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Two Middle Atlantic Golf Association Past Presidents, Steve Block (2004) of Woodmont Country Club, and Richard Holland (2017), Columbia Country Club, teamed up for the 25th Senior Four-Ball championship conducted by the Maryland State Golf Association at Bethesda Country Club on October 19. The (past) presidential pairing emerged victorious from a group of three teams in a two-hole playoff.

Block-Holland shot 67 (-3) in regulation and tied two other teams comprised of prominent names from Washington area clubs. The other contenders included defending champions and brothers, Tom and Chuck Winegardner of the Cannon Club, whose triumph in this event came at Rolling Road last year, and Ben Brundred III-George Mavrikes of Congressional Country Club.

The playoff began on the par-4 10th measuring 390 yards. Facing a challenging blind tee shot, Brundred pushed his drive and was partially blocked off by trees from a clear line at the green. Mavrikes found the left side of the fairway, but neither player was able to hit the green on their approach shots, leaving both with putts to save par. Holland’s tee shot also veered right, and his approach came to rest in a greenside bunker. From there, the two-time champion of the Middle Atlantic Amateur (1990, 2005) struck a nifty bunker shot that checked within two feet of the hole and later tapped in for par.

Tom Winegardner, fresh off of earning the title of low amateur at the Maryland Senior Open in another two-hole playoff at Norbeck, found the right rough on his tee shot, as did Block. Both players refused to let the other knock their respective teams out of the playoff. Winegardner’s ball was closer than Block’s when they arrived at the green, after both struck their approach shots within 10 and 15 feet of the hole respectively. Block, whose club championship titles at Woodmont are in the double digits, poured the putt in for a timely birdie, and Brundred-Mavrikes were eliminated from the playoff. Holland celebrated his partner’s effort, then chuckled and reminded Block the birdie was his first of the day. Winegardner answered by converting his birdie putt to extend the playoff.

The second hole for the playoff was the sharp dogleg-right, par-4 18th.  After hitting his approach shot so far to the right that he ended up near the 10th tee and short-sided, Block played his third shot to 20 feet and narrowly missed his par attempt. Holland missed the green on the opposite side but with plenty of green to work with, and his chip came to rest four feet from the hole. Chuck Winegardner narrowly missed a par putt from ten feet after playing his third from a greenside bunker. His brother, the only player who hit the green in regulation, ran his birdie attempt several feet past the hole. Then Holland stepped up and saved his par-four, and Tom Winegardner lipped out his putt from similar range that would have extended the playoff.

Of the three teams in the playoff, the eventual winners made the fewest birdies in regulation, all of which were attributed to Holland (holes 1, 13, and 15). But zero was the key number, as in zero bogeys. The team scored with Block’s ball on seven holes on the way to their bogey-free round. Although his counting scores were all pars, Block, whose club championship titles at Woodmont range in the double digits, saved the team from carding a bogey on several occasions.

Tom and Chuck Winegardner appeared poised for a repeat. Their five birdies tied Brundred-Mavrikes for the most by any team and were split 3-2 in Chuck’s favor. But after a bogey on the 175-yard, par-3 17th hole, they needed Tom’s birdie on the final hole in regulation to tie for first and earn a spot in the playoff. Tom has been one of the most consistent and successful senior players in the area for the past several years. In addition to his performance at the Senior Open three weeks earlier, he finished runner-up in the 92nd Senior Amateur in September after falling in a playoff to Vance Welch. He also won the 90th Senior Amateur at Talbot CC two years earlier.

Brundred and Mavrikes have each had their share of success over the years. Brundred is a past champion of this event, winning 11 years ago at same location with partner Jack Vardaman. Brundred was also a runner-up in the state Amateur to Gary Mankulish at Argyle in 1977 and won the 13th MSGA Mid-Amateur at Norbeck in 1999. Mavrikes won the 32nd MSGA Four-Ball Championship at West Winds in 1993 with partner Tim Meinhardt and also finished runner-up in the state Senior Amateur at Hunt Valley in 2016. Their five birdies were split 3-2 in favor of Brundred, but two bogeys on the card brought them back to pack.

Two other groups finished under par – Mark Giarraputo-Robert Wagner, Congressional CC, and Lee Flemister of Maryland National Golf Club teamed with Dave Nocar, Jr. of Chartwell. Both teams were one off the pace with rounds of 2-under par. Flemister-Nocar, Jr., past champions of the same tournament in 2018 at Kenwood, also would have been in the playoff had it not been for a bogey at the 400-yard par-4, fifth hole. Flemister carded his only birdie of the day on the 10th hole, and Nocar added consecutive birdies on holes 14-15. Giarraputo-Wagner posted 35-33-68 that included four birdies, three by Giarraputo, and two bogeys.

The Winegardners’ net score of 32-32—64 was enough to tie for first place net in the senior division with Block-Holland and Mountain Branch members David Czerski-Randy Woods, who also tallied a net score of 32-32—64. With Block-Holland winning low gross, a scorecard tiebreaker determined first place net. With the same back nine score, the Winegardners 2-under score on the final six holes defeated Czerski-Woods, who were even par on the same stretch of holes.

In the super senior division, the pairing of Sheldon Kalish-George Marin of Hayfields CC earned low gross with a 1-over par 35-36—71. Marin made both of the team’s birdies on the 8th and 15th holes. The super senior low net prize was awarded to Bill Barrett and Allen Williams from the Golf Club at South River. Despite their four bogeys, Barrett-Williams took advantage of holes on which they received strokes, with five net birdies and two more natural birdies on holes 12-13.

Bethesda CC’s recently renovated course, featuring reconstructed bunkers and expanded green surrounds, was in pristine condition with fall colors to boot. It proved to be a worthy test for the top two-man, senior teams in Maryland. Despite nearly perfect weather, the course yielded just five rounds in red figures for a field of 43 teams (36 senior, 7 super senior). Temperatures were in the mid-to-high 60s, and the skies were crystal clear throughout the day.

Reported by MSGA Staff