Two all-Kentucky teams qualify for 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

LOUISVILLE, KY (October 18, 2022) – On a day that was better suited for drinking hot cocoa by a fire, the final USGA qualifier taking place in Kentucky during the 2022 season was held at Big Spring Country Club on Tuesday. 36 teams competed for two guaranteed tickets to the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball which will be held at Kiawah Island in May, surely featuring warmer weather than what players encountered during this qualifier.

The advancing teams contain four Kentuckians as the pairs of Zach Lemons/Steven Brooks and Trey Bowling/Brandon Berry both shot 64 (-8) to get through and share medalist honors in the process. On a day where the temperature barely cracked 50 degrees and the wind occasionally gusted to 20 miles per hour, each team’s performance will go down as two of the most impressive from throughout Kentucky golf’s 2022 campaign.

Lemons and Brooks, both residents of Wilmore, were even-par after five holes and in need of a spark entering the remaining thirteen holes. They got that spark with consecutive birdies on the 6^th and 7^th holes and the fuse was fully ignited on the back nine where they shot 30 (-6) with four birdies and an eagle. One of the birdies came on the difficult par-three 17^th, which loomed especially large in them claiming one of the guaranteed exemptions.

La Grange’s Berry and Manchester’s Bowling were bogey-free throughout their round and resided at or near the top of the leaderboard for most of the day. An inward half of 31 (-5) was punctuated by two birdies in the last three holes to get them over the hump and into the field in South Carolina next spring.

Two alternate teams were also determined during the day’s events. Taylor Smith/Mark Baggarly and Joe Wilson/Topher Reed each shot 65 (-7) to share third place which put them into a sudden-death playoff to determine who would be first alternate. Smith and Baggarly, residents of Connecticut and Tennessee, respectively, got that distinction while Wilson and Reed, two Ohioans, are the second alternates.

NOTES & STATS

• There were five eagles made during the day’s play with three coming on the par-five 10^th and two on the par-five 16^th, including the pivotal one from Lemons/Brooks.
• The 10^th hole was the easiest of the tournament by a considerable margin as players feasted on it with a stroke-to-par average of -0.67. 21 birdies were made on this hole as well.
• On the other side of the spectrum, the par-four 18^th was the hardest hole by a significant amount. It was the only hole that did not have a birdie recorded on it while playing +0.50.
• Despite the two medalist teams having most of their success on the back nine, the front nine was actually the easier side during the day. Holes 1-9 averaged 34.87 (-1.13) compared to 35.60 (-0.40) on holes 10-18.
• The course average was 70.47 (-1.53).

Click here to view the final results

Click here to view results from other U.S. Amateur Four-Ball qualifiers

The Kentucky Golf Association extends its thanks to Gary Bebelaar, PGA Head Golf Professional and the entire staff at Big Spring Country Club for their assistance in conducting today’s qualifier. Additionally, the KGA lends its appreciation to each player who competed in the event.

This competition concluded the USGA’s slate of qualifiers in Kentucky for 2022. The KGA expects to conduct about a half-dozen USGA qualifiers during the 2023 season which will begin in May with a U.S. Open Local Qualifier. The full schedule of USGA qualifiers taking place in Kentucky next year will be released this winter.

About the Kentucky Golf Association:
The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The Kentucky Golf Association represents the amateur body of Kentucky’s golfers working in assistance with the United States Golf Association (USGA). The KGA provides a wide range of services, including handicapping, USGA course and slope ratings, and tournament management software to its Member Clubs. The KGA also operates the state’s premier amateur tournaments along with USGA National Championship qualifiers. Alongside the KGF and KPGA, the KGA strives to promote the benefits and enjoyment of golf while continuing to grow the sport across the Commonwealth.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703