Calef, Maccario capture their first Massachusetts Four-Ball title

With a two-stroke lead entering Tuesday’s second round of the 39th Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship, the team of Mike Calef and Nick Maccario knew they controlled their own destiny as they looked to build on their 9-under 63 performance from The International’s Oaks course Monday. In their final 18-holes on the Pines course Tuesday, the team carded a 5-under 67 behind a combined six-birdie effort to finish by the same margin – two strokes – to capture their first ever Massachusetts Four-Ball Championship title with a two-round score of 14-under 130.

Playing in their first Four-Ball together (both have registered top-three finishes in the past two years), the Calef/Maccario duo had to dig deep into their arsenal to hold off the second-place team of Herbie Aikens and Matt Parziale, the 2016 and 2017 champions, who leaped into to the top two by matching a day-low 65 on the Pines Course to finish the 36-hole Championship at 12-under 132.

“To get a win in any Mass Golf event is fantastic,” said Calef, who one year ago finished runner-up to the team of Jimmy Hervol and Tim Umphrey in a three-hole sudden death playoff on Cape Cod. “You know you are beating some of the best players in New England and around the country when you win these events. There were some tough conditions out there with the weather not being great, but we had fun and played pretty well.”

After leading the field of 194 teams following the completion of play Monday, the team of Calef and Maccario, who first played together in a four-ball format when they were paired together at the 2017 Tri-State Championship, got out of the gate early by birdying two of their first three holes.

After having to switch their wardrobes several times over the first leg of the Tuesday’s second round, thanks in part to the on-again, off-again rain, the duo settled in nicely and found their way by making par on all but one hole on their first nine.

“We started off a little bit slower than we did yesterday,” said Maccario, who himself finished in third at the 2017 Mass Four-Ball championship, which was contested at Haverhill Country Club and Renaissance Golf Club, respectively.

The two made their only error when both players hit into the water on the eighth hole Tuesday, but were able to rebound quickly by making par on the ninth hole.

After making the turn, the team birdied Nos. 10 and 11, and carded four straight pars to sit at 3-under through 15 and added insurance with two additional birdies on two of the final three holes to secure the top spot in the two-day tournament.

“We made the turn and birdied 10, birdied 11, and knew we were back on track,” said Maccario after their self-described slow start. “We figured if we could get one or two more [birdies], that would be great. We got one on 16 and one for good measure on 18, where Mike rolled it in.”