Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media of Communications
BOISE, Idaho—Nestled just across the Idaho border is a course that—for only the fourth time in Idaho Golf Association history—played host to an IGA Championship event. Proving to be a hidden gem, Jackpot Golf Club welcomed the 2022 Four-Ball Championships in what was a phenomenal tournament for players in each of the three divisions: Men’s, Senior Men’s and Women’s.
Despite decent weather the first two days—with the appearance of wind in the afternoon—Saturday’s final round proved to be a dog fight as the rain, wind and cooler temperatures looked to take any player hostage and away from the gleaming trophies for which they played. For two of the three divisions, it was whether or not the leaders could hold on to the lead. For the other, it was going to be who was left standing at the end of the day.
In the Women’s division, it was Karen Darrington and Kris Fenwick who posted a final round 73 (+1) to claim the title. The long-time friends finished with a score of 70-72-73=215 (-1). In the Senior Men’s division, the unstoppable duo of Jay Sutton and Dan Pickens claimed what is now their FIFTH win in a row at this event. The two shot a final round 70 (-2) to win by two. The defending champs finished with an overall score of 66-67-70 = 203 (-13). The Men’s division came down to the wire with three teams in contention, but it was Chris Boquette and Bryan Lawley who won by carding a six-under-par, 66. Going 65-67-66 = 198 (-18) for the tournament, the partners did just enough to leave Jackpot, Nevada, victorious.
Women’s Four-Ball Division Winners: Karen Darrington (left) and Kris Fenwick (right).
WOMEN’S FOUR-BALL DIVISION
You know when you have something special when your playing partner knows your game better than you do yourself, and that is exactly the case with this year’s winners in the Women’s division. Darrington and Fenwick, as mentioned above, have been friends for a long time. They’ve had the chance to play against each other on countless occasions in stroke-play events; however, when the opportunity presented itself to play together, it was too good to pass up. What both would describe as “having pretty similar games,” the two trusted each other to hit the necessary shots, no matter how much pressure there was.
“I think it is a really comfortable partnership,” Fenwick stated. “…She tells me where to hit it and which club to hit. It turns out great.”
It was evident during this championship that these two ladies would be hard to stop. When one of the two would hit a bad shot or have a bad hole, the other playing partner would come through with whatever was needed—whether that was making a crucial par-saving putt or simply providing support at any moment. Each shot was methodically talked out—putting equal weight on both teammates’ shoulders with a zero percent chance of a grudge being held if one couldn’t execute to perfection.
Following a momentum-saving par putt by Darrington on No.11, Fenwick emphatically shared her support by stating: “Boom! Nice putt!”
On a course that had its challenges—playing about 5,500 yards from the red IGA tees, consistently having windy and semi-wet conditions, and a greater elevation change than most courses in the Treasure Valley—Darrington and Fenwick used their length to their advantage, as well as their ball-striking. It was the perfect display of “driving for show and putting dough.” But in this case, both sides of the saying worked.
“I really love this golf course,” Darrington said. “I’ve played it many, many times. I feel real comfortable with it and the greens. The greens are tricky, and so I felt like we putted really well…There is a lot of local knowledge.”
The partnership worked so well that they beat the second-placed team, which was Stacey Camara and Peggy Hicks, by 13 shots! Knowing the course played tough, a final score of 228 (+12) for Hicks and Camara was impressive. It just speaks to how well the winners of this division played.
SENIOR MEN’S FOUR-BALL DIVISION
Excluding what some may call the “COVID Year,” the partnership of Pickens and Sutton did what many have tried to do and have rarely done in the past: win the same tournament five times in a row. Being challenged on the last day by the groups behind them, the two seniors went out and did what they have done so many times before: make birdies and bounce back quickly after finishing a hole over par. Saturday’s round was foolproof as the team responded with five birdies to their three bogeys.
“[On] the very first hole, [Glenn Coiner and Chris Damico] bombed it in from about [40 feet] for eagle,” Pickens said. “[Jay] was already [close] for birdie, but they made that eagle and we gave them a shot already. We made the turn a little flat because I missed a short one on eight, so we knew we were in a dog fight.”
Senior Men’s Four-Ball Division Winners: Dan Pickens (left) and Jay Sutton (right).
However, the real threat to ending the dynasty came from a pairing in the group in front of them: Scott Vermeer and Darren Kuhn. Trying to make a push, Vermeer and Kurn shot an impressive five-under-par, 67, on a day when they needed to. Making four birdies on the front, they found themselves within one shot of the lead after Pickens and Sutton bogeyed No.11. Yet, with a bogey of their own on Hole No.12, Vermeer and Kuhn faded—giving Sutton and Pickens a clearer path to the winner’s circle.
