Two Man Links Championship at Sand Valley: Runaway victories for gross and net titles

June 4, 2023 | by Pete Wlodkowski of AmateurGolf.com

Ben and Dan Corfee were all smiles after a best-ball 59

Dan and Ben Corfee best their tournament record by one at 28-under gross, while Rick and Blaise Casselbury win the net title

Almost every team in the Two Man Links Championship at Sand Valley enjoyed a perfect week of Wisconsin weather before thunderclouds rolled in late in the final round.

Despite two teams being unable to finish the final two holes, it would have been mathematically impossible for the outcome to be any different, especially with Dan and Ben Corfee holding a commanding 14-shot lead in the Overall and Father & Son Gross divisions. So the duo shook hands with another father/son team -- Tim and Chandler Lovell of Georgia and took pars on the final two holes so everyone could make their flights home.

Sometimes big leads work out well. But how the Corfees got to that number is the real story.

Everyone in the field that looked at last year's leaderboard knew that there was plenty of firepower in the Sacramento area father/son duo -- they won at 27-under last year. Both players are steady, and the younger one (Ben) has played on the Canadian and Latinoamerican PGA Tours. Together, they have achieved the rare feat of qualifying for and advancing to match play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur. On any given day, we would put them up against any father-and-son team in the country.

After opening with an 8-under 64 at Sand Valley on Tuesday in round one, the Corfees arrived at the stunning. Mammoth Dunes course for round two with good thoughts from the previous year, when Ben shot 64 on his own ball in the final round. He is long and straight off the tee and dominates the par 5's with precision iron play. But that same precision carries over into his wedges and the all-important putter.

As the tournament director, the author decided it might be fun to play with the Corfees and witness the aforementioned skills (and I should note that both players are very solid all around). But I had no idea what I was in store for. Dan posted a 2-under 71 on the par-73 layout. But after a 7-under 29 on the front nine, it was apparent that the younger Corfee (Ben) was "zoning" and there was no telling how low he would go.

Standing on the par-5 18th tee at 11-under, Corfee calmly fired a 320-yard drive to the center of the fairway and hit his approach to 20 feet. Looking at a putt for 13-under (which would be a round of 59 at most courses) Corfee drained it, and set the tournament record for a single round score as his dad helped him a shot. Alas, the magical 59 wasn't in store but Corfee was all smiles.

"It's the lowest round of my life," he said after the putt dropped.

With a huge lead over Tim and Chandler Lovell heading into the final round, the Corfees bested their score from last year by a single shot, setting another tournament record. And the Lovells -- playing alongside the Corfees in the final round -- put up a solid 54-hole total of 14-under par to finish second. The younger Lovell, heading to Auburn University in the fall, has only been playing golf since his freshman year in high school.

Rick and Blaise Casselbury blistered Sand Valley in the final round, posting a 10-under 62 net to extend their tournament total to 26 under and claim both the Father & Son and overall net titles by 7 strokes over the Peter and Peter Kaufmann. The Kaufmanns used the tournament as the perfect "halfway point" between their residences in New Canaan, Conn. and Portland, Oregon. After posting a 64 in round one, they closed with a pair of 67s while Joel and Braden Golub finished third at 18-under.

Open net winners Thomas Terril & Bob Tartaglia

Thomas Teril and Bob Tartaglia won the Open Net division (for non father and son teams) at 10-under, while Michael Alsup and Tim Kelley of Tulsa, Oklahoma won the Open Gross title at 10-under. Mark Macejko and Duff Meyer of Pinehurst, North Carolina won the Senior title at 8-under.

Thanks to all competitors for taking part in this event, to the amazing Brandie Hammontree for the amazing job taking care of all the details, and to Callaway Golf for sponsoring. It was really fun having a "fireside chat" with the guys from Callaway on Tuesday evening, and we appreciate their ongoing support of the AmateurGolf.com website and tour. Finally, a note of thanks to the entire team at Sand Valley for hosting us. Next year we look forward to adding the new Lido course to the mix. We will provide 2023 players with the first chance to register, as we anticipate a sellout.

Our next event is on the shores of Lake Michigan at the amazing Arcadia Bluffs resort, where we play the Ireland links-style Bluffs Course for two rounds, and the ode to classic architecture, The South, for one round. There is still room for this event on Sept 11-14. Click here to learn more.

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