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Four-Ball Championship

Trump National Doral - Golden Palm and Blue Monster, Miami, FL

July 29-30, 2017

Godwin & Sellers Trump the Blue Monster; Capture 68th Four-Ball by 2

The FSGA went south this weekend for the 68th Four-Ball Championship. Held at Trump National Doral in Miami, 48 two-man teams teed it up Saturday morning hoping to conquer the difficult Blue Monster course and come out on the top of the leaderboard. 

Coming into the first round, the early favorite was the Alfieri team of Joe and Cade. Joe Alfieri was already a three-time Four-Ball Champion when he won with then-partner, Doug LaCrosse from 1999-2001. Another team who could possibly finish on top was Tiger Godwin and Kelly Sellers. Godwin and Sellers played together and finished runner-up in last year's Four-Ball Championship. 

The first round of competition Saturday morning took place on the Golden Palm course and proved to be slightly the easier of the two courses. Two teams posted 66's and were tied at the top of the leaderboard after day one. The two-man dream team of reigning Player of the Year, Joe Alfieri and his son Cade posted one of the leading 66's while the second 66 was shot by Garrett Morrison and Lucas Carpenter of Jacksonville and St. Cloud, respectively. Closely behind the Alfieri and Morrison/Carpenter teams after shooting a 67 in the first round was the Godwin/Sellers team. Tiger Godwin of Fort Meade and Kelly Sellers of Lakeland started off a little shaky with a bogey on the par-5 fifth hole, but bounced back with six birdies and just one additional bogey on 17 to finish their first round with a four-under par round of 67. 

With 32 teams finishing the first round either even or under par, Sunday's finishing round on the Blue Monster was guaranteed to be a show with lots of moving around on the leaderboard. The two man team of Godwin and Sellers came out of the gate strong with a birdie on the first hole yet with a bogey on the fourth, they would drop back to even-par for the round. Their turning point in the round, however, came on the sixth hole where they would birdie hole six, eagle hole seven, and birdie hole eight to move dramatically up the leaderboard at the turn. Going out in a four-under par, 32, Sellers and Godwin made one birdie followed by one bogey to finish their concluding nine holes at even-par. Their second round total of four-under par, 68, paired with their first round score of 67 finished them at 135 and good enough to take the championship by two shots. 

Finishing alone in second place was the father-son team of Joe and Cade Alfieri. Leading after the first round, the Alfieri's struggled the second round and shot just one-under par to finish the tournament at 137, two back. Rounding out the top three was the two man of Christian Bosso of Orlando and 99th Amateur Champion, Jacob Huizinga of Pensacola. The Bosso/Huizinga duo played consistently throughout the entire event and posted consecutive 69's to finish alone in third. 

Even though Godwin and Sellers four-ball score of 135 might have been good enough to win the tournament, it was the highest winning score relative to par since 2006, proving Trump National Doral put even the most talented golfers to the test.

Final Results

Tee Information

Tee

Yardage / Info

Golden Palm - R1

6,839 yds. 73.5/137

Blue Monster - R2

7,231 yds. 75.9/142

Weather Information

Description

Temp

Thunderstorms

Stormy, 2 Delays Totaling

92 °F

Thunderstorms

50 minute delay

94 °F

Tournament Results

PosPosition Name Rd.1 Rd.2 TotalTotal Score Points
1 Tiger Godwin / Kelly Sellers 67 68 135 3500
2 Joe Alfieri / Cade Alfieri 66 71 137 2450
3 Jacob Huizinga / Christian Bosso 69 69 138 1750
T4 Kelly Gosse / Tim Hume 69 70 139 1050
T4 Luke Campbell / Cody Christensen 70 69 139 1050
T4 Juan Sierra / Alexander Hastings 68 71 139 1050
T4 Chase Ibbotson / Gabriel Lench 68 71 139 1050
T4 Dustin Dingus / Tyler Dierwechter 69 70 139 1050
T4 Joshua Dubberly / David McCaskill 68 71 139 1050
+ View Full Results
Tournament Results

The 68th Four-Ball Championship will be played at the uniquely designed Trump National Doral Miami Golden Palm and Blue Monster Courses. The Blue Monster is known as one of golf's iconic courses while the Golden Palm has recently been redesigned and is gaining notoriety. Enjoy two rounds of golf in the heart of South Florida at the distinct Trump Nationla Doral Miami. For a look at the 2016 Championship Results click here.

