Kevin Grady and Rick Sovero from Rolling Road Golf Club were able to shoot a bogey-free round of 61 to win the 60th MSGA Men’s Four-Ball Championship on Monday, August 10th at the United States Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis.
The course was set up at 6,543 yards and par 70 for the championship. In addition to traditional obstacles like bunkers, rough, and penalty areas, players had to contend with temperatures in 90s and two rain delays
The tandem of Grady & Sovero didn’t waste any time, going out in 30 (-5), with Grady doing most of the damage on the front nine. Surely carrying the moment of his Mid-Am victory the week before, Grady birdied three par fours (Nos. 2,6,9) and the par-3, No. 7. But not to be overlooked, Sovero added a birdie at the long third, a 540 yard, par 5. Both were able to make two birdies on the back nine to shoot 30-31, 61. They were in the second group of the day and, try as they might, nobody was able to knock them off of their first spot on the leaderboard.
Will Wears (Baltimore CC) and Chris Baloga (Hillendale CC) were able to finish is solo second by shooting a 62 (-8). Baloga, got out to a fast start by birding four out the of first five holes. Wears was able to make a birdie on the ninth hole to finish the front nine five-under. The pair was able to make birdies on Nos. 11-13 to get to 8-under-par with five holes to play. After saving par on No. 14, Wears was able to make back-to-back birdies to take the lead at 10-under with two holes to play. A costly bogey on No. 17, only to be caught in the hour-long delay before finishing with a bogey on No. 18 kept them from hoisting the sliver. Powell-Chacon (Montgomery CC) and Richardson (Hillendale CC) -Flanigan (Bulle Rock) were able to finish T3 at 7-under. 30 teams posted rounds below par.
