55th Four-Ball Stroke-Play Championship: Scotland Run

Solanos collab for Four-Ball title

WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J. — Rich and Richard Solano are formidable forces on the golf course. Rich at Atlantic City Country Club and Richard at Scotland Run Golf Club. The name they share as father and son regularly populates on individual tournament tee sheets.

On Monday at Scotland Run (par 71, 6,395 yards), the duo tried combining their talents for a change. The experiment resulted in the 5-under-par 66 en route to earning the Gross title in the 55th Four-Ball Stroke-Play Championship. 

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“[Winning] means a lot, especially for me playing with my son” Rich, 56, of Sicklerville, N.J., said. “We play together a lot, almost every weekend until he had a job opportunity that took him down to Fort Lauderdale.”

“Just a great day with my dad,” Richard, 28, who splits time between Sicklerville, N.J. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said. “You can’t beat a day like this.”

The Solano side finished a shot clear of runners-up Mike Kidd and James Gillespie of Wedgwood Country Club. 

Louis Digeambeardino of Running Deer Golf Club and Phil Rocco of RiverWinds Golf & Tennis Club took the Net title at 10-under-par 61. 

A 30 minute frost delay affected morning tee times. 

The 55th Four-Ball Stroke-Play Championship was originally contested Aug. 27 at The Legacy Club. Heavy rains forced a reschedule. Scotland Run stepped up to host.

Schedule and course familiarity prompted the duo’s first four-ball event together. The Legacy Club was a place they know well; Scotland Run is one they know even better. Atlantic City Country Club and Scotland Run are owned and operated by Ottinger Golf Group. The group also owns Ballamor Golf Club. Reciprocal rounds are offered to members of each club.

“It just so happened to work out perfectly because [the event] got rescheduled for today and [Richard] was up here this weekend for a tournament we played at the Shore Club,” Rich said. “We weren’t partners, but Richard ended up winning his flight down there, [and] I won mine.”

The aforementioned event is the Johnson Purdy, an annual better-ball event with Gross and Net divisions. Both Solanos playing separately in the same event isn’t uncommon. In fact, the pair have faced each other in the Atlantic City Country Club men’s club championship final on two occasions (2023, 2025). Richard remains undefeated against his dad and has three men’s club championship titles in total (2023-2025). 

“We’re always competitive. I’m always trying to get to him,” Rich said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the stamina to last 36 holes.”

It didn’t matter in Monday’s 18-hole shootout. The partners each pulled the weight and picked up one another when necessary.

“We’re a very good ham and egg team,” Richard said. “Coming down the stretch, we had a lot of looks but couldn’t get anything in.”

“He was letting me know where we were leader-wise, so I kind of was playing it safe,” Rich said. “I know if I can hit it in the fairway and get on the green, I know I’m going to make par. That gives him the shot to go after the birdies.”      

The Solanos started on No. 1 (par 5, 510 yards) playing in the day’s afternoon wave. Richard, a self-proclaimed long hitter, got the team into red figures with a birdie on their first hole. He hit a 6-iron from 205 yards to 35 feet and two-putted. Rich joined the party on No. 3 (par 4, 365 yards) after nipping a 50-degree wedge from 70 yards to two feet. 

Richard closed out the nine with two more circles on Nos. 6 (par 4, 315 yards) and 8 (par 4, 385 yards). On the former, he hit spun a 60-degree wedge from 60 yards to a foot. On the latter, he stuffed a pitching wedge from 145 yards to seven feet. 

The pair grinded for pars throughout Scotland Runs back nine knowing they needed one-more birdie to break away from the field. The moment they were waiting for came on No. 17 (par 4, 445 yards). 

“I hit an 8-iron, pulled it a little bit to the left side of the green and made every bit of a 50-foot putt,” Rich said. 

“I’ve been playing here since high school, so that definitely helped,” Richard said. “Our game plan was just go out, have fun, hit the fairways [and] hit the center of the greens. Eventually some [putts] will fall, and luckily they did.” 

Both Rich and Richard work in sales for Maxim Crane Works. While Richard says busy traveling between South Jersey and Florida, the pair still make an effort to play together. Given their success Monday, more Solano team appearances are in the future.

“Hopefully going forward I can talk him into coming out and playing [the Four-Ball] again,” Rich said.

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 130,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.