Wessner, Barkley duo grab Four-ball title with birdie, birdie finish

 OAKS, Pa.– Jason Barkley of Moselem Springs GC birdied the final two holes to give he and his partner, Donny Wessner of Golden Oaks GC, the title at the Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship Thursday at RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve (par 71, 6,642 yards). The duo finished with a 9-under-par 62, good for a one-stoke victory over RiverCrest members Tucker Koch, who carded an ace on No. 3 (par 3, 174 yards), and Dan Bernard.

  Barkley hit an “adrenaline-forced” 7-iron on No. 17 (par 3, 177 yards) to about 20 feet and then made the putt over the ridge to bring the duo to 8-under-par with one hole to play. He then followed that up with a 170 yard 8-iron approach shot, downhill and downwind to 10 feet and made the putt for what would be the win.

  “It was a fantastic way to finish,” Barkley said. “We needed it.”

  But Barkley, who fired four birdies on the day, was quick to point out his cool and calm partner’s seven birdies on the day.

  “Donny didn’t leave the flag the first half of the day.” Barkley said of Wessner’s 5-under-par 31 on the front nine. “Playing partner’s golf with him is very easy because he is very relaxed the whole day, no matter what goes on.”

  “I don’t know what was going on out there,” Wessner said. “I was just hitting everything pretty close and every putt was rolling right on line.

  It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I started feeling a little bit of the pressure towards the end but I was still relaxed. When everything is flying right at the flag you kind of just ride it out.”

  And even though the pair registered 11 birdies between the two of them, both were quick to point to a bogey as a key moment of their field-low round.

  After Barkley found the hazard on the par 4, 15^th hole (422 yards) and Wessner was in a nasty greenside pot bunker, the pair knew they were staring a big number. But it was Wessner who found a way out.

  Forced to play out backwards out of the bunker, Wessner managed to two putt for bogey and side step a huge mistake with only three holes to play.

  “That two putt was huge for us,” Barkley said.

Notes:
  Tucker Koch of RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve carded a hole-in-one on the par 3, 3^rd hole (174 yards) after just barely clearing the hazard with a 9-iron and bouncing the ball up and in for his second hole-in-one ever.

  “I can’t believe it made it over the hazard,” he said. “It was a big bounce. I hit it and dropped my club.”

  Added his partner, Dan Bernard, “That was more of a member’s bounce. We didn’t know it went in until we walked up onto the green.”

—

  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 135 Member Clubs and 56,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. The purpose of the Association is simple: To promote, protect and preserve the game of golf in the region.