Day 1 Results
Bennett Buch and Peter Knade, sophomores and teammates at the University of Maryland, combined for a 7-under-par 33-32–65, and won the medal in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Four-Ball championship at the Country Club at Woodmore, October 16. The USGA event will be held in the spring of 2018.
The 55-team field was seeking the three available places (plus two alternates), but only the top team is certain of a spot at this time. With a late afternoon finish, the four teams at 66 will return at 8 a.m., October 17, to sort out the finishing order with a sudden-death playoff.
Buch, from Sykesville and Cattail Creek CC (3) and Knade, from Easton and Talbot CC (6) had nine birdies and Buch also had two missed-green bogeys, one on each nine. They started on the back and after Knade rolled in a pair of 20-foot birdie putts, Buch produced three birdies in the last five holes, including a chip-in at the 14th. Knade took charge of the front with four birds on putts from eight and 10 feet and two 20-footers. The last one, at the par 5 sixth, proved to be the one that clinched the medal.
Both players were familiar with the course, played at 6,834 yards to a par of 72, but a steady, daylong breeze (on a cool, early-overcast, late-sun day) provided a challenge on practically every hole. Still, it did not interfere with the players, especially Knade, on the greens. “That’s the best I’ve putted all year,” he said.
Grouped at 66 were brothers Billy IV and Brendan Peel; Timothy Colanta and Reilly Erhardt; Ryan Chamberlain and Randy Sroka, and Akshay Bhatia and Grayson Wotnosky.
Each of the Peels, from Columbia CC, had three birdies, with Billy getting his over the last five holes of the back nine to clinch their position. Colanta and Erhardt, University of Maryland juniors, also started on No. 1 and dipped three under par on each nine. Colanta, from Orlando, Fla., highlighted the round with an eagle-2 at the 375-yard 15th when he holed a pitching wedge shot from 128 yards, then gained a tie with an 18th-hole birdie. Erhardt, from Greensboro, N.C., added a birdie at the par-5 sixth.
The other two 66’s started on No. 10. Sroka birdied both par-5’s on the front and two holes on the back, while Chamberlain birdied the fifth and 18th. Bhatia and Wotnosky, high school sophomores from Wake Forest N.C., were the youngest team to qualify for match play in the US Four-Ball Championship last year, but lost a close first round match to seasoned mid-amateurs, Garrett Rank and Patrick Christovich. Earlier this year, Bhatia qualified for the US Junior Amateur championship and captured the 42nd Junior PGA Championship in record-breaking fashion at the Country Club of St. Albans with rounds of 69-61–130 (-14). He helped his side with an eagle-3 at the sixth, while Wotnosky lifted the pairing into the playoff with four back-nine birdies, including 17 and 18.
Four teams tied at 67 — Jay Mundy-Patrick Townes, Michael Kirby (eagled 18)-Rob Menefee (with a back-nine 31), Scott Cruff-Patrick Serfass, and Brian Marfori-Craig Mason (with the latter birdieing both par-5’s on the front nine).
Playoff Results
Four teams returned to the Country Club at Woodmore on a cool morning to playoff for two more spots that were up for grabs at the 2018 U.S. Four-Ball championship. Billy Peel, IV and Randy Sroka willed their respective sides through the playoff, when both players birdied the first two playoff holes to capture the qualifying spots in the championship, which the Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Fla. will host May 19-23.
The playoff began on the first hole, and Akshay Bhatia and Grayson Wotnosky were paired with the Peel brothers in the first group. Billy birdied the first playoff hole, and Bhatia-Wotnosky answered with a birdie of their own.
In the second group, Reilly Erhardt and Timothy Colanta were paired with Randy Sroka and Ryan Chamberlain. Chamberlain missed his approach just right of the green and stubbed his chip, but recovered to save par from 15 feet. Erhardt had a long birdie putt that he ran a few feet by the hole, and Sroka made his birdie putt from 12 feet to tie the first two groups. Colanta suffered an agonizing lip-out for birdie from 10 feet, eliminating himself and Erhardt from the playoff and claiming the second alternate spot.
The first group teed off the par-4 second, and Sroka and Chamberlain waited for them to play their approach shots. Billy Peel sank another birdie putt, while Bhatia and Wotnosky settled for par and awaited their fate with the last pairing’s approach shots.
Chamberlain hit driver out of bounds on the second hole and was forced to play his provisional. He played his fourth shot to the green, and hit the the target, but was 30 feet away and on the lower tier putting up a ridge. Under pressure to hit the green, Sroka landed his approach shot 18 feet from the hole to set up a birdie opportunity. Chamberlain missed his bogey try short, and ran his bid for double bogey by the hole. But Sroka picked his partner up when he poured in his birdie putt, while Bhatia/Wotnosky watched as they were relegated to 1st alternate.
Results
(Q) Bennett Buch-Peter Kane*
(Q) Billy Peel, IV-Brendan Peel
(Q) Kyle Chamberlain-Randy Sroka
(1st Alt) Akshay Bhatia-Grayson Wotnosky
(2nd Alt) Reilly Erhardt-Timothy Colanta
Reported by John Stewart
