Around the Green

48th Texas Four-Ball Set for Aug. 18-20

The 48th Texas Four-Ball, the second of this year’s four men’s major amateur championships, will be played Aug. 18-20 at Pinecrest Country Club in Longview.

This will be the first TGA championship held at the historic East Texas club, which recently marked its 100th anniversary.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to conduct one of our premier championships at Pinecrest Country Club,” said Chris Untiedt, TGA Senior Tournament Director. “We know the membership and staff will provide a fantastic championship experience and the players will enjoy competing on this wonderful course.”

Founded in 1921, Pinecrest Country Club began as a nine-hole course with sand greens. The club expanded to 18 holes in 1958 and was designed by Press Maxwell, son of famed golf course architect Perry Maxwell. Although not long by today’s standards, the 6,541-yard, par-70 layout offers up plenty of challenges with narrow fairways lined by towering pine trees, contoured greens guarded by deep bunkers, and water coming into play on many holes.

“Pinecrest is a very strategic course with numerous risk-reward opportunities throughout the round,” Untiedt said. “It encourages teams to play aggressively and is certain to make for an exciting championship.”

The 48th Texas Four-Ball will feature three divisions: Championship, Senior (age 55 and older), and Super Senior (age 65 and older). The starting field limit is 80 teams, with 48 spots allotted to the Championship Division, 20 to the Senior Division, and 12 to the Super Senior Division. The three divisions compete from different sets of tees and yardages, with separate champions recognized in each division.

The format for the championship is 54 holes of four-ball stroke play. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the lowest 40 team scores and ties, with a pro-rated representation from each division.

Starting times and pairings for the first and second rounds will be posted on the TGA website no later than Aug. 16. Live scoring updates and daily recaps will also be available online once the action gets underway from Pinecrest Country Club.

At the 2022 championship held at Comanche Trace in Kerrville, the San Antonio team of Chase Clayton and Josh Logan posted a 54-hole total of 21-under-par 195 to win the Championship Division by three shots over Chris Donahoe of Austin and Will Dusenbury of Bulverde. Mike Booker of Houston and Pat Youngs of San Antonio finished at 23-under 193 to claim a two-stroke victory in the Senior Division over Chris Goodspeed of Farmers Branch and Bill Steen of Frisco. Tom Burns of Houston and Michael Puls of Irving also carded a three-day total of 23-under 193 to win the Super Senior Division by seven over Hollis Sullivan of Westworth Village and Steve Whiteside of Midland.