Long Day Produces Semifinalists In 83rd Four-ball Championship

Brothers Ethan and Jeremy Wall of Manasquan River will be teammates this fall at Loyola of Maryland. For the past two days, they have been teammates on the golf course, and successful ones at that, advancing to the semifinals of the 83rd NJSGA Four-Ball Championship at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe.

Rain played havoc with the schedule as play lasted through Tuesday, August 11, and was finally halted with one quarterfinal match still unresolved. The match between Kenny Bontz and Andrew Hurley of Jumping Brook and Mike Ryan of Galloping Hill and Merv Smith of Nrehanic Valley went 19 holes into the dark with Smith sinking a seven-foot birdie putt to win the match. Smith and Ryan play the Walls in the morning semifinals

The final match takes place Wednesday afternoon.

"It wasa classic sunset dual," said Smith, 48. "We never led in the match until the final hole. The old man made the birdie putt."

On Tuesday, the Walls defeated two-time State Amateur champion Mike Stamberger of Spring Lake and his partner, Tyler Duke, 6 and 5, in the Round of 16, then came back in the afternoon to beat the team of John Lay III and Bob Whartenby of Howell Park, 3 and 2.

In the other completed quarterfinal matches, Dan Macdonald of Arcola and Devin Drobbin of Hollywood defeated Eric LeFante of Colts Neck and partner Tyler Brewington of Hominy Hill 1, up, and advanced to the semifinals to face Zack Stark of Cedar Hill and partner Brett Gottsegen of Essex County who beat Vince Totka and David Hirschhorn of Oak Hill , 4 and 3.

MATCH-PLAY BRACKET PHOTO GALLERY

“We’ve never played in a formal four-ball match before, but this set up well with our schedule and we are going to a U.S. Four-Ball qualifier next week in Virginia, so this will give us a taste of what it’s like,” said Jeremy Wall, a rising sophomore at Loyola where he was named Rookie of the Year in the Patriot League and NCAA All-Region as Loyola won the conference title. Older brother Ethan was sitting out the year at Loyola after transferring in from Lehigh.

“We didn’t trail all day. We know how good Mike Stamberger is and we didn’t want to face him right off the bat, but we played well getting seven birdies from holes four through 12,” said Ethan, who thinks his first shot at a hole in one lipped out at No. 12.

Against Lay and Whartenby, the Walls were five-under-par through 11, but led by only two holes.

“We ham and egged it well,” Ethan said. “If I got a bogey, Jeremy would get a par or birdie,” Ethan said. Jeremy has played in four USGA events, including two U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Junior Amateurs

Macdonald and Drobbin were teammates at the University of Maryland and failed to get through qualifying for the U.S. Four-Ball in 2014 and didn’t enter in time this year.

Macdonald shot a six-under 65 on his own ball in the quarterfinal match that nonetheless went the distance. The turning point came on par-4 No. 15 when Macdonald sank a 15-foot birdie putt to go 1-up. Macdonald made an 18-footer for birdie on top of LeFante’s 22-footer for birdie for a halve on No 17. The match ended with a par halve on No. 18.

“I birdied in the morning and Danny birdied in the afternoon,” said Drobbin, 30. “Danny hit the fairway every time and he let me rip it.”

Stark and Gottsegen, who know each other since grade school in Livingston, birdied three of the first four holes in their quarterfinal and never looked back.

“We complement each other well. He was a lot more steady and that allowed me to take some chances,” said Stark, 20, who is transferring into Indians University. Gottsegen. 21,is transferring from Ohio State to Rutgers.

The duo played in the NJSGA Four-Ball last year and lost in match-play.