Usually leading from start to finish, the super duo of Doug LaCrosse and Joe Alfieri found another way to win Sunday. Trailing by three strokes after a first-round 67 at the Florida State Four-Ball Championship at Jonathan's Landing Golf Club, the duo shot a 7-under par 65 to catch the leaders and force a playoff. A chip-in for birdie on the third playoff hole gave them their 4th team victory in two years.
Eric Schreiber and Rick Othmer, both of West Palm Beach, shot a first-round 64 to lead by a single stroke. They continued their great play in the second round, but their 68 allowed LaCrosse and Alfieri the opportunity to catch them.
A two-and-a-half hour rain delay tried to slow the defending champions, but their 65 forced a playoff. Schreiber tried to take the title with a long birdie putt on the first playoff hole, but LaCrosee matched him with a 6-footer. After all the players birdied the second playoff hole, LaCrosse made the title-clinching shot with a chip-in from the front of the green for his third consecutive birdie. Schreiber and Othmer had to settle for second place for the second year a row.
Jacksonville’s David Anthony and Steve Dodson led a group of four teams tied for third place. Also tied for third were: Tampa's Jimmy Jones and Michael Walters; Miami’s Paul Toliuszis and Joey Corona; and Boca Raton's Michael Nealy and Pompano Beach's Vincent Cherrix.
LaCrosse and Alfieri received crystal championship vases and had their name inscribed on the base of the permanent Florida State Four-Ball Championship Trophy.
An old English plate two-handled chased cup designed by Henry Alkin in 1860 tops the trophy. The title was their 4th in two years. This victory was in defense of their 1999 State Four-Ball title, and they also defended their Florida State Mid-Amateur Four-Ball title earlier this year.
The Florida State Four-Ball Championship is the eighth of 17 state championships conducted annually by the Florida State Golf Association. The Florida State Parent-Child Championship is the ninth and is scheduled for August 5-6 at Disney's Bonnet Creek courses.
