Keegan Boone, Bethesda Country Club and Michael Mulieri, Baltimore Country Club separated from the pack with a bogey-free round of 63 to win the 59th MSGA Men’s Four-Ball Championship on Monday, July 27 at Hillendale Country Club in Phoenix.
The Four-Ball format, often referred to as “better-ball,” was the first MSGA team event conducted in 2020, following a halt to all competitive golf in Maryland for several months due to COVID-19. The course was set up at 6839 yards and par 72 for the championship. In addition to traditional obstacles like bunkers, rough, and penalty areas, players had to contend with temperatures in 90s and high humidity. Hydration and checkpoints to refill water were a top priority for players, volunteers, and staff.
Boone-Mulieri didn’t waste any time, going out in 32 (-4), with Boone doing most of the damage on the front nine. He birdied both par fives (holes 1 and 8) and the par-3 third, while Mulieri added a birdie at the challenging seventh, a one-shotter from 195 yards to a small, pitched green. But it was Mulieri who found his rhythm on the back nine, tallying five more birdies on holes 10, 13, 14, 17, and 18. His lone bogey on the back nine came at the sixteenth, but his partner’s try for birdie came up inches short of the hole, securing a par for the side and keeping the bogey-free round intact.
“Michael and I have known each other for over 15 years,” Boone said following the round. “He has been a mentor for me in both life and golf. This was our first two man even together, but there will definitely be more to come.”
The sides of Cody Jameson-Casey Peet, Mike Filler-Benjamin Shields, and Will Koras-Noah Peck tied for second with rounds of 66, and 17 teams posted rounds below par. MSGA commends Hillendale’s golf professionals and staff for their knowledge and preparation for the event that allowed players to practice social distancing while enjoying their rounds.
Reported by MSGA Staff
