Semifinal Matches Set at 89th Four-Ball Championship
GALLOWAY, N.J. – The semifinal matchups are set for the 89th Four-Ball Championship hosted by Galloway National Golf Club. The Black Oak duo of Christopher Markham and Nick Clessuras will face off against Thomas Lee and Peter Lee. The other semifinal match is the Galloway tandem of Mark Benevento and Drue Nicholas against Spring Lake's Noah Conforti and Branden Hansen.
In the morning round of 16, medalists Edmund Broderick and Stephen Ellis picked up right where they left off, winning their match against Brian Celiberti and Albert Costello, 3-and-2 on the 6,893-yard track. The pair dropped the first hole, but came back to enter the back nine with a 2-up lead over the pair from Arcola Country Club. Following the front nine, Broderick and Ellis gave up the 11th, but bounced back winning the 12th and 13th to solidify their victory.
Finishing right behind them, Markham and Clessuras grabbed the victory over Kevin Campana and Ryan MacDonald. The pair controlled most of the match, winning 3-and-2.
In two tight round of 16 matches, Max Bischel and Cade McLaughlin took down Peter Barron and partner Michael Brown. The match went back-and-forth, but a birdie on the 16th hole solidified the victory for the pair out of Bedens Brook. The duo of Peter Lee and Thomas Lee went the distance with Michael Guli and John Probst, carding a birdie on the 18th to win the match, 2-up.
On their home track, Benevento and Nicholas notched a 2-and-1 win over Joey Lostumbo and Michael Gallagher. The duo compiled five birdies en route to the win.
Jonathan Haas and John Havay outsed Michael Dimeglio and Brandon Capone in an impressive 4&2 win.
After taking a 3-up advantage through 11 holes, Hansen and Conforti dropped three holes to fall back even with Thomas Guy and Adam Cutler. Heading into the par-5 16th, the match was all square. Spring Lake pair carded a birdie to jump ahead and outlast Guy and Cutler.
Jamie Slonis and Tom Gramigna opened their match against James Kelly and Johnny Murphy on a roll, winning three-straight holes. They extended their lead to four following nine holes of action. The match wrapped up on the 14th following a 5-and-4 victory.
Round of 16 Results
Ellis/Broderick defeated Celiberti/Costello, 3&2
Markham/Clessuras defeated Campana/MacDonald, 3&2
Bischel/McLaughlin defeated Barron/Brown, 1-up
Lee/Lee defeated Guli/Probst, 2-up
Benevento/Nicolas defeated Lostumbo/Gallagher, 2&1
Haas/Havay defeated Dimeglio/Capone, 4&2
Conforti/Hansen defeated Guy/Cutler, 1-up
Slonis/Gramigna defeated Kelly/Murphy, 5&4
Following the afternoon quarterfinal matches, just four teams remained. Finishing 5-and-4, Lee and Lee did not give up a hole, and turned in two birdies in 14 holes of action.
“Tom has a lot of experience, so I kind of leaned on him,” Peter Lee explained. “He said treat it like a marathon and not a sprint. We had a lot of ham-and-egging and a lot of trust in him.”
Markham and Clessuras earned a 3-and-1 win over stroke play medalists Ellis and Broderick. The match was square through 11 holes, but back-to-back pars on the 12th and 13th flipped momentum for the underdogs.
Benevento and Nicholas won their quarterfinal match over Haas and Havay, 2-and-1. The match was all square through 14 holes, but the pair won the next two holes to propel them to the semifinals.
"I thought we were patient," said Nicholas. "We played better than yesterday and not as many mistakes. We didn't do too many great things, but just kept the ball in front of us. The first round we only shot 3-under and the second round about three or four. We just hung in there. It was tough, especially our quarterfinal match, but we just hung in there and that's what mattered."
Conforti and Hansen won handedly, 4-and-3. They dropped just two holes and closed out play on the 15th with a par. Hansen won the 2018 Four-Ball Championship with former partner Randall Lazzaro.
Quarterfinal Results
Lee/Lee defeated Bischel/McLaughlin, 5&4
Markham/Clessuras defeated Ellis/Broderick, 3&1
Benevento/Nicholas defeated Haas/Havay, 2&1
Conforti/Hansen defeated Slonis/Gramigna, 4&3
Wednesday’s quarterfinal winners will compete in the semifinals on Thursday morning at 7:30 a.m. The 18-hole final will take place in the afternoon.
Be sure to follow live scoring at NJSGA.org, and stay tuned to the NJSGA’s social media platforms for updates, news, and player interviews throughout the championship.
