Corrado, Bartolacci Take Four-Ball Championship

  YARDLEY, Pa. – Frank Corrado, Jr. and Wayne Bartolacci of Jericho National GC won the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 33^rd Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship in a playoff on Monday at Yardley CC (par 72, 6,427 yards).

  The duo bested Jason Barkley of Berkleigh CC and Donny Wessner of Philadelphia Publinks GA on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Both teams had carded 6-under-par 66s.

  In the playoff, after both teams parred the par 3, 165-yard par 3 No. 9, the first playoff hole, Barkley and Wessner ran into trouble off the tee on the par 5, 569-yard No. 10. Wessner hit his tee ball into a right fairway bunker and chunked his second right again, out of bounds.

  Barkley was left and blocked by trees on both his drive and second shot. He hit his third short left, chipped to eight feet and missed the par putt, losing the hole and the playoff to Bartolacci’s tap-in par.

  Barkley and Wessner had blistered the back nine with a 5-under-par 31 to finish with a 66. They started slowly and were 1-over-par after five holes, after a bogey on the par 4, 387-yard No. 3. But they caught fire with seven birdies in 13 holes – Nos.6 through 18. Wessner carded six of the red figures, on holes No. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 and 18.

   Corrado and Bartolacci carded 34-32-66. Bartolacci had four birdies and Corrado three to go with a lone bogey on the tough, 228-yard, par 3 No. 17.

  “It feels great,” Corrado said after the win. “I thought we blew it when I missed a two-footer on 17, but Wayne birdied 18 to get us into the playoff. It was a good team effort.”

  Paul Rogowicz of Yardley and John Robinson of Commonwealth National GC were one shot behind the winners with a 31-36-77.