2023 FOUR-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
The first major championship of the 2023 NJSGA season will begin this week as the 91st Four-Ball Championship is headed to Hamilton Farm Golf Club from May 16-18. With a record number of entries, the Four-Ball is set to be a rousing several days.
Measuring about 6,800 yards from the tournament tees, Hamilton Farm will offer plenty of challenging opportunities for the field of 46 duos.
“Hamilton Farm is going to be a great test in golf,” said Drew Jordan, Director of Golf at Hamilton Farm. “All of the bunkers have been redone over the last two years and a lot of fairway bunkers have been relocated, making it much more challenging.”
Designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, Hamilton Farm features rolling fairways, elevation changes, deep rough highlighted by both wetlands and an ample amount of hardwood forest, making it one of the premier championship venues in New Jersey.
Hamilton Farm will reward a player's iron game and requires competitors to strategically place their golf shots in order to avoid large numbers on their scorecard.
"It's a relatively big golf course when it comes to the tee ball, so I think with the level of talent that's playing, the tee ball won't be as big of a deal, but it's a big time second shot golf course," Jordan commented. "If you miss in the right spot, you have a great chance to get up and down. If you hit a lot of greens, that certainly makes it easier, but if you miss is on the wrong side of the hole or wrong side of the green that at Hamilton Farm, certainly makes that golf course a lot harder."
Inside the Field
46 teams will vie for the Ridgewood Country Club Trophy, the first major championship of the 2023 NJSGA season.
Defending champions Michael Brown and Peter Barron will not be competing this year after qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, which will run May 20-24, 2023 at the Kiawah Island Club.
A pair of 2022 New Jersey champions in two-time Mid-Amateur Champion Brandon Dalinka and Public Links Champion Corey Brigham are set to tee it up with their respective partners, Gregg Angelillo and Keith Ryan. 2020 Amateur Champion Austin Devereux is competing alongside Michael Puorro, co-founder of the Drop Pod.
A Family Affair
Brothers Steven and Brian Zychowski will once again partner up for the event. The tandem from Mendham Golf & Tennis Club finished as runners-up in the 2020 edition of the championship and in 2019 were semifinalists.
“Our standard weekend game is playing with each other, playing against each other, We grew up playing together, we went to college together,” Steven rattled off. We just know each other's games. This is fun for us to get out there and play on the same side and push each other a little bit.”
Paul Ulanich and his son, Paul Jr., make up the lone father and son duo in the field.
The Format
One, 18-Hole, stroke play qualifying round will be played on Tuesday, May 16; the low 16 teams will advance to two days of Four-Ball match play on Wednesday and Thursday, May 17-18.
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