News

VERONA, N.Y. – College teammates Owen Corby (Monroe Golf Club) and Anthony Maglisco (Pompey Club) delivered the lowest round of the 14th NYS Men’s Four-Ball Championship, which eventually propelled them to the winner’s circle at Turning Stone Resort’s Shenandoah Golf Course.

"This was a great time playing with my teammate. We’ve been talking about this for a little while now,” said Maglisco. “Playing with each other, trying to make as many birdies as we can, it’s a lot of fun.”

Related: Final Results / Rd 1 Recap / Photos

Entering the final round as one of four co-leaders at 2-under, the Le Moyne duo separated themselves from the crowded pack early. Posting a final-round 65, Corby and Maglisco ham-and-egged their way around Shenandoah with poise, power and precision.

“We knew there was stretches out there to (score),” said Maglisco. “We just knew we had to take advantage of what we had, hit good shots and play our game.”

Maglisco set the tone with a steady front nine, carding birdies on holes 4, 5, and 7 to help the pair make the turn at 5-under. Then came a red-hot back nine. Corby poured in birdies on 10, 14 and 16, while Maglisco added two of his own on 12 and 16. 

"Today, we hit the ball better and we just gave ourselves more looks and eventually those looks dropped,” said Corby. “(Anthony) had a lot of those drop today.” 

The duo’s existing chemistry proved critical in the pressure-packed final round. After a double bogey derailed their momentum late in Sunday’s opening round, they rebounded with clinical execution on Monday, finishing with eight red numbers and one collective blemish on the scorecard – a bogey on hole 11.

“We regathered (after the bogey) and formed a rhythm after that,” said Corby. “That’s kind of where the golf tournament fell into our hands, right after a huge error on my part.”

Their final tally of 9-under for the championship left them two shots clear of the field, securing their first NYS title as a team and earning a coveted exemption into the 2025 NYS Men’s Amateur at Yahnundasis Golf Club.

“It’s exciting,” Maglisco said. “The Men’s Am is probably one of the biggest (championships) of the summer for me and for (Owen) to so we’re looking forward to it. Can’t wait to play.”

The Wayne Hills Country Club duo, Jayson Clarke and Josh Desain, grabbed second place shooting 70-67 to finish at seven-under. Eric Terminello and Paul Terminello (Knollwood Country Club) came in at six-under for a solo third place finish, followed by a pair of brothers tied for fourth at five-under; Ryan and Tyler Edholm (Pendleton Creek Golf Club) and Crag Burn’s Billy and David Hanes to round out the top-five. 

As rainy conditions at Turning Stone subsided for Monday’s final round, 17 teams broke par in the Open Division, nearly double the amount from day one (9). Ten of those scores were under 70. 

SENIOR DIVISION

Wade Sarkis (Canandaigua Country Club) and Jim Scorse (Stafford Country Club) ran away with the Senior Division title as the only team in their field to card both rounds in the red. With a 68-69 split, Sarkis and Scorse earned a dominant seven-stroke victory in wire-to-wire fashion.

“It’s awesome,” said Scorse. “We definitely play well with each other. We’re good friends, so we don’t really worry about the other one playing bad. We just go out and play good golf, have fun.”

“I reached out to Jim and said ‘There’s one more state title that you don’t have yet,’” added Sarkis. “He played great. I played pretty solid and it worked out well.”

The veteran duo combined for four birdies in the final round — two from Scorse and two from Sarkis — to post the low round in their division for a second straight day and finish the tournament at 7-under 137.

“It’s definitely nice as far as the beginning of the season to get in there and have a partner to fall back on,” said Scorse.

This marks Scorse’s eighth NYSGA crown, and his third NYS Four-Ball crown (2011, 2012), albeit the first with Sarkis as his partner and first in the Senior Division. Scorse won his first two NYS Four-Balls in the Open Division when the championship was first launched in 2011. 

“He’s got an amazing short game, so it helps me playing with him because it improves mine,” said Sarkis.

For Sarkis, this is his second NYS Senior Four-Ball title, having emerged victorious previously in 2019 with Ken Ogden. 

Andy Bernatovicz (River Oaks Golf Club) and Kenneth Riter (NYSGA eClub - Western NY) and Skenandoa Club’s Anthony Villanti and John Migliore each finished at even-par to share second-place honors. Robert Hughes and John Bufalini (Thompson Park Golf Course) came in at one-over for solo fourth while two teams tied for fifth at three-over; defending champions Chris Smithers and John Harrington (Tuscarora Golf Club) and Joe Petrin (Lake Shore Yacht & Country Club) and Greg Perry (Onondaga Golf & Country Club). 

SUPER SENIOR DIVISION

After consecutive years of runner-up finishes, Jim Johnson (Canandaigua Country Club) and Jim Burns (Durand Eastman Golf Club) finally broke through for their first Super Senior Four-Ball title. And did so in dominant fashion. 

“It means everything,” said Burns. The third time is a charm. Two second place finishes and finally getting the job done is very special.”

“And to do it with the conditions we’ve had the last two days,” added Johnson. “This was extremely difficult. Yesterday with the rain and today with the cold and wind, it was pretty challenging.”

The duo opened with a 69 on Shenandoah, entering Monday with a share of the clubhouse lead alongside Jim Hamburger (McCann Golf Course) and Kurt Swenson (Stamford Golf Club).

Burns and Johnson maintained a steady diet of pars as they opened their final round on Kaluhyat, and took advantage of a birdie opportunity on Hole 3 to expand their lead. On the other hand, Hamburger and Swenson increased the deficit to three strokes with a bogey on the fifth, opening a three-stroke lead for the eventual champions as they made the turn.

“We’ve played a lot of tournaments together,” said Johnson. “It’s nice to go out there and relax knowing you have a partner to cover your back.”

Johnson contributed three more red numbers on the back, leaving no room for a potential comeback. They turned in another 69 when all was said and done, marking Shenendoah’s lone round under par for the day. 

“Jimmy hung in there,” said Burns. “When we needed the other person to step up, it happens very naturally with us.”

Hamburger and Swenson took home runner-up honors, finishing at 1-under for the championship, followed by Pinehaven Country Club’s Paul Hart and Tony Cristello (+2), defending champions Jim Mueller (Orchard Creek Golf Club) and Kevin Broderick (NYSGA eClub - Capital Region), and Chris Grady and Peter Cline (Woodstock Golf Club) to round out the top five.