May 12, 2024
The NCGA Four-Ball Championship in recent years has had a slew of college teammates emerging as champions.
Finn McCall and Luke Brandler took that bar and lowered it even further.
McCall and Brandler, a pair of 17-year-old high school juniors, carded a final round 8-under 64 Sunday at Spyglass Hill for a three-day total of 17-under 199, good enough for a three-shot victory over the runner-up tandem of Mike Perchak and Mikey Burkland. It is believed that McCall and Brandler are the youngest champions in the 57-year history of the event.
"This feels really good," said Brandler, who plays at Stevenson School, which is located next door to Spyglass. "It feels good to make history."
"It's been a lot of fun," said McCall, who competes at Clovis North High. "Spyglass is a special place."
A day after a 69 where they struggled to really get anything going, McCall and Brandler turned on the jets, posting eight birdies with zero bogeys. Included in their birdie barrage was a front-nine 31 and a run of three birdies over their final five holes to break away.
On the nearly 300-yard par-4 17th, Brandler drove it into the heart of the green for an eventual birdie. McCall's drive meanwhile ended about five yards off the green. He'd pitch up and drain the putt for birdie.
And that's how it went. The two over their 54-holes posted 18 birdies to go against just one bogey. Their 199 total was just four shots shy of the championship record of 195, shot by 2016 champs Bobby Bucey and Brett Viboch. Being that Spyglass is the home course of the Stevenson team, Brandler gets to play there three to four times a week during the season.
"Other than some bumps in the third round, everything went well," McCall said. "It was a solid ham and egg effort. We were looking where we stood on the leaderboard and just played against the people who were chasing us."
One of those teams was the tandem of Perchak and Burkland. They'd get to within one shot of Brandler and McCall with a birdie on No.15, but on the ensuing 16th they'd make bogey while Brandler and McCall birdied to quickly make it a quick three-shot lead.
"I have major respect for them," said Perchak of Brandler and McCall afterwards. "They played very well."
Perchak and Burkland shot a final round 67 to come in at 202. Third place went to the team of Ellis Tirado and Mitchell Martin at 203 after a 66.
May 11, 2024
A pair of teams have some slight breathing room, but it's far from over.
The teams of Mike Perchak and Mikey Burkland and Finn McCall and Luke Brandler will head into Sunday's final round of this weekend's annual NCGA Four-Ball Championship tied for the lead at a total of 9-under par 135.
On a cool Saturday at Spyglass Hill, Perchak and Burkland made a move with a 5-under 67 that featured six birdies and just one bogey. McCall and Brandler, a pair of high school players, stayed at the top with a 69 a day after carding 66.
Earlier this year, Burkland claimed the title at the annual San Franciso City Championship. Perchak has his own spot in NCGA lore, having shot an NCGA record 18-hole score of 12-under 61 at last year's NCGA Valley Amateur.
Just two shots behind the co-leaders is a pack of five teams--Jason Herrera/Scott Bubany, Ellis Tirado/Mitchell Martin, Cory Donnelly/Andrew Roberts, Daniel Connolly/Reid Buzby and Jalen Griffin/Toby Briggs. In 2022, Griffin won the title playing with University of San Francisco partner Alex Chin. Connolly, the defending NCGA Mid-Amateur champion, is looking for his fourth career NCGA title.
Tirado and Martin had the low round of the day, carding a stellar bogey-free 8-under 64 with eight birdies. The pair had started the day at 1-over par.
Defending champs Nick Randazzo and Matt Cohn are lurking, just four off the lead at 139 after a second round 68. Also at 139 is the 2016 championship-winning duo of Bobby Bucey and Brett Viboch.
The cutline (low 40 and ties) came at 2-over 146. Last year, Randazzo and Cohn had a final round 67 to win by a stroke. In 2022, Griffin and Chin waltzed to a four-shot win after a final round 63.
May 10, 2024
If Friday's opening round is any indication, this weekend's annual NCGA Four-Ball Championship at Spyglass Hill will again be going to go down to the wire.
On a day that featured foggy and chilly conditions and later sun, three teams--Logan Goettsch/Jeremy Moreno, Reid Buzby and Daniel Connolly and Luke Brandler and Finn McCall--forged a tie atop the leaderboard with identical scores of 6-under 66.
For each of the three co-leaders, it was the result of someone finding a groove. Goettsch, a Poppy Hills Club member, posted five birdies on his own ball., as did Brandler. Connolly, meanwhile, carded six birdies on his own ball.
Connolly is a three-time NCGA champion, having most recently won last year's Mid-Amateur title at Poppy Hills. Moreno, who added a birdie, is a former teammate of PGA Tour pro Nick Watney.
Just a shot off the pace after opening scores of 67 are the teams of Jason Herrera and Scott Bubany and Eddie Davis and Jon Peterson.
Coming in at 68 and just four behind the leaders are another four teams.
Defending champions Nick Randazzo and Matt Cohn opened with a 1-under 71 to sit five strokes behind the leaders.
Overall, the course played to a stroke average of 73.44. The hardest hole was the par-4 9th, which played to a stroke average of 4.40. The easiest hole was the par-5 7th, which played to a 4.78 stroke average.
Following Saturday's second round, a cut will be made with the 40 teams and ties advancing to Sunday's final round.