Written by Beaux Yenchik, Manager of Media and Communications
JACKPOT, Nevada — There is a quote out there that many of you may have stumbled upon at one time or another that goes like this: “The best rounds of golf are those played with friends.” Those rounds could be the dawn patrollers or dew sweepers that strike their shots as the newly-found daylight warms the faces of each golfer. It might be a buddy’s golf trip to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, where, from sun up to sun down, thousands of footsteps are had along those hallowed Oregon grounds. But for several Idahoans, it was the two rounds played at Jackpot Golf Club for the 2024 IGA Four-Ball Championship.
Women’s Four-Ball Champions: Abby Black (left) and Lori Harper (right)
Battling for the glory, bragging rights, and frosted crystal trophies, the competition grew fierce in what was one of the strongest four-ball fields the IGA has seen for some years. In the Men’s Division, it was Nate Smith, the 2024 Men’s Amateur Champion, and Jason Azzarito who shot a scintillating 66-62=128 (-16) to claim victory. In the Men’s Senior Division, it was Brian Swenson and Mark Newman who came from behind to win, carding a 70-65=135 (-9). In the Women’s Division, Abby Black and Lori Harper held on to their three-shot lead from day one to step into the winner’s circle with a 68-76=144 (E).
For the golfers who made the drive to the town of Jackpot, Nevada, a population of maybe 1,200 (the census takers may have been a little generous on the numbers), a battle awaited them, not just with the elements but with a course that can sneak up and bite you if you aren’t paying attention and/or playing carelessly. It has extreme elevation changes, a supposed “everything breaks to the airport” line of thinking on the greens, and a few occasional shots that demand extreme accuracy. If one is not focused, one’s scorecard may look like a weatherman or woman in winter got a hold of it and began penciling in snowmen (8s) in each box—by the way, opening tee shots were being hit in 30-something degree weather. Brrrrrrr!
When asked about what skills were working that week en route to their victory, the team of Black and Harper gave great insight into how to play Jackpot GC: distance and scrambling around the green. Being two of the longest hitters in the women’s field put this dynamic duo in places on the course that the rest of the women’s field rarely saw. Any golfer knows that having a wedge or short iron in your hand more often than not leads to more scoring opportunities.
Men’s Senior Four-Ball Champions: Mark Newman (left) and Brian Swenson (right)
And if you look at the games of the other two teams that won, distance off the tee truly helped.
Yet, when failing to hit the green with an errant second or third shot, a touch of short-game magic was often needed. One could find their ball at the bottom of a bush or a tuft of fescue grass, or it could be lying on a piece of hardpan that plays as firm as if one were to play it off a cart path. You either strike that ball just right or you’ve just hit the clump of grass further than the ball or you’ve sent your ball rocketing over the green into who knows what.
And who did this the best? The winners when they were in said positions. Yes, the winners had some low scores from countless birdie opportunities, and yet, when they needed to, they could get up and down to save par or walk away from a par-5 with a birdie. A skill that Harper said Black demonstrated on countless occasions throughout the event. (Not everyone has the iron game that Smith has. If you don’t believe me, ask his partner, Azzarito.)
"[Abby] can get up and down from anywhere on a golf course, absolutely anywhere,” Harper said of her partner. “Having a partner that no matter where they are on a golf course, knowing you have par in the bag is just the most helpful thing on the earth.”
Besides the two above-mentioned skills, the IGA’s Four-Ball winners willed their way to victory. The team of Swenson and Newman could have easily counted themselves out of the event before the final round even started. They were among the first groups to go out in the Men’s Senior Division, meaning they were not one of the leaders, and they fired a final round, 65, leapfrogging into first place. They leaned on each other, and sometimes that is the best solution to having a successful round in a four-ball format. It helps when you can fire off five birdies in six holes like they did on the back nine during the final round of the event. That shows the will to win if you ask me.
"It is always good to have a security blanket, knowing someone is there to back you up,” said Swenson. “[Mark] just has a great attitude on the course. He keeps everything loose. He is a steady player as well…Like I said earlier, it’s just nice to be able to know you have a backstop—somebody who is going to make birdies and pars when you are kind of stumbling.
Men’s Four-Ball Champions: Nate Smith (left) and Jason Azzarito (right)
And sometimes, you just have to pull off THE shot. It is the six-foot par putt when your partner is out of the hole or knocking a wedge close and making the following shot when you know you need a birdie to keep your one-shot lead with one to go. Some call it the clutch gene, or others say it’s having that “dog” mentality. Azzarito and Smith did not walk off No. 18 green with a 20-shot lead. They finished one up with a clutch par on the last and two missed birdie putts by their challengers, Connor Johnstone and Daniel Uranga. If Azzarito and Smith had not each hit THE shot during their round, the outcome could have been entirely different.
"[Connor] and [Dan] didn’t make it easy,” Azzarito shared. “We were exchanging barbs left and right. It was a really fun day…[Nate], he is a great player. That birdie on 17 was an absolutely monster putt.”
After all that being said, I think we could agree that teamwork really does make the dreamwork.
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