LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - In the 4th annual Foursomes Championship the teams of Scott Cox and Blanton Farmer, Brian Keenan and Paul Royak, Michael Bell and Tim Miller would take home the Championship in their respective divisions. Scott Cox and Blanton Farmer's two day total of 9-under 135 would be enough to take them into a playoff for the Championship Division which they would win on the second playoff hole. Brian Keenan and Paul Royak were victorious in the Senior Division at 7-under for the Championship. Michael Bell and Tim Miller's final round 68 would allow them to chase down the leaders for the Super-Senior Division.
Saturday saw plenty of birdies in the Championship Division led by the team of Scott Cox and Blanton Farmer with nine in the first round. Their first round total of 7-under 65 would be enough to hold a three shot lead over the rest of the field that included many formidable teams. The team of Dustin Dingus and Ed Waller would be one of the chasers heading into Sunday's final round. The duo has teamed up in plenty of Championships including this year's 2021 U.S. Four-Ball Championship.
They would use this team chemistry to get off to a hot start in Round 2. Playing with Cox and Farmer, the two would birdie the first three holes of the day to cut the lead to just one as Cox and Farmer also birdied the par-5 2nd. The two teams would go back and forth for plenty of Sunday's final round with Cox and Farmer maintaining their lead. But at the par-5 12th Cox and Farmer would run into trouble and make a bogey to Dingus and Waller's birdie. This was the two-shot swing Dingus and Waller needed to get within striking distance.
With just two holes to play, Dingus and Waller would make a huge birdie on the 17th hole to tie the lead. With two pars on the reachable par-5 18th, the teams would need extra holes. They would be sent right back to the 18th hole where both teams would fare better than in regulation but would be deadlocked with a birdie each. The playoff would move to the opening hole at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club's Royal Lakes course. Feeling the pressure that Dingus and Waller were putting on Cox and Farmer knew they needed to make their move. They did just that with a birdie on the 2nd playoff hole to capture the Championship. This would be Blanton Farmer's first Championship victory after runner-up finishes in the 2020 Mid-Amateur & 2021 Mid-Amatuer Stroke Play. Scott Cox would capture his first FSGA Championship, and third FSGA victory in the last two months after capturing the first two Winter Series Events of the season.
Senior Division
In the opening round of the 4th annual Foursomes Championship, the Senior Division would see familiar names at the top of the leaderboard in Brian Keenan and Paul Royak. After coming up short in the Senior Two-Man Shoot-Out in October the duo was ready to capture a their second Foursomes Championship in a row. But Greg Greenbaum and Greg Hendrix had other plans for the weekend. Both teams would play steady through Saturday's round but would find trouble on the par 3's. Greenbaum and Hendrix would bogey two of the four out at the Royal Lakes course while Keenan and Royak's impressive opening round was partially derailed by a double-bogey 5 at the 17th. Each team would come into the clubhouse with a 2-under par round of 70 to sit one shot ahead of Jay Gregory and John McDonald who also posted an under-par round.
Greenbaum and Hendrix would get off to an unfortunate start on Sunday as they would bogey their first hole of the day to give the lead to Keenan and Royak. The Tampa natives would run with that lead, birdieing four of their next five holes to take a commanding lead. Greenbaum and Hendrix would do the best they could to try to bring themselves back into the Championship but only two birdies would not be enough as Keenan and Royak would not falter as they would finish with a bogey-free 67 on Sunday. Their two-day total of 7-under 137 would be enough to finish with a four shot victory and repeat as Champions. Greenbaum and Hendrix would finish in solo second while Gregory and McDonald's even par total would be enough for third alone.
Super-Senior Divison
After capturing the Super-Senior Division in the Senior Two-Man Shootout, the team of Bobby Lundquist and Jerry Young would be looking to add another Championship to their resume. An opening round 1-under 71 would go a long way into making that a reality. Their five birdies would allow them to have a two-shot lead over the team of Tim Miller and Michael Bell. Miller and Bell had an up-and-down day in Lakewood Ranch as they had three birdies, an eagle, but 6 bogeys would find them at 1-over for the Saturday.
Both teams would come out ready to play with birdies in the opening few holes. But as they found their way to the front nine at the Royal Lakes course Lundquist and Young would falter. Their lead that at one point in the final round was as much as three shots would come back towards Miller and Bell as they made two bogeys and a double in a stretch of five holes. Miller and Bell would capitalize with two birdies during that stretch to take the lead. The teams would go back and forth but Miller and Bell would never relinquish the lead and with a birdie on their 17th hole of the day they would capture the Championship in the Super-Senior Division by three shots at 3-under 141.
The team of Lundquist and Young would finish at 1-over 73 on the day and a two-day total of even-par to finish in solo second. Walter Himelsbaugh and Andrew Padova's 73's on both Saturday and Sunday would be enough to finish in third for the Championship.
