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GLEN ALLEN –– Vienna’s Pat Tallent made an 8-foot birdie putt on the first extra playoff hole, the par-4 18th, to fuel he and partner, Keith Decker (Martinsville) to a victory at the 33rd Virginia State Golf Association Senior Four-Ball Championship, which concluded today at The Federal Club.
They outlasted first-day leaders Dave Pulk (Williamsburg)-Skip Zobel (Virginia Beach). Both tandems finished the event at 12-under 132. A steady rain that stayed around for much of the day made scoring very difficult. But, almost uncannily, both teams played bogey-free. Tallent-Decker returned their second consecutive round of 6-under 66. Their aggregate equaled a final-round best total. Pulk-Zobel followed their championship-best first day score of 64 with a closing 68.
Decker-Tallent, two of the premier amateurs in the commonwealth, posted a repeat victory in the championship, having triumphed last year at The Water’s Edge Country Club in Penhook.
This time around, on the first extra hole, Tallent played a terrific 8-iron approach from 136 yards that settled 8 feet from the flagstick on the water-guarded green. After Pulk’s right-to-left birdie chance from 16 feet narrowly missed, Tallent knocked in the deciding putt right in the center.
“It turned out to be a really good distance,” Tallent said of his pinpoint second shot. “It would probably be a pitching wedge for Keith, but it was an 8-iron for me. When I get a chance, I make putts when it counts, but Keith is the most clutch player I know.”
With the championship seemingly taking on a match play aura, Decker-Tallent tied their fellow-competitors at 11 under at the par-4 12th hole where Decker knocked in a 6-footer for birdie. Pulk helped he and his partner retake the lead at the par-4 15th hole. There, he stuffed his short iron approach shot to 20 inches for an eventual birdie.
Decker had the answer at the par-3 17th, making a gutty 20-footer for birdie to knot the two tandems again, this time at 12 under. Right after Decker holed his birdie putt, Zobel showed plenty of calm of his own by draining a right to left breaking 8-footer for par to keep things tied.
The rain began to subside—albeit briefly—on the first extra hole, where Tallent played clutch shots that would determine the outcome, capped by sinking a slightly downhill left-to-right breaking birdie putt that never left its line.
Both teams complimented one another on a well-played round, when scoring was tough in the sloppy conditions. Each tandem had to battle to hit timely shots and went without a blemish on their scorecards, a feat in its own right.
“It was a great match all day long,” Decker said. “They played awesome and didn’t give us anything. Anytime they needed to make a putt, they made a putt. It was a monotonous, miserable day. I don’t know how many towels we went through, but it was a lot. You just had to accept it. If you weren’t patient, you may as well have gone in.”
Tallent pointed to Decker’s birdie putt at No. 17 as a key moment for the team.
“It’s harder to make a putt to tie than the one to win,” Tallent said. “If he doesn’t make that, we’re done.”
Pulk and Zobel partnered well during the two days and stayed steady despite the constant precipitation in the final round.
“We’re a shade disappointed. It was kind of one of those days when the weather made it difficult to say the least,” Pulk said. “If you would’ve told me both teams would go without a bogey, I would’ve told you I didn’t think that would be possible.
“They made a couple of more birdie putts. It could’ve gone either way with a putt here or a putt there. It was a matter of who would make a putt to win it. They nipped us in the playoff, but that was pretty darn good golf. It was impressive for both teams. It was good playing.”
Said Zobel: “Today’s weather was unbelievable. Bad. But it was on my bucket list to play in a championship with Keith Decker and Pat Tallent, so I can scratch that one off.”
All told, Decker has collected seven VSGA senior titles since turning 50 in April 2010. In addition to his repeat victory at the Senior Four-Ball, he posted wins in the VSGA Senior Amateur and VSGA Senior Stroke Play championships in 2013 and 2014. Decker also won the Senior Open of Virginia in 2010.
Tallent won last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur Championship to put his name on a USGA trophy that had been a longstanding goal for a player who has won major amateur events throughout the commonwealth, region and country.
The tandem of Pete DeTemple (Callaway, Md.)-Mike Krulich (Blacksburg) matched the final-round best score of 66 to finish two strokes off the pace at 10-under 134.
GLEN ALLEN –– Scores following the final round of the 32nd VSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship at The Federal Club (6,387 yards, par 36-36—72) on Thursday, May 21.
