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By Chris Lang
KESWICK — Soon after Kyle Bailey hit a sensational, long lag putt that led to a tap-in birdie on the 2nd green at Keswick Golf Club Saturday, his partner, Jeff Long, said, “well, at least we didn’t finish totally in the dark this time.”
Long and Bailey went the distance in last year’s VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship semifinals at The Federal Club, winning on the 18th hole as players used smartphone flashlights to illuminate the green in pitch blackness.
Saturday’s semifinals at the 4th VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship nearly finished in the same fashion. In fact, one of the semifinals in the senior division will have to be completed Sunday morning. David Jordan and Jim Woodson were tied after 20 holes with Neil Davis and Randy Newsome when darkness made it impossible to play on.
They’ll resume at 8 a.m., with the winner advancing to face defending champions Dave Pulk (Two Rivers CC) and Skip Zobel (Princess Anne CC) for the championship.
Long (Evergreen CC) and Bailey (Spring Creek GC) advanced to the title match in the regular division for the second straight year. They’ll face Jordan Utley (Independence GC) and Dustin Groves (Glenmore CC) at 8:15 a.m. Utley and Groves eliminated defending regular champions Jimmy Delp (Laurel Hill GC) and Justin Young (Ballyhack GC) in 19 holes in the other semifinal.
Utley and Groves advanced to the semifinals by defeating Chase Bailey (Hanging Rock GC) and Lee Fisher (Falling River CC) 4 and 3 in the morning. They rallied from 3 down at the turn against Delp and Young, squaring the match when Groves made birdie on 16.
With the match level through 18, the sides went back to No. 1. Utley’s approach went just long and hopped off the back of the green. Groves’ approach was within eight feet, left of the hole. When he walked to the green, Utley said, “Golf is a game of inches. That was one foot from being perfect,” before adding, “It would be a good time to chip one in.”
Utley did just that, chipping in for birdie. Delp just missed a 12-foot downhill putt for birdie, giving Utley and Groves the win.
“It was about a basic of a chip as you could get,” Utley said. “You just had to get it started going down the hill. Fortunately, it came off exactly as I thought it would and it tracked right in. It was kind of just like I drew it up. It doesn’t always work out that way.
“I wasn’t going to be cautious with the chip. I was going to try to chip it in regardless, because I knew (Groves) had a great look at birdie.”
Long and Bailey defeated Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC) and Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg CC) in the quarterfinals before outlasting the brothers Serrao—Jay (Cavalier G&YC) and Steve (Willow Oaks CC)—in 20 holes. Bailey was the only one to reach the green on the par-5 2nd in two, and he had a long, bendy putt that was rendered even more challenging by the creeping darkness.
“I feel like we had seen that putt six times a day,” Bailey said. “We knew it was fast … and well, we have a little experience in the dark.”
Pulk and Zobel finished long before sunset, having shot 29 on the front nine in their semifinal with John Steele (Westwood CC) and Jon Zampedro (Chantilly National G&CC) on their way to a 7-and-6 win.
“When your partner’s playing good, you feel pretty freed up to go right at the pin,” Pulk said. “And we did. We knocked it stiff all day. We’re just hoping we can continue that kind of play tomorrow.”
Pulk and Zobel will meet a newcomer in the championship match. Newsome (Dominion Valley CC) and Davis (Birdwood GC) upset the top-seeded side of Leon Roday (Kinloch GC) and Scott Reisenweaver (Salisbury CC) 2 and 1 in the quarterfinals Saturday morning.
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.
