Four-Ball Championship

Carlin & Cavero Win 67th Four-Ball

Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club, located in Vero Beach, hosted the 67th Four-Ball Championship where teams played 36 holes of four-ball stroke play to determine the Champion.

Round one saw impressive scores with 38 teams posting red numbers.  The team of Devin Hernandez, of Saint Petersburg, and Ryder Frerichs, of Seminole, sat tied for first with the duo Christopher Carlin, of Plantation, and Nicolas Cavero, of Aventura. The two teams lead by two strokes with a first round ten under-par, 62! Hernandez/Frerichs started the day with a birdie on the first hole and ended the day with back-to-back birdies on holes 17 and 18 for a total of ten birdies. The front nine proved to be the favorite of the two nines for Carlin/Cavero. The team started with four straight birdies on holes one to four and ended the front nine with three birdies in a row on holes seven to nine for a first nine score of 29! After three more birdies on the back nine, Carlin/Cavero moved into a tie for first. Jacob Huizinga/William Wrigley, defending Four-Ball Champions, and David Giandomenico/Justin Burkhamer tied for third place with a first round eight under-par 64.

An exciting second day started with a birdie for the team of Carlin and Cavero. The duo lit up the front nine once again with birdies on holes one, three, four, eight, and nine to turn at five under-par, 31. Hernandez and Frerichs got off to a slow start with only two birdies on the first nine holes, causing them to fall from the lead early. Carlin and Cavero never lost sight of the lead to finish the tournament with two birdies on holes 17 and 18 for a total of eight birdies in their final round. A bogey free tournament and final round of 64 secured the victory for Carlin and Cavero! The two finished at 18 under-par, 126, to win by three strokes. The team of Tiger Godwin, of Fort Meade, and Kelly Sellers, of Lakeland, were on a birdie train in the final round en route to a 64 and second place finish, 129 (-15).  Tied or third at 130 (-14) were the teams of Scott Kennedy/Kyle Nathan and Jacob Huizinga/William Wrigley. First round tied leaders, Frerichs/Hernandez tied Casper Howells and Austin Schultz for fifth place.
 

The 67th Four-Ball Championship will be played at the immaculate Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach, Florida.  At Orchid Island, legend Arnold Palmer has drawn on all of his formidable experience to create an eighteen-hole masterpiece.  Entire greensites, fairway landings and tee boxes were lifted to create the uphill and downhill movement which adds excitement to his exquisite barrier island setting.  Water comes into play on several holes, further enhancing the beauty and challenge of the design.  The course is a rare treasure. For a look at the 2015 Championship Results click here.

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 amateurs must both be members of the FSGA

Entry Fees (per team)

• 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 Friday, July 1 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 9th

• 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Round one tee times off of #1 and #10

Sunday, July 10th

• 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Round two tee times off of #1 and #10

• 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 

William Wrigley and Jacob Huizinga captured the 66th Florida State Four-Ball Championship at Streamsong Resort's Blue Course. The duo posted a scoring 62 on the second day to finish at 17 under par for the tournament.

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 (772) 388-9393 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 (1 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 

SpringHill Suites - Vero Beach
5155 Indian River Blvd
Vero Beach, Florida 32967
772-978-9292

$119 per night plus tax. - Single/Double Occupancy Suites

For reservations please call 772-978-9292, and identify yourself as an FSGA Competitor or book online here, using corporate code "3F1"

Payment 

Orchid Island accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express as forms of payment

Directions

Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club
1 Indies Drive
Vero Beach, FL 32963

Click here for directions.