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By Matty Madden
WILLIAMSBURG — In last year’s Virginia State Golf Association Senior Four-Ball Championship at Wintergreen Resort, Martinsville’s Keith Decker and partner Matt Sughrue finished runner-up by a stroke after Robert Nussey and Bob Bailey surged to the title with a final-round 59.
Tuesday at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club’s Gold Course, Decker and new partner Roger Newsom turned the tables, shooting a 12-under-par 59 to take a commanding four-stroke lead at the 38th VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship.
The two rounds are believed to be the only 59s shot in VSGA championship history.
Decker (Ballyhack GC) and Virginia Beach’s Newsom (Elizabeth Manor G&CC) posted 10 birdies and an eagle in their stellar round. They attributed their success to their ability to consistently get on the green and play off one another’s success, with Decker saying, “we never really had much trouble all day. If one of us was out of the hole, the other one hit a pretty good shot. I don’t think we even came close to making a bogey.”
Decker also attributed their success to Newsom’s birdie on the first hole. “A birdie on the first hole will always put you in a good mood,” said Newsom.
On Decker, Newsom said, “playing with Keith, I’ve been looking forward to this for 10 years. We had a good round today and we’re going to have a good round tomorrow.” Decker is a member of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame and has won 29 VSGA championships, the most in history. Newsom is coming off an outstanding 2019 season that included an appearance in the final match at the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.
The last time the two teamed up was during the Virginia-West Virginia Team Matches several years ago before the two were seniors.
Decker and Newsom hold a four-stroke lead over two teams tied for second place. Virginia Beach’s Michael Hays (Princess Anne CC) and Chesapeake’s Scott Huneycutt (Riverfront GC), returned an eight-under-par 63, including eight birdies. McLean’s Bob Feinstein and Potomac Falls’ Somsak Chivavibul, members at River Bend Club, also posted a 63, making birdies on the first five holes.
Hays said the duo’s steady, consistent play was responsible for their score.
“Scott birdied 12 while I was staring (at) bogey, and I birdied 11,” Hays said. “It just worked well. I made some really good up and downs. I made probably two or three up and downs where we were done.”
Chivavibul said the momentum built from the five early birdies heavily contributed to his side’s success.
“That set the tone for the whole day,” he said. “I made a 15-foot putt on the first hole. We only made one team bogey, that was on 9. That was it, but we were never really in danger of making bogeys.”
This was the first time Chivavibul and Feinstein teamed up for a VSGA tournament, but the two have teamed together several times in the past. “I’ve played a lot of golf with Bob, we know each other’s games pretty well. I consider him one of my best friends,” Chivavibul said.
Two sides were tied for fourth after returning 7-under-par 64s: Salem’s Jack Allara (Hidden Valley CC) and Centreville’s Jon Zampedro (Pleasant Valley GC); and Scottsville’s David Passerell (Meadowcreek GC) and Glen Allen’s Tony Good (The Hollows GC). Five other sides posted 6-under-par 65s.
The defending champions, Nussey (Brandermill CC) and Bailey (James River CC) currently sit in an 11-way tie for 21st place, after posting a 3-under-par 68. The two won last year’s tournament after posting a 69 on the first day and a 59 on the second day, which included back-to-back eagles, helping them rally from a six-stroke deficit at the start of the round.
Matty Madden is a P.J. Boatwright intern for the VSGA.