North Jersey Wins 49th Best-ball-of-four Second Time In 3 Years
Rich Forlenza, Erv Allaghi, Charlie Kohut and Paul Samanchik combined for a 27-27-54 to win the NJSGA Best-Ball-of-Four Championship for the second time in three years on Wednesday, September 16, at 6,426-yard Rock Spring Club in West Orange.
The North Jersey foursome avenged last year’s one-stroke defeat to Deer Run (Kevin and Ted Fitzpatrick, Louis Oberti and Anthony Abad), which this year placed second with a 26-30-56.
Rounding out the top five were Flanders Valley (Pat, Ross, Todd and Scott Egan) at 26-31-57, Battleground (Howard Popyer, Joe Fay, David Gherman and Bill Grundig) at 30-28-58 and Fiddler’s Elbow (Fred Stinner, James Cutler, Pat Driscoll and Jeff Brooks) at 30-29-59.
Forlenza, 60, an insurance man who lives in Wayne and a four-handicapper, shot 74 on his ball, followed by a season-best 76 for Allaghi, a 10-handicapper and a builder who lives in Franklin Lakes. Kohut, who is also in construction and also lives in Franklin Lakes, added an 83 off his 13 handicap while Samanchik, who carries a 19 handicap and lives in Wayne, added an 88. He is an financial advisor.
Kohut and Samanchik will have their names on the Perry Sumas Trophy for a third time, Kohut having won as part of the team out of Montclair in 2005 and Samanchik as part of North Jersey’s champions in 1984. Allaghi and Forlenza will team to play in the upcoming Senior Four-Ball Championship at Panther Valley on Sept. 29.
“Rich and I hit it great on the front, and these other guys did well on the back,” Allaghi said. “We know the course. We play winter golf here and North Jersey and Rock Spring also have a reciprocal relationship.”
“The strategy was to protect the lead and let Charlie and Paul help out when they could,” said Forlenza, who carded two natural birdies. “Erv and I never gave anything back. That took the pressure off and the guys getting shot could free-wheel it.”
The punctuation mark came on the par-4 No. 18 hole when Samanchik blasted out of a front bunker to six feet and made the putt for a par and a net birdie. Kohut added a natural birdie on a chip-in from 40 feet off the green on No. 12.
“This makes up for last year, when we missed an eight-foot putt on the last hole and lost by one shot,” Samanchik said. “It feels good. It never feels bad to win.”
Deer Run’s foursome of Kevin Fitzpatrick, Oberti and Abad teamed in 2014 with John Dankwerth to win the 48thBest-Ball-of-Four Championship at Trump National in Colt Neck.
Danckwerth was a last minute fill-in for Ted Fitzpatrick, but Ted got his chance to contribute this year. The Deer Run foursome garnered four natural birdies, cashing in two of them for net eagles
Ted Fitzpatrick net eagled the par-4 second hole when he drained a 10-foot putt and Oberti added his net eagle on the par-5 No. 11 hole, when he sank a 40-footer.
Ted and Kevin Fitzpatrick were familiar with Rock Spring, having caddied at the Seth Raynor-designed layout in 2011 and ’12 to supplement their incomes.
“We had it going from the first hole when I chipped in from 40 feet from the fringe,” said Abad, 36, who works in human resources for Friesland Campina. “That kick started us. We were hotter than a tea kettle on the front nine.”
Deer Run was nine under with a 26 for the opening nine holes.
“All four of us play together twice a week. We compete against each other all of the time. In fact, three of us are in the semifinals of the club championship. I eliminated Louis last week,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, 28, a Lincoln Park police officer.
“I think what helped was that we had the same batting order all day,” Abad said. “The course played short at 6,500 yards. I never hit driver all day.”
“It was good for my game because I’m a short hitter,” said Oberti, 49, a bank closing officer.
Ted Fitzpatrick, 32, works in the scrap metal business.
