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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The leaderboard for the 11th NYS Men’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship is crowded at the top after the first round at Leatherstocking Golf Course.

Two teams are tied for the lead at 7-under 65. Griffith Hunter and Clinton Lange (NYSGA eClub - Capital District) and Christopher Chiarappa (Bethpage State Park) and Mike Sporton (Hudson Hills GC) hold a one stroke lead over four other teams.

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Hunter and Lange’s round was bolstered by an eagle on Leatherstocking’s iconic 18th. The momentum from that eagle carried them to three birdies on the back nine and a bogey free round. 

“Out of the rain delay we made the eagle putt and birdied #1,” Lange said. “So we were pretty hot making the turn and kind of kept it up … we really turned it on after the rain delay.”

Chiaparra and Sporton earned their spot at the top of the leaderboard by making five-straight birdies. After a stint of 10 holes without a birdie, the pair birdied their last five holes. 

The four teams at 6-under are 2016 NYS Boys’ Junior champion Christian Chapman (Cobblestone Creek CC) and Erik Stauderman (Links of Union Vale), 2021 NYS Men’s Mid-Am champion Carl Schimenti and partner Andrew Turker (Cornell University GC), Brad Monroe (Onondaga Golf & CC) and Kevin Vandenberg (Beaver Meadows GC), and Mike Mento (Lakeshore Yacht & CC) and Joe Petrin Jr. (Onondaga Golf & CC).

Chris and Owen Walsh (Mahopac Golf and Beach Club) stand alone in seventh place at 5-under. Three teams finished the day at 4-under.  Shane Dobesh (Locust Hill CC) and 4x NYSGA champion Yaroslav Merkulov (Ridgemont CC), 2018 champions Billy and David Hanes (Crag Burn GC), and Jim Hirsh and Bill Virkler (Yahnundasis GC) are all tied for eighth place. 

The defending champions, Michael Dwyer and Michael Stopera (Edison Club) are tied for 11th place at 3-under 69 heading into round two. 

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2017 NYS Men’s Senior Amateur Four-Ball Champions Robert Branham (Canaswacta CC) and Kevin Webb (Clifton Springs CC) lead the senior division by a stroke at 4-under 68. 

Eight teams shot under par on Sunday at Leatherstocking Golf Course.

Branham and Webb turned it on after the turn, and knocked four birdies on their last eight holes. 

“I think the two of us have always teamed very well, our games are very similar,” Branham said. “ At the end of the day, when you look at the number of holes we are pretty even as far as who did what for the team.”

Webb gave praise to the difficult layout that he and Branham triumphed on in 2017.

“It’s not just straight forward,” Webb said. “You have to hit the right spot and get it on the green on the right spot. It definitely is an advantage having played here.”

Branham and Webb are just one stroke ahead of three teams tied for second place. Jim Mueller (Orchard Creek GC) and Bill Paulsen (Eagle Crest GC), 2019 champions Ken Ogden (Oak Hill CC) and Wade Sarkis (Canandaigua CC), and Chris David and Dan Ireland (CC of Troy) all sit a stroke off the lead at 3-under. 

The 2021 champions, Mark Battle (Ravenwood GC) and Chris Sorci ( NYSGA eClub - Roc.) are tied with Brian Kumiega (CC of Buffalo) and Jeff Schauger (River Oaks CC) for fifth place at 2-under. 

Former champion Kevin Broderick (Schenectady Municipal Golf) and Jim Toomey (Capital Hills at Albany) and 2016 champions Matt Clarke (Cazenovia CC) and Bob Rosen (CC of Buffalo) round out the teams that finished round one under par.

Tomorrow, both fields will tee off in a shotgun format at 9am to finish off the championship.