloff, and Paul Dickinson made spirited attempts at catching Sisk but ended up in a three way tie for 3^rd at 3-under par. Downes closed with a solid 68 but simply began the day too far back to make the leaders take serious notice. Corey Harris shot a 1-under par 70 to finish solo 6^th and Sam Brackett and Tele Wightman came in at even par to tie for 8^th with Matt Donovan, who posted the lowest round of the day with a 4-under par 67 to move up 17 places on the leaderboard.   

            Entering the final round tied for the lead, Sisk countered two Zackheim bogies in the first three holes with three straight pars to seize a two shot lead. Never one to be overwhelmed by a poor start, Zackheim quickly reeled off birdies on the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th holes to grab a share of the lead with Sisk at 6-under par.

            As they headed for the back nine, both players exchanged pars until reaching the long and treacherous par 3 16^th hole. There, Zackheim fanned a 4-iron into the right greenside bunker while Sisk missed just short of the green. “I made a tentative swing,” Zackheim later said. After a stellar bunker shot, though, he left himself about eight feet for par. Putting first, he missed his par putt and Sisk then drained his dead center to take a one shot advantage heading into the closing two holes.

            Following a tremendous recovery from just off the fairway on the par four 17^th, Zackheim three putted from just over 25 feet to virtually ensure a Sisk victory heading into the par 5 18^th hole.

            “He’s done it so many times,” said Zackheim, a 25 year old product from Colgate University. All things aside, this event represents another “valuable learning experience” for Zackheim. Despite staring down Sisk for the entire day only to come up just short, he remains poised to finally break through. “I’m patiently awaiting a good win,” he said. According to Sisk, it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through. “He’s a great player, he’ll win soon enough,” Sisk said assuredly.

            With the victory, Sisk now joins such golfing legends as Harold McSpaden and Alex Ross as the only players to capture the Cochrane Memorial trophy at least four times. “I’m proud to be one of those names,” Sisk said. “Hopefully it’s one more of many to go,” he added. 

            As talented as he is, though, Sisk credits much of his success to a well-managed schedule and the opportunity to play on a highly competitive professional golf circuit. “This Cleveland Golf Tour affords me the luxury to stay at home,” said the 39 year old assistant at Marshfield Country Club. “Brian Hebb has done a tremendous job with this tour in all aspects.”