Billy Peel and Brian McCormick combined for eight birdies in a bogey-free round at Argyle Country Club and the resulting 30-32–62 lifted them to an easy victory in the 55th Four-Ball Championship of the Maryland State Golf Association, May 5.
The Columbia CC pair’s opening-nine 30, the low nine of the day, sent them along to a wire-to-wire three-stroke triumph, leading an 84-team field on a cold (50 degrees), damp day with a breeze that added to the chill factor. McCormick, 23, a Loyola University Maryland graduate headed for Georgetown Medical School later this summer, had five of the birdies, including two from 20 feet, but it was an up-and-down for par at the 16th that sealed the decision. Among the birdies by Peel, 27, who works for Datawatch Systems, were two that opened and closed a four-hole barrage in the middle of the front nine.
The teams of Michael Meyer-Nick Sorkin and Gary Carpenter, Jr.-Chuck Thatcher tied for second at 65, followed by Jeremy Goodwin-Brendan McKinney and Evan Kilchenstein-Bryan Shepherd at 66. The margin of victory was the widest since 2012, as Peel-McCormick tied Jeff McKnight-Tom Winegardner (2006) for second on the all-time scoring list, behind only Henry Blue-Joel Kaye, who shot 61 at Kenwood CC in 1994.
Although Lakewood CC’s Meyer and Sorkin (in the first morning group) in one way shared their contributions equally (nine holes apiece) over the 6,419-yard Silver Spring course, it was Sorkin, better known as an outstanding Swedish hockey player, who had the better run, as he accounted for the side’s five birdies. The highlight was a 30-yard chip-in at the 443-yard second to get the round going.
Thatcher, from Beaver Creek CC and teaming with Carpenter for the first time, went Sorkin one better, as he had six birdies, explaining, “I could go for the birdies because I knew Gary would be in every hole for par…uh, well every one but 14 [where the Crofton member had to count a bogey].”
Goodwin-McKinney, from Pine Ridge GC, were in the first group off No. 10 in the afternoon and had five birdies in the bank (Goodwin, three; McKinney, two) when they marred the effort with a bogey at the seventh. Kilchenstein, from Maryland G&CC, and Shepherd, from Aberdeen Golf Courses, split two front-nine birdies, while the former had four birdies, two bogeys on the back.
Two-time champions Mark Cusic-Kevin Ferris (2012-13), from Breton Bay G&CC, headed a group of eight teams at 67 that included Myke Cohn-Joe Scheffres, from Woodmont CC, runners-up two years ago; Ryan McCarthy-Michael Mulieri, from Baltimore CC’s current MSGA Team Match Championship squad, and Billy Wingerd-Rusty McCready, Mountain Branch GC, last year’s Middle Atlantic Mid-Am Four-Ball Champions.
Reported by: John Stewart
