Matt Parziale, a full-time Brockton firefighter, will play in the 2018 Masters
His father, who was also a firefighter, will be his caddie.
Matt Parziale’s name might not be among the array of traditional favorites looming over the 2018 Masters, but the story of how he ended up at one of golf’s premier event ranks near the top.
Parziale, 30, is a full-time firefighter in Brockton. He won the US Mid-Amateur Championship in Atlanta last October, which (eventually) garnered a berth in the Masters and 2018 U.S. Open.
USPS = Santa Clause. The Best Christmas Present. #TheMasters #christmas #christmaseve #teddy pic.twitter.com/kromXhOCpt
— Matt Parziale (@Matt_Parziale) December 24, 2017
Of course, Parziale had little time to celebrate. He had to be back for work the next morning.
“We actually missed our first flight out from Atlanta, the traffic just got so bad. By the time I finally got home it was around 2 A.M.,” Parziale told Dylan Dethier of Golf.com afterward. “And then I had to be in at 7.”
As a member of Brockton’s Ladder Company 1, Parziale turns in 12 and 24-hour shifts in what has been one of the nation’s busiest fire departments. It’s been his life for over four years, after he ended his bid to be a professional golfer.
His journey to the Masters is indelibly linked to June 6, 2012. It was the day Parziale reapplied to be an amateur, having given up on chasing a spot on the PGA Tour. Only the day before, Parziale finished last out of a field of 74 golfers in a U.S. Open qualifier.
Becoming a firefighter, Parziale had no regrets. He was following the footsteps of his father, Vic, who retired at a captain in the Brockton Fire Department in 2017 after more than three decades.
“I watched him my whole life love his career,” Parziale said in a USGA interview. “I knew a bunch of the guys even before I got on. I always enjoyed being around them. The fact that I was able to be one of those guys is a dream come true.”
Yet he kept playing as an amateur, finding time at his home course, Thorny Lea, and building up to the annual U.S. Mid-Amateur tournament. Still, through two years of competition a the Mid-Am, he was eliminated each time in the first knockout stage. In 2017, he found his footing.
Despite being 5-down in quarterfinal match play, Parziale rallied to win. Storming into the final, he registered a dominant 8-by-6 victory to capture the Mid-Am. His father, as he does for every big tournament, was his caddie.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaPGt2_D2Th/?taken-by=mattparziale
One tricky ramification was that while Parziale now officially qualified for the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach (as well as the Masters and U.S. Open), he now had a time conflict.
The Amateur Championship takes place from Aug. 13-19, and it just so happens that Parziale’s original wedding date fell on the 18th.
“Once Matt started winning in the [Mid-Am] tournament, I knew changing the wedding date might definitely be a possibility,” his fiancée said in a USGA interview.
“We found another date that works for everyone, and it’s going to be an exciting August,” Parziale explained.
Heading into the Masters, Parziale has created a unique circumstance for golf fans. For the first time, they can get update on a player in the Masters from the official City of Brockton Fire Department social media:
— Brockton Fire (@Brockton_Fire) April 2, 2018
At a tournament known for its drama, Parziale could surprise. What’s more certain is that when the Masters ends, Parziale will trade the greens of Augusta National for the familiar sight of Pleasant Street in Brockton.
Round one of the Masters begins on Thursday, with play concluding on Sunday.
