ROYERSFORD, Pa. — Christopher
Terebesi and Richard Umani’s golf
experience as a team transcends three
decades. The Honeybrook GC duo knows what
it takes to capture a tournament. They proved
it Thursday with a victory in the 40th Four-Ball
Stroke Play Championship at Spring Ford CC
(par 72, 6,662 yards). Terebesi and Umani
carded a 4-under-par 68 to prevail by a
stroke.
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Christopher Terebesi &
Richard Umani
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“We know each other’s games.
We know each other’s strengths and
weaknesses,” Umani, 58, of West
Chester, Pa., said. “We make a very
good team. We’re best of friends, too.
When he hits a bad shot, I still love
him.”
“We’re very comfortable
playing together, that’s for
sure,” Terebesi, 51, of Glenmoore, Pa.,
said. “When I see he’s in trouble,
I do what I have to do and when he sees me
in trouble, he does what he has to do.
We’re very good that way.”
Terebesi and Umani, along with the rest of
the 38-team field, battled intermittent rainfall
and difficult course conditions throughout the
day. A bogey on No. 2 (par 4, 420 yards)
squashed the duo into an early deficit. Both
failed to reach the green in regulation as their
drives led to tough lies.
The sour taste didn’t linger. Umani
ignited a spark into the duo’s round
with birdies on the next three holes. He
knocked a 9-iron to eight feet below the No. 4
(par 3, 145 yards) flagstick. Umani hit a 54-
degree wedge 95 yards to 20 feet on No. 5
(par 5, 520 yards) and converted the downhill
slider. He nearly drove the green on the
reachable par 4, 273-yard No. 6. A solid 40-
yard pitch left Umani a mere four inches from
the jar.
A bogey on No. 7 (par 3, 204 yards)
marked a minor setback as Umani fired back-
to-back birdies to cap the duo’s
outward voyage. He stuck a pitching wedge
123 yards to eight feet on No. 8 (par 4, 374
yards). He smacked a GAP wedge 110 yards to
five feet on the uphill par 5, 538-yard No. 9,
but his golf ball spun backwards and settled 36
feet from the flagstick. Umani drained the uphill
birdie putt.
“Rick got really hot from the fourth
hole through the 11th hole,” Terebesi
He made six birdies. I just carried the
flagstick.”
Terebesi and Umani moved to 4
under after a crucial birdie on No. 12 (par 4,
354 yards). Umani stopped a 9-iron at 12 feet.
Critical pars on Nos. 16 (par 3, 210 yards) and
17 (par 4, 413 yards) saved the team’s
scorecard. Terebesi, who serves as Secretary
for the Golf Association of Philadelphia, two-
putted the first and executed a splendid up-
and-down out of the bunker on the latter. The
duo had a chance to finish at 5 under, but
Umani left a nine-footer for birdie short after a
fantastic gap wedge shot from 110 yards.
“To win means a lot to both of
us,” Umani said. “We’re
getting up there in age. It was
important.”
Umani and Terebesi are both former
Middle-Amateur Champions. In fact, Umani
claimed the 1996 title at Spring Ford. Earlier
this year, he and Terebesi represented
Diamante, Mexico in the World Club
Championships at Nine Bridges in Jeju, South
Korea.
Six teams placed tied for second at 3-
under-par 69. Overall, 12 finished in red
figures.
ABOUT THE Philadelphia Four-Ball
Format: Better Ball of Partners. 18-hole gross and
net four-ball stroke play. Strokes for net scores will
be calculated at 90 percent of the course handicap.
Additionally the maximum handicap index for any
player is 18.0. If a side has a difference of more
than
eight strokes (after allowance) in Course Handicap
an additional 10 percent reduction will be applied to
the Course Handicap of each member of the team.
Eligibility: Players must be members of Member
Clubs with an 18.0 handicap index or less. Partners
need not be members of the same club.
View Complete Tournament Information