Teamwork Makes the Dream Work at Fenner Hill
By Brady Garthee
USGA Boatwright Intern
HOPE VALLEY – Tough conditions at Fenner Hill did not stop Joe McCoart and Paul Gusmini from putting on a clinic.
Windy conditions and course layout was not friendly for the majority of the field at the 32nd Senior Four-Ball Net Championship. But Joe McCoart and Paul Gusmini went on to shoot 13-under-par (59) at Fenner Hill Golf Club.
The pair from Lincoln Country Club played well this weekend on their home track, and carried the momentum to Fenner Hill GC. Their chemistry carried over from the weekend, as they picked each other up all day.
"If I had a bad hole, he picked me up," McCourt said.
"Really just dinging and donging. Joe made some really great puts to either get a birdie or save the situation. The Golf Gods were with us today," Gusmini added.
McCourt finished out the front nine with a birdie on seven, eagle on eight, and birdie on nine. On top of that, he made eagle on 12 and tallied three more birdies on hole ten, fourteen, and sixteen.
Teamwork is the name of the game in the four-ball format, it's crucial that each guy can pick the other one up.
"That's the whole name of the game. You can't both have a bad hole together. It's so important just to pick each other up. If one of us is down, just encourage the other guy and keep going," McCourt said.
Both McCourt and Gusmini will look to carry their momentum into the second and final round on Tuesday, where they will look to hoist the Senior Four-Ball Net Championship Trophy at the end of the day.