Round one was originally scheduled on the Red Tiger Course; however, it was moved to the Golden Palm course due to course maintenance.

Championship Format

  • 48 teams; 96 players
  • 36 holes of four-ball stroke play (commonly called two person best-ball)
  • The lowest team score for 36 holes will be the Champion

Eligibility 

  • Male amateur golfer
  • At least one player must be 16 years of age as of the first day of the Championship
  • Both entrants are required to be members of the FSGA

Entry Fees (per team)

  Qualifying Fee Championship Fee  Exempt Fee
 GHIN
 160.00  220.00  320.00
 Non-GHIN 180.00  220.00  340.00
  • Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee and cart fee.
  • Championship Fee: Fee paid by those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying. Includes tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, and range balls.
  • Exempt Fee: Exempt Fee includes Championship Fee and Entry Fee for those individuals eligible for exemption.

Late entries are subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Pre-Registration

Those teams who advance to the Championship through qualifying must pre-register and remit an additional $220 per team at the FSGA website, www.fsga.org. Payment must be received by Monday, July 24 at 3:30 pm, or the team will be withdrawn from the Championship

To Pre-Register:

  • Log on to the FSGA website at www.fsga.org using your email address and password
  • Click on "My Account" in the upper right hand corner of the homepage
  • Under "My Tournaments", click on the "Pre-Register" button to the right of the tournament name
  • Enter your credit card information and then click the "Charge My Card" button on the bottom right hand corner of the page

Refunds, Notice of Withdrawals

Requests for qualifying entry refunds received prior to entry closing date will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). Requests received after the closing date will be honored (less 50% of entry fee). No requests will be honored within two days of the scheduled start date.

Requests for refunds of Exempt or Championship fees prior to the pre-registration deadline will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). No requests will be honored after the pre-registration deadline.

Course Set-Up

The golf course will be set-up at approximately 6,800-7,100 yards

Schedule of Events

Saturday, July 29th

  • TBA - Round one tee times off TBA on Golden Palm
Sunday, July 30th
  • 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM - Round two tee times off of #1 and #10 on Blue Monster
  • Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play

Local Qualifying

  • 18 holes of four-ball stroke play at 6 local qualifying sites
  • During qualifying, each team must use a golf cart
  • Caddies are acceptable, but caddies may not ride in the golf cart or carry the player's clubs
  • Players are responsible for cart fees for all practice rounds.

Qualifying Sites

Click here for information regarding the six local qualifying sites.

Defending Champions 

Christopher Carlin and Nicolas Cavero were tied for the lead after an impressive round one score of 62 at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach. The duo carded eight birdies during their second round to seize the victory with a final round of 64, tournament total 126 (-18).

Carts

Carts are included for all competitive rounds. Players are responsible for practice round fees.

Practice Rounds - Championship

Practice rounds are available one week prior to the championship, on a space available basis, and must be played after 12:00 PM on the weekend. The price for a practice round is $35.00 + tax. Please call (305) 591-6634 to arrange your practice round. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Exemptions

Teams in the following categories will be eligible for exemption provided they meet all entry and eligibility requirements (teams must remain intact):

NOTE: Blank entries will be filed by the FSGA for players who become exempt after the close of entries

  • Top 5 teams and ties from last year's Four-Ball Championship
  • Last three year's Four-Ball Champions
  • Current year's Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Champions
  • Last year's Mid-Senior Four-Ball Champions
  • Current year's Senior/Mid-Amateur Four-Ball Champions
  • Last year's Senior Four-Ball Champions
  • Teams qualifying for the current year's U.S. Four-Ball Championship (one player of the side must reside in Florida)

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

  • Next three Four-Ball Championships

Top five and tied teams

  • Next year's Four-Ball Championship

Other Policies

  • Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
  • Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. However, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player's clubs must remain on the golf cart. 
  • Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
  • Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here.
  • Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
  • Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
  • Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules. The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Host Hotel and Accommodations 

Trump National Doral Miami
4400 NW 87th Avenue
Miami, Florida 33178
305-591-6426

$149 per night plus tax. - Single/Double Occupancy

For reservations please call 305-592-2000, and identify yourself as an FSGA Competitor

Reservations must be made by July 1, 2017

Payment 

Trump National Doral takes cash, Visa, Mastercard and American Express as forms of payment

Directions

Trump National Doral
4400 NW 87th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178

Click here for directions.