Whitman and Bataille; Dubrow and Loveland are co-medalists at Four-Ball Qualifying
September 14, 2020 - Brian Whitman of Knickerbocker rolled in a pair of 35-foot birdie putts and added a chip-in birdie, while partner Jason Bataille of NJSGA eClub North birdied twice to card a four-under-par 67 and claim co-medalist honors today in the first of two qualifiers for the 88th NJSGA Four-Ball Championship at the par-71, 6,487-yard Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune.
Brian Dubrow and Doug Loveland, both of Metedeconk National, also combined for a 67 to tie as qualifying medalists on the strength of five birdies and a bogey.
A total of 12 teams that shot one-under-par 70 advanced to the Four-Ball Championship which is scheduled for Oct. 27-29 at Manasquan River Golf Club in Brielle. A second qualifier will be played on Sept. 24 at Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough.
Whitman and Bataille, former teammates at Rutgers University, have twice qualified for the U.S. Four-Ball Championship.
“There really was no pressure. We like to have fun out there,” said Bataille, who won the NJSGA William Y. Dear Junior Championship in both 2000 and 1999. “Two other guys from Rutgers, Kevin Campana and Ryan Macdonald, won the Four-Ball last year, so we wanted to make sure we kept a date to meet them at Manasquan River.”
Whitman’s long birdie putts came on the first and 18th holes, both par fours. His chip-in came at the par-4, fifth hole. Bataille added a chip-in of his own at the par-4, sixth hole.
“Some holes were into the wind, so you had to be smart out there,” said Whitman, the son of four-time NJSGA Open champion, Ed Whitman. “Some local knowledge helped. You have to know where to hit it because you can shoot yourself out of some holes.”
Dubrow and Loveland both know the course well. Dubrow, a former club champion at Metedeconk National, grew up in nearby Ocean Township and said he has played the course over 100 times. Loveland’s father, Les, is a member at Jumping Brook.
“The greens were difficult to read so knowing the course really helped,” said Dubrow. “We would be aggressive when one of us was already on the middle of the green. What helped today was that I played a great front nine, and Doug played a great back nine. We picked each other up.”