* – Keith Decker (Martinsville)-Patrick Tallent (Vienna), 66-66—132
Skip Zobel (Virginia Beach)-Dave Pulk (Williamsburg), 64-68—132
Pete DeTemple (Callaway, Md.)-Mike Krulich (Blacksburg), 68-66—134
Leon Roday (Henrico)-Jeff Flax (Virginia Beach), 67-71—138
Buddy Patch (Fairfax Station)-Dan DeRisio (Springfield), 68-71—139
Mark Funderburke (Roanoke)-David Tolley (Roanoke), 67-73—140
Chris Clemens (Salem)-Miller Baber (Roanoke), 71-70—141
Phil McQuitty (South Riding)-Ross Robinson (South Riding), 71-70—141
David Partridge (Manakin)-Vinny Giles (Richmond), 71-70—141
Tim Krouse (Dunn Loring)-John Steele (Falls Church), 69-72—141
Barrett Hubbard (Richmond)-Mike Reese (Charlottesville), 70-72—142
Bob Bailey (Yorktown)-George MacDonald (Virginia Beach), 71-72—143
Tony De Luca (Purcellville)-Mark Adams (Alexandria), 72-71—143
Brad Love (Sterling)-Frank O’Hara (Sterling), 70-73—143
James Gallagher (Yorktown)-Jim Nirich (Catlett), 69-74—143
Jeff Fleishman (Williamsburg)-Mike McDonald (Williamsburg), 68-75—143
Jon Zampedro (Centreville)-Jim Woodson (Powhatan), 67-76—143
Danny Menefee (Fishersville)-Randall Jones (Warrenton), 71-73—144
Glenn Mullian (Richmond)-Tim Vigotsky (Centreville), 71-73—144
Mark Boedicker (Great Falls)-Mark Rallas (Leesburg), 71-73—144
Scott Richards (Norfolk)-Steve Williams (Yorktown), 70-74—144
John Hoffman (Fairfax)-Eddie Walker (Springfield), 70-75—145
Keith Morgan (Leesburg)-Richard Allen (Ashburn), 72-73—145
Tom Grady (Marshall)-John Cuomo (Richmond), 68-77—145
Charles Green (Tazewell)-George Kapetanakis (McLean), 68-77—145
Rich Buckner (Centreville)-Ron Clatterbuck (Haymarket), 71-75—146
David Price (Purcellville)-Jeff Puffenberger, 72-74—146
Mike Howell (Centreville)-Dave LeClere (Oak Hill), 68-78—146
Doug Henson (Roanoke)-Roy Foutz (Roanoke), 70-77—147
Bill Nunnenkamp (Blue Ridge)-Jack Allara II (Salem), 70-78—148
Pat Sigmon (Mechanicsville)-Frank Wood (Glen Allen), 73-75—148
Rusty Breeden (Glen Allen)-Rodney Walker, 73-75—148
Steve Brown (Haymarket)-Scott Gilchrist (Haymarket), 71-78—149
Bill Sibbick (Martinsville)-Jeff Adkins (Martinsville), 74-75—149
Michael Ancel (Newport News)-Joe Coates (Midlothian), 74-76—150
Mike Augst (Midlothian)-Kenny Hudgins (Powhatan), 74-76—150
Dayton Slater Jr. (Winchester)-Charles Blackburn (Leesburg), 75-75—150
Don Gibson (Fairfax)-Steve Marino (Fairfax), 72-79—151
Phil Goldberg (Fairfax Station)-Joe Johnson (Falls Church), 72-79—151
Peter Jacobi (Arlington)-Lynn Wessman (Arlington), 75-76—151
Jim Higginbotham (Palmyra)-Bob Rotella (Keswick), 74-78—152
Frank Pegram (Richmond)-William Sprouse (Rice), 74-80—154
Tim Anonick (Midlothian)-Bryan Burleigh (Midlothian), 76-78—154
Keith Myers (Roanoke)-Tim Chocklett (Vinton), 75-80—155
Bob Cunningham (Chantilly)-Rob Keith (Centreville), 77-79—156
Ronald Wetherbee (Front Royal)-Cal Coolidge (Lake Frederick), 76-81—157
Bert Allen (Forest)-Chuck Brewer (Forest), 69-WD
Doug Ayers (Chesterfield)-Pat Duncan (Troutville), 81-WD
* – denotes won the championship with a birdie on the first extra hole, the par-4 18th hole
First round recap