PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Winter is coming, as it was a chilly weekend at Innisbrook Resort. As always, the Island Course proved to be a super tough test, as the greens were running quickly. Despite the tough conditions, and chilly weather, spirits were high and we had some great finishes coming down the stretch. In the end, it was the teams of Daniel Eggertsson / Ian Steele (Under 50), Devin Stone / Todd Anderson, (50-59), Jerry Fleming / Dan Perez (60-69), and Jack Gleason / Bobby Kilgore (70 & Over) who captured victories in their respective divisions at the Men's Net Four-Ball Championship.
Under 50 Division
After Round 1, we saw some familiar names up at the top of the leaderboard. Out in front was the team of Eggertsson / Steele, with a very impressive round of 67 (-5). Not too far behind were the teams Johnson / Gillis & Sipple / Gonzales who both fired a 69 (-3). Johnson / Gillis were hoping to add to their 2024 trophy case, after coming away with the Net Two-Man Shoot-Out title in June, but Eggertsson / Steele had other plans.
Eggertsson didn't let the cold weather prevent him from getting hot, as he alone had three birdies in the first five holes to help build a comfy lead out of the gate. Just when you thought it could be a runaway victory, the team of Mealey / Soldano net eagled Hole 7, and also holed out from the fairway for a gross eagle on Hole 9. Quickly after, Eggertsson / Steele responded and shut the door by getting on another heater. The pair birdied 10, 11, 14, 15, & en route to a coming victory.
50-59 Division
Entering Sunday, you couldn't ask for a much tighter race. Sitting at the top was the team of Espeut / Tapanes at one over. Lurking close behind though were the teams of Weiss / Pierson, Dion / Linardos, & Stone / Anderson who came in with scores of 73 (+2).
Although the day started as a jumbled leaderboard, one team in particular started pulling away from the pack early. The team of Stone / Anderson got off to a quick start by going three under through the first seven holes, which was highlighted by a net eagle on the difficult 16th Hole. With 11 holes to go, they held a comfortable three-shot lead over Dion / Linardos, but no lead is safe with all the trouble on the Island Course. After they got through the very difficult 6th hole though, Stone / Anderson were on cruise control the rest of the round to capture the title.
60-69 Division
Outside the Under 50 Division, the 60-69 group were the only others to see red figures at the top. The teams of Brown / Murnane & Weaver / Collins, both came in with impressive rounds of 70 (-2). The team of Bishop / Bailey was hoping to play spoiler on Sunday though as they rounded out the top 3 after an opening round of 71 (-1).
None of the leaders were pulling away early in the round, which gave everyone a crack at the title heading to their final nine holes. The team of Fleming / Perez were the early darkhorse to win, getting off to a piping hot start of four under through 8 holes, highlighted by five net birdies on Holes 10, 11, 14, 15, & 16. Their streak of birdies was enough to capture victory by a narrow 1-stroke margin over Bishop / Bailey and Brown / Murnane who finished with a total of 4-under.
70 & Over Division
Although a small division, it was still a tough one to conquer. Following the first round, all teams were within four shots of each other, and it was truly anyone's game. Kilgore / Gleason ham & egged it well as they shot a nice round of 72 (E), to find themselves in the final pairing with Liwanag / Lozada who were looking for redemption after placing 2nd last year.
Through nine holes, the final group was neck & neck as they both sat at one under for the day. Coming from behind though was the team of Henry / Lee who strung together a few net birdies, and one net eagle, to get to three under on the day. They quickly found themselves just two shots behind going down the stretch. Unfortunately, a costly double bogey took them out of it, and we had a two-horse race. Narrowly squeaking out a victory was the team of Kilgore / Gleason as they finished at one under par for the event, and one shot ahead of Liwanag / Lozada.
