Cilley, Marshall Finally Break Through
By Joe McDonald
RIGA Senior Writer
PORTSMOUTH – Shannon Cilley was paying close attention to the live scoring of the 26th John P. Burke Memorial Thursday afternoon from her home in Westerly.
When she realized her son, Austin, had a solid chance of possibly winning the championship, she quickly made the trek to Green Valley Country Club and arrived only a few minutes before the start of the playoff that included Austin and Jonathan Pannone.
Shannon, and her husband, Kevin, walked the course and watched as their son won on the second playoff hole. The family hugged and celebrated the victory as the sun was setting over Narragansett Bay.
“They’re my biggest supporters, along with my fiancé, Amanda, and our step-daughter,” Cilley said. “My family means the world to me. They support me in everything I do, and anything I want to do and there’s definitely a lot that I want to do. So, for them to be here, (winning) means just as much to them as it does to me because they’ve had to endure all the heartbreak I’ve suffered in the past in these tournaments. This is a win for me but also a win for the family as well.”
Cilley, 29, has been a mainstay on the RIGA circuit for the last eight seasons and he’s come agonistically close to winning several tournaments. However, he’s always been on the outside looking in.
“I’ve been knocking on the door for a while now,” he said.
He finally broke through Wednesday and Thursday at Newport Country Club and Green Valley CC, respectively. Cilley shared co-medalist honors after Round 1 with Jeff Delucia (6-under 66) on a near-perfect day at Newport CC. On Thursday, the conditions changed and it was a challenging round for every golfer through the wind and cold at Green Valley CC. Cilley’s lead dwindled and he needed to par No. 18 to finish 1-under overall and force a playoff with Pannone.
“Keep it simple,” Cilley said of his mindset entering the playoff. “I tried to keep it simple all week – fairways, greens and try to knock in some putts. If I can stay within myself is when I play my best golf. I try to get all the distractions out of my head because the game is hard enough.”
After his victory, he admitted he kept thinking about a quote he read by pro golfer Tony Finau.
“He said, ‘Winners are just losers who never gave up.’ Today was a struggle. I did not play the greatest and faced a lot of adversity, but it means the world to overcome it and finally get over the hump,” Cilley said.
Even though he has spent nearly a decade competing in RIGA events, life interrupted his golf game this season. His focus changed. He concentrated on work, but there was a void. He watched the leaderboards of the tournaments he did not participate, including the State Amateur.
“It was killing me,” he said.
Cilley announced his presence with authority this week during the John P. Burke Memorial and walked away a champion – finally.
“Newport is an historic venue and The Burke is an historic event. Today, Green Valley is in great shape, but Mother Nature was not too favorable for us. It means the world (to win). It’s a great event and I love playing in it every year,” he said.
He’s trying to navigate life and find a balance between a career and his golf game, hoping to play in more tournaments in 2025.
Meanwhile, David Marshall, of Quinnatisset Country Club, can empathize with Cilley. Marshall, too, has come close to winning RIGA tournaments, but also came up short. He also changed the narrative this week. He shot a two-day total of 67-75 – 142 to claim the Senior Division title of the John P. Burke Memorial.
“It feels great,” he said. “It’s everything you work in the offseason and during the season and it feels great to finally break through. I’ve had a lot of close calls, so to finally get it done feels awesome.”
Matt Lowe, of Button Hole Golf Club, won the Net Division, while Jerry Drummond, of North Kingstown GC, won the Senior Net Division title.