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VERONA, N.Y. - Jim Hirsh (NYSGA eClub - CNY) / Bill Virkler (Yahnundasis GC) cruised to a three-stroke victory at the 13th NYS Men’s Amateur Four Ball at Turning Stone. 

John Harrington / Chris Smithers (Tuscarora GC) came from behind to capture the 12th NYS Men's Senior Four-Ball title, while Jim Mueller (Orchard Creek GC) / Kevin Broderick (Schenectady Municipal) finished on top in the 2nd Men's Super Senior Four-Ball. 

Related: Final Results / Rd 1 Recap / Photos

Hirsh / Virkler opened Sunday with a 65 (-7), positioning themselves three clear of the field heading into the final round. A final round 67 brought them to 12-under for the tournament, which ended up being more than enough to secure the title. 

For the second straight day, the side got things started early with a birdie on the first, and didn’t look back until the final putt dropped. An eagle on the Par 5 8th and two consecutive circles on the card to start the back nine widened the lead even further, and the Central New York players made par after par to close things out down the stretch.

“The day started out pretty clean, we chipped in on one, and made some good pars coming out of the gate, " said Virkler, “We kept things steady, and then Jim made that eagle on eight which is really what ignited us.” 

The winning pair made only one bogey in Monday’s round and two total for the tournament. 

“I feel really confident with Bill as my partner that when I am having a bad hole, he’s going to be there for me,” Hirsh said. 

The Four-Ball victory was the first NYSGA Title for each of the two players. 

“It feels really special,” said Hirsh, “If this is going to be the only tournament I win this year, this would be the best one.” 

Johnny Gruninger (Bellevue CC) and Nick Bove (Pompey Club) finished runner-up in the Amateur division after going 69-66, concluding play at nine under. 

John Dantonio and Jacob Dantonio (Crag Burn GC) also turned in a final round 66 (-6) to finish solo third at eight-under. Reigning champions Billy Hanes and David Hanes (Crag Burn GC) came in at seven under, good for T4 with Brian Levi (Yahnundasis GC) / Doug DeCarlo (Drumlins CC) and brothers Ryan Edholm and Tyler Edholm (Pendleton Creek GC). 

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After a 65-67 split, Smithers / Harrington emerged victorious in the Senior Four-Ball Championship.

The side made six final round birdies en-route to a five-under 65, edging out Joe Babcock (Oswego CC)  / Luke Hobika (Drumlins GC) who they trailed by one entering the day. 

“We didn’t even look at the score until part way through the back nine. At that point you just need to keep playing, don’t make any big mistakes, and then towards the end see where you are and assess what you need to do, said Smithers. 

Needing just a par to clinch on 18, Harrington rolled in one final birdie putt to finish two clear of the field at twelve under.

“Once we took the lead, we played a little more conservative and it worked out for us,” said Harrington, “We kept the ball in play, in the fairway, and then hit good shots into the green to force [Babcock / Hobika] to come back. 

Babcock / Hobika finished solo second at ten under, while former champions, Wade Sarkis (Canandaigua CC) and Ken Ogden (Oak Hill CC) carded a final round 67 to bring them to eight under for the tournament. 

Two sides - Andy Bernatovicz (River Oaks GC) / Kenneth Riter (NYSGA eClub - Western NY) who won last year’s title, and Michael Harris (Deerfield GC) / Kennedy Cheruiyot (Morgan’s Crossing) finished T4 at four-under. 

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Beginning Monday three strokes off the lead, Jim Mueller (Orchard Creek GC) and Kevin Broderick (Schenectady Municipal Golf) fired a four-under 68 to propel themselves to the top of the leaderboard in the Super Senior Four-Ball Championship. 

The final round 68 (-4) was the lowest of the day among the Super Senior field, allowing Mueller and Broderick to finish three clear of the runner-ups Kevin Webb (Clifton Springs CC) / Robert Branham (Canasawacta CC).

“It’s a true team event, not one guy wins it,” said Broderick, “There’s always some crucial putts, when one guy is out and the other has to step up and we did that all weekend.” 

Webb / Branham led after 18 holes, but couldn’t hold off the surging Mueller / Broderick. They finished at five-under for the tournament, good for solo second. 

This marks Broderick’s second title, he won the 2014 Senior Four-Ball title at Leatherstocking GC with a former teammate.

Three teams - Jim Johnson (Canandaigua CC) / Jim Burns (Durand Eastman GC), Rich Weber  / John Gaffney (Brookfield CC) and Jim Hamburger (McCann GC) / Barry Winter (Southern Dutchess CC) held a share of third place at four under.