May 8, 2026
At least for one day, taking it low was the theme as the 59th NCGA Four-Ball Championship got underway Friday at par-71 Poppy Hills.
Grabbing the early lead was the tandem of Brett Thawley and AJ Fitzgerald, who went bogey-free and posted nine birdies on their way to a blistering opening round 62.
While the duo's score was low, it was still three shots off the all-time NCGA record for a Four-Ball event: a 12-under 59 carded by Bobby Bucey and Brett Viboch at Poppy Hills en route to winning the 2022 Mid-Amateur Four-Ball. It was also one off the NCGA Four-Ball Championship 18-hole record score of 61, shot by 2021 champs Ethan Farnam and Ethan Ashbrook.
Nevertheless, Thawley and Fitzgerald, the 2023-24 NCGA Player of the Year, were in a groove. They post a 32 on the front and a 30 on the back-nine.
Four other teams that also got going early were the tandems of Tommy Lutton and Rob Linehan and Jeremy Moreno and Danny Licursi, Robert You and Darren Lin and Daniel Connolly and Reid Buzby, who all came in at 64. Connolly is a mulitple NCGA champion, including the 2023 Mid-Amateur Championship.
Another three teams are at 65, just three behind the leaders. That group includes the teams of Randy Haag and John Fracisco, Jake Aberle and Jai Bahl and Jeremy and Luke Price. Haag, a 67-year-old NCGA Hall of Famer and Senior Player of the Year three of the last four years, would earn an NCGA record 17th title should he and Fracisco get the win.
But there's still 36 holes to go, and the difficulty level will rise, as both Saturday's second and Sunday's final rounds see play shift over to par-72 Spyglass HIll.
Following Saturday's second round, a cut will be made with the low 40 teams and ties advancing to Sunday's finale.
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