It will be four-ball galore over the next two weeks, both locally and nationally.
Between now and May 13, four big four-ball championships will be contested in Colorado or by the USGA, with Colorado competitors involved. First up are the separate CGA Four-Ball and Senior Four-Ball tournaments, the first CGA championships of 2015, set for Friday through Sunday (May 1-3). Then the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball will be held May 2-6 in San Francisco. Last but not least, the first U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball will be played May 9-13 in Bandon, Ore.
(It should be noted that though the CWGA won’t have a four-ball event in the next couple of weeks, it holds three four-ball tournaments annually: the Mashie, Brassie and Niblick.
The men’s and women’s U.S. Four-Balls are the first additions to the USGA championship schedule since 1987.
Here’s a brief rundown of the four-ball events — which are essentially two-person better-balls, either in stroke play or match play — that are set for the next two weeks:
— CGA Four-Ball at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster and CGA Senior Four-Ball at Todd Creek Golf Club in Thornton, each 54-hole event running Friday through Sunday (May 1-3).
A total of 92 players (46 teams) are registered for the Four-Ball at Legacy Ridge. While 2014 champions Keith Humerickhouse and Jared Bickling won’t return as a team — Humerickhouse is in the field for the U.S. Four-Ball — Bickling will play at Legacy Ridge with new partner Stephen Baxter.
Other former champions in the field are Jon Lindstrom (2002 and ’12), Steve Irwin (2004 and ’09), Alex Buecking (2009), Dave Johnson (2006), Jim Doidge (2005) and Pat Diaz (2004). Irwin will team with Diaz again this year. Doidge will partner with Michael Harrington, the 2014 CGA Player of the Year.
In the Senior Four-Ball at Todd Creek, 102 competitors (51 teams) 50 and older are signed up. Included are defending champions David Delich and Bruce Hogg, who prevailed by three strokes last year. Also back are 2013 winners Kelly Crone and Larry Netherton, who also claimed the title in 2009.
Other former champs in the field are Daniel Dymerski (2012), John Applegate (2011), Sean Forey (2003 and ’08) and Scott Radcliffe (2003). Forey and Radcliffe will team up again this year.
To access scoring over the weekend, click on the following: OPEN DIVISION, SENIOR DIVISION.
— U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at the Olympic Club in San Francisco May 2-6.
A total of 4,468 golfers (2,234 teams) submitted entries, and qualifying was held at 51 sites from last August through March.
The field at the Olympic Club will feature 128 teams, which will play 36 holes of stroke play, with the top 32 teams advancing to match play beginning on May 4.
Five teams in the championship include at least one Coloradan:
Robert Polk of Parker and Bill Fowler of Lakewood
Alex Kephart of Colorado Springs and former Colorado Springs resident Nick Tarasiewicz
Keith Humerickhouse of Eagle and Tom Abell of Oregon, Wis.
Jeff Chapman of Denver and Andrew Tapia of Raton, N.M.
Gus Lundquist of Parker and Trevor Sluman of Rochester, N.Y.
Polk and Fowler, both 50-somethings, shared medalist honors in qualifying at Colorado Golf Club with Kephart and Tarasiewicz last September. (The four are pictured together above.) Polk, 59, will be the oldest player in the field at the Olympic Club.
Lundquist and Sluman are University of Louisville teammates, playing for coach Mark Crabtree, a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer. Sluman is a nephew of Champions Tour player Jeff Sluman. They were medalists in an Oct. 8 qualifier in Mason, Ohio.
Humerickhouse and Abell were medalists in an Oct. 1 qualifier in Hartford, Wis.
— U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at Bandon Dunes in Oregon May 9-13.
Qualifying for the inaugural Women’s Four-Ball took place at 28 sites from August through March.
Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and Gillian Vance of Lakewood (left) will take a break from the high school season to play in the national championship. They shared medalist honors last October in a qualifier at Heritage at Westmoor in Westminster.
Kupcho, the 2014 CWGA Player of the Year, will play college golf at Wake Forest in the fall, while Vance will be on the University of Colorado roster.
All told at Bandon, 64 teams will play two rounds of stroke play, with the low 32 teams advancing to match play, which begins May 11.
He made the first hole-in-one of his life when he drained a pitching wedge from 147 yards at Valley Hi Golf Course in Colorado Springs on June 1.
Six days later, Tarasiewicz celebrated his 24th birthday. Then on Sunday, he and his dad, Rick, won their first CGA championship by claiming the Father/Son title at the Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction.
“I’m starting out the summer right,” Nick said.
After being runner-up in this championship four years ago, the Tarasiewiczes were eager to move up to the top position — and they did just that.
“We’ve been playing this for six or seven years, and we finished second at Cougar Canyon (in 2009),” Rick Tarasiewicz said. “The No. 1 spot is a better feeling. It’s awesome.”
