After completing 36 holes on Saturday in swirling winds at Dalton Golf and Country Club, extra golf was required to determine the champion of the 4th Annual North Georgia Four-Ball.
Toby Geren and Erik Jacobs managed a par on the first playoff hole to defeat Keoni Vidrine and Matt Crowder in the Championship Flight after both teams completed regulation play at 12-under par 132.
As the opening event of the Chattanooga District Golf Association schedule, the tournament was condensed into a single day of competition due to the forecast for storms on Sunday.
Playing on his home course, Geren birdied his first two holes in the afternoon round after opening on No. 4 in the shotgun start. Both players birdied No. 2 – their 17th hole - to move to 12-under for a final round 65 after trailing by three strokes at the conclusion of their morning loop. Geren finished his long day with nine birdies against only one bogey.
Jacobs, who plays out of Nob North Golf Course, recorded an eagle two on the 444-yard par 4 12th after posting a birdie on 10 that moved his team into the thick of things, and both golfers birdied the short 15th to work their way up the leaderboard.
After owning a share of the lead following their opening round 64, Vidrine and Crowder carded their first bogey on the day at the par 3 14th – their 11th hole of the afternoon round - to drop to 10-under. But they rallied as both birdied holes 16 and 2 to pull even with Geren and Jacobs. Unfortunately, their second bogey came in the playoff that commenced on No. 1, delivering the win to their playing partners.
Tanner Boyd of Dalton G&CC and Justin Jolly of The Farm finished third at 11-under 133 after posting rounds of 65-68. David Noll and Mike Nance shot 10-under 134 (65-69) to place fourth, while two teams – Drew Silman and Tytus Cooke along with Chase Cole and P.J. Shields – tied for fifth with 9-under 135.
In the Senior Championship division, Scott Patton of Creeks Bend and Richard Keene of The Farm combined to shoot 11-under 133 to win by five shots.
Patton and Keene posted a 66 in their opening round, trailing Jay Potter and Michael Lovvorn of Bear Trace at Tims Ford by a single stroke. But Patton and Keene remained steady in the afternoon with a 67, while Potter and Lovvorn closed with a 73 to finish second at 6-under 138.
Patton signed for eight birdies on his day – five of those coming in the morning – while Keene recorded six birdies of his own.
Brothers Brent and Kip Henley, who entered as defending champions, finished third at 4-under 140, while Zeb Patten and Tom Schreiner placed fourth with a combined 1-over 145.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com