IRONS IN THE FIRE

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Matt Parziale is well aware of how much of an attraction his story is to the outside world.

He’s a 30-year-old firefighter from brokendown mill town Brockton, Mass., who earned a spot at the Masters for winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur title. He’s the antithesis of the wellheeled country-club kid who was afforded all the amenities to succeed in what’s perceived as a rich man’s game.

Parziale appreciates his story, even embraces it.

But don’t patronize Parziale, who earned a place in this week’s Masters field not by fluke or fortune or by some Kevin Costner-like “Tin Cup” moment. Parziale is not a novelty act. Like his Mid-Amateur champion predecessor, Stewart Hagestad, who last year became the first Mid-Am winner to make the Masters cut in 27 years, Parziale is at Augusta this week to compete.

“I understand the story, and it’s a great story, but I’ve been playing tournament golf for years,” the 30-year-old Parziale told The Post. “It’s not like I was a firefighter and just went out and picked up a club and won a tournament to get into the Masters. I’ve put a lot of work in to get where I am now. It took a lot to get to where I am this week.”

Before week’s end, Parziale will be the darling of the 2018 Masters.

“He’s a blue-collar kid from a blue-collar family from a blue-collar city,” Brian Nardelli, Parziale’s deputy chief at Station 1 in Brockton, told The Post.

“He’s a blue-collar guy that just happens to be one of the best golfers — amateur-wise — in the country,’’ Greg Chalas, Parziale’s best friend, told The Post. “He’s not going to go to Augusta looking around and saying, ‘How cool is this to see Jordan Spieth over here and Tiger Woods over there?’ He’s going there to compete.

“The firefighter story is unbelievable, but he’s not going to get wrapped up in that. He’s looking to see how well he can play. I don’t think the moment is going to be too big for him, let’s put it that way.”

When you speak to Parziale, poised and personable, you believe what his best friend said. He’s here for a reason, and he’s not overwhelmed or intimidated by any of it.

“I’ve always wanted to compete at the highest level,” Parziale said.

“This kid wins the national Mid-Am championship and a spot at the Masters and comes back and works his shift the next day,” Nardelli said. “He comes back at 2 in the morning and was cleaning toilets that next morning because he’s still the junior guy around here. This kid was just holding the Mid-Am trophy 12 hours before that. That’s unheard of.”

Before retiring in November, Vic Parziale was on the job 32 years at Station 1 in Brockton, where his son often visited and was moved by how much his father “loved his career.”

So after a two-year stint in his mid-20s during which he played “all the mini-tours you can possibly imagine” in an effort to make it as a professional, Parziale drove home and followed in his father’s footsteps at the firehouse.

“Brockton is home,’’ Parziale said. “It’s a tough city. It’s gone pretty downhill since my dad was a kid, but I love it there. I’m building a house there, so [fiancée Alison Hubbard and I] are staying for a long time.”

This week at Augusta, Vic Parziale will be following his son’s footsteps as he caddies for him.

You can only imagine the intensity of the first tee for Thursday’s opening round.

“It’ll definitely be emotional; I think he’ll be calmer than I will be,” Vic said.

“I like being nervous,’’ Matt said. “That means you care and you’re excited. It’s going to be a fun first tee shot.”

Vic and his father, Carmine, got Matt into golf when he was 4 years old when they took him to the Brockton fairgrounds to hit balls and then shag them. By the time Matt was about 9 his dad took him to play at the local municipal course, D.W. Field.

The first time Matt beat his father, who’s a 10 handicap these days?

“I’ll never forget the day,” Matt said. “I was 14. We both played great. I shot 72, and he shot 73. I don’t think he’s beaten me since.”

Swing coach Shawn Hester, who worked with Parziale while he was giving it a go as a pro and is working with him again, said he always believed he had what it took to be a successful pro.

“When he was a pro, I really thought he had enough talent to continue that route — and I encouraged him to continue that route,” Hester told The Post. “He wasn’t comfortable playing professional golf. He doesn’t like to travel, and he didn’t like having no money. So he made a change. But through all that, his love for the game and love for competing probably grew. He’s a lot better now than he was then [as a pro].”

Parziale said his interest in golf grew because of Tiger Woods. When he won the Mid-Am, Parziale said Woods sent him a congratulatory note. He’s hoping for a Wednesday morning practice round with Woods, though he said, “He’s in high demand.”

“This is not a kid who just dropped his tools, picked up a golf club and won a golf tournament to get into the Masters,” Nardelli said. “This is a kid who’s worked his whole life to be where he is right now. This week might be the pinnacle of his golfing career, and he has to make the best of every last minute of this.”