4th VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship
At Keswick Golf Club, Keswick
Par 72, 6,872 yards
Friday’s Round of 16 results
Regular
#1 Jimmy Delp (Alexandria)/Justin Young (Salem) def. Austin Bingham (Arlington)/Wes Perkins (Glen Allen), 5 and 4
#8 Brandon LaCroix/Matt Chandler (Roanoke) def. #9 Conor Cafferty/Harold Dill III (Ashburn), 3 and 2
#4 Dustin Groves (Charlottesville)/Jordan Utley (Midlothian) def. Jeffrey Klatt (Manassas)/Kevin Dillard (McLean), 4 and 3
#5 Chase Bailey (Roanoke)/Lee Fisher (Lynchburg) def. #12 Brad Chambers/Dustin Thompson (Galax), 4 and 3
#2 Buck Brittain (Tazewell)/Garland Green (Pounding Mill) vs. #15 Austin Turner/Brian Bassett (Charlottesville), 1 up
#7 Jay Serrao (Virginia Beach)/Steve Serrao (Richmond) def. #10 Adam Houck (Richmond)/Brad Ferguson (Gordonsville), 3 and 2
#3 Jeff Long (Ashburn)/Kyle Bailey (Charlottesville) def. #14 Andrew Milloy (Virginia Beach)/Austin Romeo (Washington, D.C.), 4 and 3
#6 Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg)/Keith Decker (Martinsville) def. #11 Taylor Ratliff (Charlottesville)/Zeke Shen (Forest), 4 and 3
Senior
#1 Leon Roday (Henrico)/Scott Reisenweaver (Midlothian), bye
#9 Neil Davis (Charlottesville)/Randall Newsome (Haymarket) def. #8 Daniel Yates (Marshall)/Dean Griffith (Front Royal), 4 and 3
#4 David Jordan (Richmond)/Jim Woodson (Powhatan) vs. #13 Bert Wilson (Richmond)/Jimmy Angel (Midlothian), 4 and 3
#12 David Passerell (Scottsville)/Tony Good (Glen Allen) def. #5 Jim Gallagher (Yorktown)/Jim Nirich (Catlett), 1 up
#2 Bob Bailey (Yorktown)/Rich Buckner (Clifton) def. #15 Mike Ancel (Newport News)/Joe Coates (Midlothian), 3 and 2
#7 John Steele (Boyds)/Jon Zampedro (Centreville) def. #10 Mike Howell (Centreville)/Paul Gural (Chantilly), 3 and 2
#3 Dave Pulk (Williamsburg)/Skip Zobel (Virginia Beach) def. #14 Greg Booker (Powhatan)/Peyton Winfree (Manakin Sabot), 4 and 3
#11 Dan Hosek (Alexandria)/Harry Thomas (McLean) def. #6 Danny Hopkins (Roanoke)/Tim Vigotsky (Centreville), 3 and 2
Saturday’s quarterfinal matches
Regular
#1 Delp/Young def. #8 LaCroix/Chandler, 5 and 4
#4 Groves/Utley def. #5 Bailey/Fisher, 4 and 3
#7 Serrao/Serrao def. #2 Brittain/Green, 1 up
#3 Long/Bailey def. #6 Hurst/Decker, 3 and 2
Senior
#9 Davis/Newsome def. #1 Roday/Reisenweaver, 2 and 1
#4 Jordan/Woodson def. #12 Passerell/Good, 5 and 4
#7 Steele/Zampedro def. #2 Bailey/Buckner, 1 up
#3 Pulk/Zobel def. #11 Hosek/Thomas, 2 and 1
Saturday’s semifinal matches
Regular
#4 Groves/Utley def. #1 Delp/Young, 19 holes
#3 Long/Bailey def. #7 Serrao/Serrao, 20 holes
Senior
#9 Davis/Newsome vs. #4 Jordan/Woodson, susp., darkness, all square through 20 holes
(Note: Match will resume at 8 a.m. Sunday)
#3 Pulk/Zobel def. #7 Steele/Zampedro, 7 and 6
Sunday’s championship matches
Regular
#4 Groves/Utley vs. #3 Long/Bailey, 8:15 a.m.
Senior
#3 Pulk/Zobel vs. semifinal 1 winner, after completion of semifinal match