TAMPA, Fla.- Seventy-eight teams of two across two different golf courses began play on Saturday, but two teams were crowned victorious in extra holes at the Forty & Over Four-Ball Championships. John Crum and Greg Eckels took home the trophy at Ocala Golf Club, while William Mallon and Bobby Bird won at Vero Beach Country Club.
North
On a beautiful Saturday in Ocala, Martin Musgrave II and Matthew Giovannelli were able to take complete advantage of the great scoring conditions. The duo got off to a great start, making birdie on their first two holes of the day. They remained steady on the front nine, shooting 4-under for the rest of the nine. However, they were able to play their last eight holes in 6-under to take a one-shot lead over two other teams heading into day two. The teams of Tim Cobb/Ryan Irvin and Daniel DeBra were right on the tails of the lead, firing a first round score of 9-under 63.
Day two of the championship did not disappoint. After a first round score of 64, the team of John Crum and Greg Eckels knew they needed to go low on Sunday to come out on top, and they did just that. Eckels and Crum played the four-ball format to perfection, with Eckels making four birdies in his first five holes while Crum played the first five in 1-over. Crum was able to right the ship on the back nine making three birdies, including one at the last that would ultimately send the team into a playoff with first-round leaders Musgrave and Giovannelli. On the first and only playoff hole, Crum drained a 20-foot birdie putt to win the championship.
The team of Alfieri and DeBra remained steady on day two, shooting a score of 7-under 65, but it was not enough to join the two teams at 17-under, missing out on a playoff by one to finish in solo third place.
South
Down in Vero Beach, Brandon Smith and Tim Hanlon were the first group off in the first round and they took full advantage of the early conditions. They would grasp the early lead after making six birdies on their opening nine holes, including five birdies in a row from the fifth to the ninth holes. They would never look back and add one more birdie along with an eagle on the par-five, 15th hole. The Smith/Hanlon team would end their day with an impressive 9-under par 63. This would be enough only for a one-shot lead at the end of day's play.
The local pair of William Mallon and Bobby Bird would finish the day close on the leader's heels after firing an opening round of 8-under 64. The pair would look to utilize some of Bird's home course knowledge to challenge for the title on Sunday. This would set up for an exciting finish on Sunday with ten teams within five shots of the lead.
The final round of the championship proved to provide more of a challenge with scores being much higher than day one. With that being said, the Mallon/Bird team did not waiver. Only carding one bogey on the day, the team added five birdies to shoot a day two score of 4-under 68 for a two-day total of 132. Going into the last hole, Mallon and Bird knew they needed to make birdie to tie the leaders of Smith and Hanlon, and they did just that. Keeping the momentum, Bobby Bird defended his home course by hitting his approach shot. He only needed two putts to win the title and give the team the trophy.
