Five Pairs Move on to 92nd Four-Ball Championship
KENILWORTH, N.J. – Five teams are headed to Hollywood Golf Club to compete in the 92nd Four-Ball Championship after a qualifying round at Galloping Hill Golf Course on April 17. The duo of Michael Puorro and Austin Devereux combined to shoot six-under par, 63 on the way to medalist honors.
The final group on the course, Puorro and Devereux closed exceptionally strong when they needed it most, birdieing each of the final five holes as part of a six-under back nine.
Individually, Devereux made birdie on holes 14 through 17 to get the team on the right track down the stretch.
“We looked at the leaderboard and saw that we needed to get some things going. The front nine I don’t think we played our best. We hit a few good shots but weren’t able to get putts to drop,” Devereux said. “We just started hitting it closer down the stretch and our putts started to drop.”
Standing on the 18th tee, the Manasquan River duo knew they needed par to qualify but Puorro knocked his tee shot to just a few feet before making the ensuing putt for birdie, solidifying their spot atop the leaderboard.
“It was nice to contribute,” Puorro joked. “On 18 it was like, ‘Alright, time to hit a golf shot’ and you hit it and execute it and its belief that you really can do it.”
“Watching Austin today was something else. It really was.”
Filling out the remaining qualifying spots were four teams tied at five-under par, 64: Lance Hollingshead and Edward Walsh, Andrew Trask and Fraser Graham, Marc Kunesch and Pat Wilson, Dan Orefice and Gary Dunne.
The first group off the tee, the Trump National - Bedminster pair of Hollingshead and Walsh got things started early with a birdie on the first hole.
“It was good to see a putt fall and know that they’re out to make,” said Hollingshead. “We went on from there to make a few more and Ed saved me a few times after that.”
Hollingshead and Walsh would round out the front at three-under par before finishing their morning bogey-free.
“I didn’t have to worry about driving the greens. I knew what I was going to do,” said Walsh. “I let Lance drive the greens on most of the holes so it was nice to play together that way.”
The teaming of Trask and Graham did the majority of its scoring after the turn with two quick birdies on holes 10 and 11 before making two more consecutive birdies on 15 and 16 for a back-nine score of four-under.
“It was tough out there getting things to drop but we managed to get a few longer ones in on the last four or five holes.,” Trask said.
“On the front nine it was kind of one man playing the hole and the other one scrambling but, on the back, we were able to support each other,” said Graham. “We had a few birdie looks and Andrew starting putting really well and hit some long ones so it was awesome.”
Hollywood will host its first NJSGA major championship since the 2011 Open when it hosts the 92nd Four-Ball Championship from May 7-9.
Two more qualifiers remain for the Four-Ball Championship with Stanton Ridge G&CC and Legacy Club at Woodcrest hosting on April 22 and April 29, respectively.
NJSGA Social Media
For the latest updates and news, visit njsga.org or follow New Jersey State Golf Association on Facebook, X and Instagram at @NJSGA1900.
