Galloway’s Benevento and Nicholas Crowned 89th NJSGA Four-Ball Champions
GALLOWAY, N.J. – The New Jersey State Golf Association’s first major champion of the 2021 season has been crowned as the Galloway National tandem of Mark Benevento and Drue Nicholas defeated Peter Lee and Thomas Lee 2-and-1 to win the 89th Four-Ball Championship on their home track Thursday afternoon.
In what started as a back-and-forth battle on the front nine, Benevento and Nicholas stormed back from 1-down by winning three consecutive holes to lead 2-up with five holes to play. Lee and Lee holed out on the 16th for an eagle on the lengthy par-5 to get back to just 1-down. The Galloway pair bounced back on the par-3 17th with a par, while Lee and Lee carded a bogey.
“I thought this was our toughest match,” explained Nicholas. “It definitely wasn’t our best playing, but we just grinded it out out there. The whole final round was a grind. It seemed like we were playing from 1-down for a lot of the front nine. Once we got it to 1-up, I think that was a big turning point.”
Final Results
Benevento/Nicholas defeated Lee/Lee, 2&1
In the semifinals, Benevento and Nicholas took down the Spring Lake pair of Noah Conforti and Brendan Hansen 7-and-6. The duo fired seven birdies en route to the semifinal victory. Following nine holes, Benevento and Nicholas were 5-up. The solidified their win on the 12th hole with a birdie.
In come from behind fashion, Lee and Lee won their semifinal match, 2-up over Christopher Markham and Nick Clessuras of Black Oak. After leading 3-up following nine holes, the pair from Black Oak dropped back-to-back holes to lead by just one with seven holes left. On the 584-yard par 5 16th, Lee and Lee sunk a birdie putt to tie the match. On the 17th hole, the Lee and Lee duo took their first lead of the match with a par on the 249-yard par 3. With a clutch par putt on the 18th, Peter Lee propelled the pair to a semifinal victory.
“It’s an honor, honestly. We see a ton of familiar faces out here and have played out here (Galloway) for a long time,” said Benvento. “It’s just good to finally win something out here.”
Semifinal Results
Benevento/Nicholas defeated Conforti/Hansen, 7&6
Lee/Lee defeated Markham/Clessuras, 1-up
