The super duo did it again. Doug LaCrosse and Joe Alfieri, two of the top amateur players in the state, won their third consecutive Florida State Four-Ball Championship by shooting a final-round 70 in extremely windy conditions at Doral Golf Resort's "Blue Monster."
Orlando’s Cap Caponi and Mickey Novak made a run by posting a final-round 67, but they fell three strokes shy and shared second place with Steve Albright and Kelly Gosse.
LaCrosse, from Tampa, and Alfieri, of Lutz, shot a first-round 63 to easily put them ahead of the rest of the field. With winds continually blowing 20 to 25 miles per hour, their 2-under par 70 on Sunday was good enough to hold on to a sizable lead.
LaCrosse and Alfieri received crystal championship vases and had their names inscribed on the base of the permanent Florida State Four-Ball Championship Trophy. An old English plate two-handled chased cup designed by Henry Aiken in 1860 tops the trophy.
The title was their 5th in three years. LaCrosse, who is a four-time FSGA Player of the Year, started teaming with Alfieri, the 1999 FSGA Player of the Year, in 1999. They have competed in six state four-ball events and have now won five of them with the exception being a third-place finish at the Mid-Amateur Four-Ball earlier this year.
The Florida State Four-Ball Championship is the eighth of 17 state championship conducted annually by the Florida State Golf Association.