Try as they may, the path they had hoped for was bumpier than they had anticipated. Still, the duo displayed trust in one another as they have so many times before. Following that outcome on No.11, Pickens and Sutton steadied the ship amidst a rocky part of their round by carding pars until their back-to-back birdies on holes 16 and 17.
“The weather definitely was tough, but lucky for us, it was tough on everybody,” Pickens gratefully said.
Having played some exceptional golf the first two rounds, the two had been brought to reality on day three, which had started with the team’s first bogey of the week on hole No.3.
“That, I think, set both of us back a little bit because we hadn’t made one [all week],” Sutton stated.
Weathering the barrage of attacks from all angles, the two friends kept their cool and walked away with yet another piece of merchandise to add to their respected trophy cases back home after maintaining a two-shot lead over Vermeer and Kuhn.
MEN’S FOUR-BALL DIVISION
Having just left his approach shot 20 yards short of the putting surface on No.17, Boquette was faced with a delicate chip to a hole location placed on the front part of the green. Having just watched both his playing competitors, Nick Travers and Kody Rathe, hit their approach shots close, and knowing his partner, Lawley, was out of the hole after dunking it in the water twice, Boquette needed to make something happen if his team wanted the title. Little did he know, the two-some of Ryan Blair and Daniel Stewart in the group ahead of him was about to post a score of 65 (-7) to tie them. After stepping up to hit the shot, Boquette pumped his fist with enthusiasm after watching his ball drop for a birdie—leaving both his opponents stunned as each missed their birdie putts.
“Watching both [Cody] and [Nick’s] balls go a little bit long, I was trying to hit [it] more in the front portion and let it roll up there,” Boquette said about his thought process going into his approach shot on No.17. “I don’t know what happened. It was about 20 yards short… [The chip was then] about [trying to get] it close [and] trying to walk out of there with par, and it went in.”
Fast-forwarding a few minutes later, Boquette again found himself facing a shot he needed to execute. This time, it was a three-footer for par on the final green. Travers and Rathe were in with a par and had left their fate entirely up to the outcome of the putt that was about to be hit. Blair and Stewart joined the small crowd that had surrounded the green to watch the final group finish—but also waiting to see their fate as all groups waited in limbo. With what must have looked like a 10-footer, Boquette showed no sign of nerves as he stepped up and sank the winning putt.
“I’ve played a lot of golf with [Chris] over the years, and he is just very consistent and a great player,” Lawley said as he complimented Boquette on his play for the week. “Lucky to have him on my side today for sure coming down the stretch.”
Though the final two holes were merely played by Boquette himself, the entire round, and in fact the entire championship, was a team effort for the Boquette-Lawley pairing. It was crucial shots like Lawley’s par-saving putt on No. 16 from 10 feet that showed how this championship was won by two people and not by one—a common theme amongst each of the divisional winners from this year’s event.
“I started [out] not hitting it well,” Lawley said. “[Chris] played the first five holes phenomenally with me not hitting it very well and providing [little] help. And then mine today was making a 15-foot eagle putt up the hill on [No.10] that really put us out in front by two. That was huge, but Chris came up huge all day.”
Boquette solidified his teammate’s comments by saying: “I think [a key point]…was No.14, the par-4 up the hill. We both sprayed it way right. I mentally [took] the [entire] hole off. [Bryan] is in front of [No.13] tee just about, and he knocks it to six feet and rolls it in for birdie…You don’t know how huge that was...”
The Rathe-Travers and Stewart-Blair pairings finished tied for second by being one shot back at a 17-under-par, 199.
Men’s Four-Ball Division Winners: Chris Boquette (left) and Bryan Lawley (right).
FINAL THOUGHTS
The IGA would like to again congratulate each of the winners from this week’s championship event. It was said best by a competitor that players in general embrace the opportunity to play this sport in a teamlike atmosphere. The teams that usually come out on top are those that work together and lean on one another through the thick and thin of the event.
The IGA would also like to thank Jackpot Golf Club for hosting the event and making all the players and staff feel welcome and at home.
The next major tournament for the IGA will be the Match Play Championship on June 21-23, 2022, at The River Club in Boise, Idaho. To find out more about this upcoming event and all other IGA Championships, visit our website at www.idahoga.org.