KESWICK — Two longtime Roanoke friends and a pair of roommates who are students at the University of Virginia will battle it out Sunday for the title at the 2nd VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship.
On a Saturday full of upsets, No. 4 seed Matt Chandler and Brandon LaCroix (Hunting Hills CC) was the only top-four seed to survive, winning twice to advance to Sunday’s championship. They’ll face the No. 11 seed, Matt Ashley (1757 GC) and Chris White (Birdwood GC). The 18-hole championship match is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. at Keswick Golf Club.
Chandler and LaCroix have found success in four-ball play before, teaming to win the VSGA Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship in 2014. They won the first three holes in their quarterfinal match against Tyler Clark and Robert Nussey (Brandermill CC) and cruised to a 3-and-2 win.
That set up a clash of Roanoke sides in the semifinals, thanks to an upset in the top half of the bracket. Vince Wheeler and Corey Gallagher (Roanoke CC) upset the defending champions and top seed Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC) and Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg CC) 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals to advance.
Chandler and LaCroix swung a tight semifinal match with Wheeler and Gallagher with wins on holes No. 8 and 9. Gallagher and Wheeler weren’t done, thanks to Gallagher’s birdie on the par-4 15th that squared the match. It took a couple of tremendous shots from Chandler, a three-time VSGA Mid-Amateur champion, to give his side the edge.
On the par-5 17th, Chandler was about 110 yards away from the hole in the fairway after two shots. One problem: A huge chunk of mud was affixed to his ball. Chandler swung away with a wedge, and his approach settled about four feet from the hole. He tapped in for birdie, putting his side 1 up with one to play.
“I actually had to make contact with the ball on the mud,” Chandler said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I just tried to hit it like there wasn’t any mud on it. I think that was mostly luck.”
Chandler made par on No. 18 with a great up and down from about 10 yards short of the green. Wheeler had a chance to answer and send the match to extra holes after reaching the green in regulation. He lined up a 35-foot putt that missed by inches, and Chandler and LaCroix had survived.
“We shot 4 under on the front, and we were only 1 up at the turn,” LaCroix said.
Added Chandler: “Corey birdied two of the hardest holes out here. I mean, when you lose to birdies, what can you do?”
Ashley, who is the president of UVa’s men’s club golf team, and White scraped out two hard-fought victories, defeating No. 3 seed Buck Brittain (The Virginian GC) and Jimmy Delp (Laurel Hill GC) 1 up in the morning before fending off No. 7 seed Harold Dill III and Conor Cafferty (South Riding GC) 3 and 1 in the afternoon.
White and Ashley trailed only once in the two matches, falling behind Delp and Brittain by one after 14 holes. They quickly recovered, winning No. 15 to square the match. Ashley rolled home a birdie putt on No. 18 to close out the quarterfinal victory.
Dill and Cafferty eliminated last year’s runners-up, Kyle Bailey (Roanoke CC) and Vincent Nadeau (Spring Creek GC) 3 and 2 in the morning. White and Ashley grabbed the early lead in the quarterfinal match, but Dill and Cafferty squared it with a birdie on No. 10. As in the first match, White and Ashley quickly responded, a par on No. 11 giving them the lead once again.
They pushed the lead to 2 up on No. 13 and went dormie after both sides made par on No. 16. White’s 10-foot birdie putt on No. 17 clinched the match.
“We ham and egged it pretty well,” White said. “I was not playing well the first 11 holes and Matt really kept us together.”
They’ll try to follow the same gameplan in Sunday’s championship match against a side of seasoned opponents who have had tremendous success in VSGA Four-Ball events.
“I’ve never played with LaCroix, but I’ve played with Chandler before,” Ashley said. “They’re both awesome players. I know they can both go low. It should be fun.”
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.
2nd VSGA Four-Ball Match Play Championship
At Keswick Golf Club, Keswick
Par 72, 6872 yards
Saturday’s quarterfinal matches
#8 Vince Wheeler/Corey Gallagher (Roanoke CC) def. #1 Keith Decker (Chatmoss CC)/Jon Hurst (Fredericksburg CC), 3 and 2
#4 Brandon LaCroix/Matt Chandler (Hunting Hills CC) def. #21 Tyler Clark/Robert Nussey (Brandermill CC), 3 and 2
#7 Harold Dill III/Conor Cafferty (South Riding GC) def. #2 Kyle Bailey (Roanoke CC)/Vincent Nadeau (Spring Creek GC), 3 and 2
#11 Chris White (Birdwood GC)/Matt Ashley (1757 GC) def. #3 Buck Brittain (The Virginian GC)/Jimmy Delp (Laurel Hill GC), 1 up
Saturday’s semifinal matches
#4 LaCroix/Chandler def. #8 Wheeler/Gallagher, 1 up
#11 White/Ashley def. #7 Dill/Cafferty, 3 and 1
Sunday’s championship match
#4 LaCroix/Chandler vs. #11 White/Ashley, 8:30 a.m.