Tim Kane rolled in a downhill 10-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole, enabling him and Jamy Farrah to win the 54th Four-Ball championship of the Maryland State Golf Association at Woodholme Country Club in Pikesville, April 28.
The putt more than made up for a 10-foot eagle-3 putt Mike Mulieri, playing in the final group of the day, sank on the 18th green that gave him and Brett Williams a share of the lead at 5-under-par 67. Kane-Farrah, from Bethesda CC, played in morning, and then had to wait five hours to see if it stood for the victory.
The pair regrouped and set out on the playoff. Both sides made par on the 12th to set up the dramatic finish on the 490-yard 18th with its challenging back-left hole location. All four reached the green in three, although Mulieri and Williams had been just short in two. Mulieri had a tough shot in heavy grass to a green that sloped away and his bid rolled well by. Williams saw his shot stop six feet below the cup. Farrah took two putts for a five; Mulieri missed his and had five; Kane struck his into the center of the hole for four, and Williams, needing to sink to continue playing, watched his putt roll to a stop right at the edge.
For the round, Kane-Farrah, starting at No.10, offset a bogey at the par-3 17th with a birdie at 18, and then combined for five birdies on the front to shoot 30-37–67 against a par of 35-37–72 on a superb golf course that was played at 6,697 yards. Mulieri-Williams, members of Baltimore Country Club’s championship MSGA State Team Match entry, had a birdie and a bogey on the front, then turned torrid, as Mulieri opened with a birdie at 10 and closed it out with the eagle at 18. In between, Williams had three birdies and the pair made one bogey.
It marked the first time Kane had seen the suburban Baltimore course, while Farrah recalled playing in a U.S. Amateur qualifier about a dozen years ago. Until their 67 in the last morning group, there had been four 69’s and two 68’s. At the end the two 67’s were followed by six at 68, and five at 69 in a field of 61 teams.
Perhaps the most striking 68 was by Robert Menefee-Kyle Niemann, who had eight birdies, but tossed in “doubles” at Nos. 6 and 17, their next-to-last hole. Ben Warnquist recorded six birdies, but he and partner Andrew Stein had an out-of-bounds and a water ball to drop back.
-Reported by John Stewart
