Three Pairs Headed to Kiawah Island for 8th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship
Pictured (L-R): Eric LeFante and Tyler Brewington; Evan Russell and Travis Russell
WAYNE, N.J. – Qualifying for the 8th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship has concluded on Monday afternoon at North Jersey Country Club and three sets of golfers are headed to the championship, which will be held at Kiawah Island Club from May 20-24, 2023.
The teams of Eric LeFante and Tyler Brewington and brothers Travis Russell and Evan Russell both finished at 8-under par 63, sharing medalist honors on the 6,738-yard par 71.
All three qualifying sets of players have competed in a U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship previously.
Despite closing out their round with a bogey, LeFante and Brewington collected seven birdies and an eagle.
“We got off to such a great start,” said Brewington. “We birded 1, Eric birdied 2 and 3, I birded 4 and then I holed out on 6. We both knew we were in a good position. We just kept the course going and kept the ball in front of us the rest of the day.”
The former Rider University teammates also had their former college teammate Matthew Ringen caddying for them.
“We've seen each other hit awesome shots and terrible shots, so we've seen it all,” explained LeFante. “We're not going to get mad at each other and we're going to be partners for a long time.”
The Russell brothers, who are nine years apart will be making their second consecutive appearance in the event.
“We were pretty much both in every hole, which made it super easy,” said Evan. “You (Travis) had a couple bogeys but he was 4-under on the front and I was 4-under on the back, so it just kind of worked out that way, but we had pretty much two looks on every hole, which makes it easy.”
2022 New Jersey Four-Ball Champions Brown and Barron combined for seven birdies and a blemish-free scorecard.
“We’re both pretty much in the hole every time,” said Barron of playing alongside his longtime Four-Ball partner. “Never give up, we don't make bad mistakes and we always have par putts, which I think is key. We made some putts today.”
Monday marked the third time the duo have qualified for the National Championship.
“Pete does what Pete always does,” explained Brown. “Like Pete says, we're old enough to where we were able to make good decisions and we kind of rely on those because we're not supreme ball strikers, so we have to be smart out there. We did a good job of that today.”
Ray Dennehy and Michael Walsh earned the first alternate position, finishing with a 6-under par 65. Brian Hart and Anthony Campanile claimed the second alternate spot, turning in a 5-under par 66.
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