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HOT SPRINGS — The friendship started long ago, back when the daughters of Charles Green III and Bob Rotella would square off in high school golf. Green and Rotella simply enjoy playing golf together, and that chemistry showed during two stellar days at the Omni Homestead’s Old Course.
Green and Rotella played 36 holes of bogey-free golf and claimed a four-stroke victory at the 5th Virginia State Golf Association Super Senior Four-Ball Championship, tying a tournament scoring record in the process. They never found themselves in much danger—on the course or on the leaderboard. They opened Thursday’s second and final round with a one-shot lead, and after posting a 6-under 30 on the front nine, they cruised in for the victory.
Green and Rotella followed their first-round 64 with a 65 for an aggregate 129, tying the event record set last year by Mike McDonald and Bill Flanders Jr.
Green (The Virginian GC) added a seventh trophy to his VSGA resume, and his second in a super senior (ages 65 and older) event. He won the VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play title last year at Fawn Lake. Rotella (Glenmore CC), a renowned sports psychologist, earned his first VSGA championship.
“We had fun, we played very nicely,” Rotella said. “We didn’t make any bogeys. We both made an eagle. We made some birdies and we made par putts when we needed to when the other guy was in trouble, which wasn’t very often.”
Rotella and Green finished four shots clear of Peter Jacobi and Bill Engel (Army Navy CC), a pair of past VSGA Super Senior Stroke Play champions. Jacobi and Engel didn’t have problems making birdies. They made 16 of them over the two days, eight in each round. But unlike Rotella and Green, they couldn’t stay out of trouble. Four bogeys in Thursday’s second round sunk their chances of catching the leaders.
“In two days, there was no way we could have been expected to make too many more birdies,” Engel said. “We made five bogeys, which is just killer. And I guarantee you, at least four of them were from 20 yards and in.”
Three sides tied for third after posting 8-under 136s: George Owens/Billy McClanan (Broad Bay CC); Van McCarter (Blue Hills GC)/Corbett Talton (Hermitage CC); and Chips Wooddy/Jack Gregory (Roanoke CC). Wooddy and Gregory entered the day a stroke back but shot a 1-under 71 to fall out of contention.
Rotella got the winning side started in Wednesday’s first round with a long putt for eagle on the par-5 3rd hole. Green returned the favor on Thursday on the par-5 4th, though he didn’t need to bomb in a 70 footer to mark a three on the scorecard. He hit driver off the tee and a 5 wood to within 15 feet and sank the putt. They made birdies on 6, 8 and 9 to make the turn at 6 under.
“We had some good birdie putts on the back,” Green said. “They just didn’t go in like they did on the front.”
“We had a lot of chances,” Rotella said. “We played solid golf. It was good.”
Jacobi and Engel were 2 under through four holes and still within striking distance, but consecutive bogeys on 5 and 6 left them with little chance of overtaking the leaders.
“We didn’t hole it from the fairway or anything like that,” Rotella said. “We just played solid golf. Of course, when you play with a six-time champion, it helps. So we had fun. It was good.”
Chris Lang is the Editor of Virginia Golfer Magazine and Manager, Digital Media for the VSGA.