Broderick & Ellis Medalists In Four-ball Stroke-play At Rumson

For Edmund Broderick’s 16th birthday, he will be playing as the No. 1 seed in the 86th NJSGA Four-Ball Championship alongside family friend Stephen Ellis in the match-play portion of the event which begins on Wednesday, May 9 at the Rumson Country Club in Rumson.

The pair shot 6-under-65 to earn medalist honors by one stroke over Brendan Hansen of Spring Lake and Randall Lazzaro of Trump National in Colts Neck. The low 16 advanced to match-play, which includes two rounds each on Wednesday and Thursday. Broderick and Ellis will play Chad Johnson and Frank Almasy of Forest Hill in the first round.

Broderick, of Shackmaxon, and Ellis, of Toms River, are long-time friends. Ellis was the doubles team partner of Broderick’s father, David, at Rowan University . “We were the second-ranked doubles team in the nation,” Ellis said.

David Broderick found a career in tennis and currently serves as director of racquets at the Short Hills Club. But his children, David, a scratch golfer and top player as a sophomore at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, and Marissa, a freshman and Landmark Conference champion at Drew University in Madison, prefer golf.

“I saw Edmund last summer and asked him to be my partner in this,” said Ellis, who previously played in the Four-Ball with his brother, Trevor. They played together four times in the event, but never made match play.

“I thought the course looked similar to Toms River, where I first started playing with Steve,” Edmund said. “I’m looking forward to match play, although I haven’t played much of it. But I do know that anything can happen in match play. This is an awesome experience.”

Ellis said he has watched Edmund advance in golf since the age of five.

“He was shooting in the 70s by age 11. I thought it would be fun to have him be my partner in Four-Ball. Our strategy was that I would hit first. We always putted the shorter one first, and Edmund was really good on making those, so we didn’t have to worry about putting too much.”

Ellis didn’t play much in 2017 due to a broken left hand, an injury he suffered in a boating accident.

“I hit it pretty good today, though,” he said.