Patterson and Stevens Win 92nd Four-Ball Championship
DEAL, N.J. - Chester Patterson and Erik Stevens of Hamilton Farm Golf Club won the 92nd New Jersey Four-Ball Championship at Hollywood Golf Club on May 9. They defeated former champions Michael Brown and Peter Barron, 2 and 1 in the final match.
"I think that's probably the most fun I've had on a golf course in a long time,” Patterson said following the victory.
Despite their 19 year age difference, Patterson, 41 and Stevens, 22 have a solid on-course chemistry.
“It's a comfortable pairing,” Patterson commented. “We know how each other play. If one of us has a bad shot, we don’t worry about it, the other one is picking us up. It's a very nice pairing and I couldn't ask for a better partner.”
“We hit it off a couple of years ago playing for the Hoffman Cup,” Stevens added. “Chester has been a great friend of mine - he's kind of a mentor to me. I've learned a lot from him and in both golf and life, and we just get along very well.”
Facing the 2022 Four-Ball Champions of Brown and Barron, Patterson and Stevens stuck to the game they know best - their own.
“We're always keeping each other relaxed,” Stevens explained. “A big part of that is we remind each other that there's a lot worse things you could be doing than playing in a golf tournament at a beautiful course like Hollywood. We're competitive and we care, but at the end of the day, we remind each other of the big picture and understand that there's things bigger than a golf tournament. That helps us because we're so relaxed and don't live and die with one or multiple shots. We have a good course attitude out there and it makes things twice as fun when you're playing well, but it's always fun.”
Starting off on the right foot, Patterson and Stevens grabbed an early lead as Patterson drilled a lengthy birdie putt on the 424 yard par-4 No. 1. Brown and Barron went on to win holes 3, 5 and 7 to take a 2-up lead, highlighted by an eagle on No. 5 by Barron. The Galloway National product drove the green to within four feet to build the lead for the pair.
The momentum quickly shifted as Stevens chipped in from the greenside bunker on No. 8 to get within one. On the ensuing hole, Patterson drained a 20-plus foot putt to knot things up heading into the turn. Following matching birdies on the 10th hole, the pair of Brown and Barron regained their advantage with a birdie on the par-4 11th.
Patterson and Stevens turned things around yet again on No. 12 with a clutch par, while Brown and Barron logged a bogey. On No. 13, a dog-leg left, both sides played it safe, hitting irons off the tee. Patterson tucked his approach shot within six feet, making birdie to regain their lead. They extended their lead to two on No. 14 with yet another birdie. It would be three more holes before ending the match on No. 17, a 247-yard par 3.
In their semifinal match, Patterson and Stevens eliminated Andrew Trask and Fraser Graham, 2 and 1. For Brown and Barron, winners of the 2022 New Jersey Four-Ball, they defeated Phillip Villari and Joshua Feldschneider 5 and 4 in their semifinal match.
The victory marks the first NJSGA title for Patterson and Stevens.
Semifinal Results
Brown/Barron def. Villari/Feldschneider, 5 and 4
Patterson/Stevens def. Trask/Graham, 2 and 1
Final Result
Patterson/Stevens def. Brown/Barron, 2 and 1
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