Two scratch four-ball teams won handily on Monday at Lake Forest Country Club, in an event of the NOGA Great Lakes Auto Scratch Series.
Tom Laubacher and Monty Guest shot 8-under par 64 in the Senior Division to win by three.
Chris Okeson and Steve Putinski shot 5-under par 67 in the Championship Division to win by two.
The weather was a whole lot better in Monday’s rescheduled edition of the NOGA Four-Ball Championship at Lake Forest. After a postponement due to storms on June 22nd, a smaller field gathered in Hudson on July 20th to see which two teams would win in the two-player better ball format.
In the Championship Division, the challengers to Okeson and Putinski made just enough stray bogeys at key times to prevent them from getting any momentum going.
Brian Smith and Doug Barber bogeyed holes three and four, yet turned in even par 36. With a birdie at 10 and an eagle at the par-5 14th by Barber, they reached 3-under par. But then they both made bogey at 15 to crush their mojo.
Aaron Crewse and Bob Henighan toured the front nine in 34. But a bogey at 12 derailed their efforts and stopped their momentum.
Both runners-up finished at 3-under par 69, two shots back.
On the Senior side, Laubacher and Guest were actually under the gun as late as the 17th hole, from two challenger teams.
Mark Guadagni and Jim Durr lit up the front nine with a 5-under par 31 and added a birdie at 11 to get to 6-under par. But Durr played the wrong ball in pitching close to the par-5 17th, and Guadagni made bogey from over the green to end their chances.
Tom Skidmore and Tom Baugh were just one shot behind and both had birdie putts to close the gap at 17. But both Skidmore and Baugh narrowly missed, then Guest buried the dagger by converting his birdie putt to increase the lead to two shots with one hole to play. When Laubacher hit the tough into-the-wind tee shot on the long par-3 18th to 16-feet, the deal was sealed.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2020 NOGA SCRATCH FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP >
FINAL RESULTS:
Northern Ohio Golf Association
2020 Scratch Four-Ball Championship
Lake Forest Country Club, Hudson, Ohio
Monday, July 20, 2020
CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION
1 Chris Okeson + Steve Putinski 67 $550.00
T2 Brian Smith + Doug Barber 69 $300.00
T2 Bob Henighan + Aaron Crewse 69 $300.00
4 Brian Beebe + David Trier 70
T5 Tim Skufca + Bryn Irvine 72
T5 John Bernatovicz + Jeff Meagrow 72
T5 Brian Polick + Paul Wolanin 72
8 Kevin Rowe + Andrew Zgrabik 73
T9 John Fullerman + Howard Berry 74
T9 Ryan Workman + John Lord 74
11 Frank Rihtar + Matt Duffy 77
12 Emily Baumgartner + Andy Haas 79
CHAMPIONSHIP SKINS: $80 ea
Okeson, Chris / Putinski, Steve (3) Birdie on 3, Birdie on 11, Birdie on 12
Barber, Doug / Smith, Brian (2) Birdie on 10, Eagle on 14
Rowe, Kevin / Zgrabik, Andrew (1) Birdie on 13
SENIOR DIVISION
1 Monty Guest + Tom Laubacher 64 $450.00
T2 Ron Bell + Jim Cea 67 $166.67
T2 Mark Guadagni + Jim Durr 67 $166.67
T2 Tom Skidmore + Tom Baugh 67 $166.67
T5 Allen Freeman + Mark Borlin 68
T5 Ron Miller + Jerry Haywood 68
7 Brad Ellis + Joseph Roller 70
8 Nick Bukovecky + Bob Weaver 73
9 Mike Crawford + Ron Skirpstas 74
10 Greg Myers + Doug Hauenstein 75
SENIOR SKINS: $100 ea
Ellis, Brad / Roller, Joseph – Birdie on 18
Bell, Ron / Cea, Jim – Birdie on 16
Durr, Jim / Guadagni, Mark – Birdie on 11
Guest, Monty / Laubacher, Tom – Birdie on 13