The Tarasiewiczes, who play out of Patty Jewett Golf Course, held off four-time champions Gary and Alex Kephart on Sunday to earn the Father/Son title.
The Tarasiewiczes, who led after the first round, shot an even-par 72 in Sunday’s foursomes (alternate-shot) format, giving them a five-stroke victory. They finished with a two-day total of 9-under-par 135 after firing a 63 in Saturday’s Chapman Scotch format.
The Colorado Springs residents overcame a triple-bogey 8 on the fifth hole Sunday.
“We were both concerned” after the snowman, Rick Tarasiewicz said. “But I said, ‘This is where champions show what they’re made of.'”
The Tarasiewiczes responded to the adversity by making birdies on each of the next three holes, sinking putts of 1, 8 and 20 feet in the process.
“Nick was putting lights out today,” said Rick, a 51-year-old Army retiree who was runner-up in the senior division of the Colorado Springs City Championship last year.
The Kepharts, from Eisenhower Golf Club, have won the Father/Son in 2005, ’07, ’10 and ’11, but they had to settle for runners-up this time around. Their 72 on Sunday left them with a 4-under 140 total for the weekend.
“As soon as the Kepharts said (congratulations), my dad got a little emotional,” Nick said. “He teared up a little.”
Nick Tarasiewicz is no stranger to high-level amateur competition. In fact, three years ago, he was a medalist in qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. This was likely his final CGA Father/Son as he’s tentatively planning to turn pro next month and get his feet wet on the Dakotas Tour.
Hayden and George Nicholaides of South Suburban Family Sports eagled the 10th hole and also fired a 72 on Sunday, giving them them third place at 142. They captured the Loel and Caleb Lierman Award, given to the team with a player 18 or under which has the best gross score.
Meanwhile, low-net honors on Sunday went to Brandon Warnke of Adobe Creek National Golf Course and Larry Warnke of Redlands Mesa, who were 13 under par for two days.
CGA Father/Son Championship
At Par-72 Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction
Rick Tarasiewicz / Nick Tarasiewicz 63-72–135
Gary Kephart / Alex Kephart 68-72–140
Hayden Nicholaides / George Nicholaides 70-72–142
Mark Miller / Morgan Miller 68-75–143
Stan Woodworth / Josh Woodworth 66-78–144
Dallas Massey / James Massey 73-72–145
Bruce Hogg / Tyler Hogg 72-74–146
Mark Fowler / Brandon Fowler 72-74–146
Bill Fowler / Will Fowler 67-80–147
Rick Rosendahl / Mitch Rosendahl 70-77–147
Bradley Becker / David Becker 74-78–152
Jeff Eitel / Mr. Danny Eitel 75-78–153
Randy Rouse / Reid Rouse 74-79–153
Gene Mccolley / Zac Mccolley 75-80–155
Patrick Griffin / Tad Griffin 75-80–155
Robert Barnhardt / Cameron Barnhardt 70-85–155
Ryan Hettich / Ben Hettich 73-82–155
Thomas E Moore / Benjamin Moore 73-82–155
Chuck Delich / Philip Delich 78-78–156
Brandon Warnke / Larry Warnke 75-82–157
David Livingston / Thomas Livingston 72-87–159
Jim Chaldekas / Chase Chaldekas 78-81–159
Steve Dillon / Chris Dillon 76-84–160
Colby Smith / Doug Skelton 75-87–162
Larry Phillips / Sam Phillips 78-84–162
Gregg Mueller / Terry Mueller 79-84–163
Ken Harris / David Harris 75-88–163
Derek Schouten / Tom Schouten 81-83–164
Don Alley / Eric B Young 73-91–164
James Steigerwald / Tyler Steigerwald 78-86–164
Larry Michaels / Greg Michaels 79-85–164
Jim Hollingsworth / Brian Hollingsworth 72-93–165
Brian Cramer / Arlo Cramer 81-85–166
Paul Grant / Alex Grant 79-88–167
Dennis Weber / Andrew Weber 82-87–169
John Luoma / Bill Luoma 80-89–169
Gary Driber / Brandon Driber 84-86–170
Harold Erker / Grant Erker 90-84–174
Jess Whittlef / Scott Whittlef 84-92–176
Mark Boscoe / Sam Ethan Boscoe 80-97–177
Warren Androus / Lyle Androus 88-94–182
Jocko Kaliszewski / Lukas Kaliszewski 87-96–183
Wade T Pinkerton / Matthew Pinkerton 81-104–185
Steve J Bockenstedt / Scott Bockenstedt 87-100–187
Warren Seese / Alex Seese 84-104–188
Dr. Michael Smith / Bob Smith 88-102–190
Jerry Holder / Charles Holder 87-107–194
Richard Defries / Hans Defries 93-101–194
John Marasco / Mackenzie Marasco 89-107–196