PALM CITY, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2016) – Sammy Schmitz,
who’s headed for Augusta National in a couple of
months, teamed with Jesse Polk to win the mid-
amateur division of the 60th annual International
Four-Ball on Sunday at The Fox Club.
And in the senior division, Keith Decker won the first
year he was eligible upon turning 55 after winning
two
mid-amateur titles, with some “heavy lifting” from
his
partner, Matt Sughrue.
Minnesotans Schmitz, 35, of Farmington, and Polk,
31,
of Lakeville, fired a final round of eight under par 63
to finish three shots ahead of the field at 16 under
197. They had 69-65 the first two days, finishing with
21 birdies in 54 holes with two bogeys each Friday
and Saturday, one on Sunday.
Schmitz qualified for the Masters in April after
winning
the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in October at
the
John’s Island Club in Vero Beach. It was there that
he
hit what could easily be argued to be the shot of the
year anywhere in golf, an ace-albatross on the par-4
15th hole that put him 3-up with three holes to play,
all
but icing the victory (he would win 3-and-2). The
shot
landed left of the flag on the 260-yard hole and
rolled
around on the sloping green before falling in.
Schmitz and Polk have a good partnership going --
the pair won the Minnesota State Four-Ball in 2014
and were the runners-up last year.
“We figured if we got to eight under today, we would
have a chance,” said Polk, who birdied the par-5
18th
with a driver, 4-iron and two putts from 20 feet to
reach
their target score. “But we didn’t know how we stood
until we finished,” added Schmitz, a regional sales
manager for a health care company.
Decker and Chris Reeves of Jupiter won the younger
flight here in 2010 and 2014. “Reeves knew I would
be too old this year and already had another partner
lined up. I contacted Sughre and I’m glad he could
play. He did most of the heavy lifting this
weekend.”
Decker, 55, of Martinsville, Va., and Sughre, 56, of
Arlington, Va., opened Friday with a double bogey on
their first hole, the par-4 10th, bogeyed the same
hole
Saturday but got most of it back when Decker eagled
the par-5 eighth Sunday. They also finished at 16
under 197 on rounds of 65-64-68 to win by two.
The four-ball stroke play event drew 22 mid-amateur
teams, ages 25-54, 33 in the senior division ages 55-
64,
and seven Legends players 65 and older. The latter
was won Saturday by Ron Waeghe and Tom Blank of
Rochester, N.Y., with 68-70—138.
-- courtesy Larry Bush
Sammy Schmitz and Jesse Polk win International Four-Ball
Minnesotans Schmitz, 35, of Farmington, and Polk, 31, of Lakeville, fired a final round of eight under par 63 to finish three shots ahead of the field at 16 under 197.