Kelly and Kirkebo win Washington Men’s Four-Ball Championship; Jenson and Tibke take Senior Men’s title in playoff
Orondo, Wash. – The team of Ryan Kelly of Gig Harbor and Tres Kirkebo of Lakewood shot rounds of 63-65 to successfully defend their title in winning the 64th Washington Men’s Four-Ball Championship; while Ken Jenson of Mountlake Terrace and Todd Tibke of Snohomish shot rounds of 71-64 to win the 27th Senior Men’s Four-Ball in a playoff.
The 36-hole championships were held concurrently over two days at Desert Canyon Golf Resort in Orondo, Wash., and were conducted by Washington Golf (WA Golf). The two championships saw a combined full field of 96 two-man sides competing in a four-ball stroke-play format.
Men’s Four-Ball
Championship links:
Senior Men’s Four-Ball
With the championship being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelly and Kirkebo waited two years to defend their title in the Men’s Four-Ball, having won it in 2019.
The team began today’s final round tied for the lead with Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho and Jacob Koppenberg of Bellingham. Both sides had shot 9-under 63 in yesterday’s first round. Kelly and Kirkebo kept the momentum going, shooting 7-under 65 today. Hatley and Koppenberg finished fourth, three shots back.
Jason Olmstead and David Lenvin, both of Snoqualmie, took home the Men’s Four-Ball Net title.
In the Senior Men’s Four-Ball, Jenson and Tibke finished tied with the side of Tracy Quickstad of Kirkland and Dan Thacker of Edmonds. The two sides traded pars on the first hole of the playoff. On the second hole, Tibke stuck his approach to six feet and made birdie. Both Quickstad and Thacker had a chance at birdie – Quickstad from eight feet, Thacker from 16 feet – but neither could convert, and Jenson and Tibke took home the title.
Jenson and Tibke started today’s final round tied for seventh, five shots back of first-round leaders Quickstad and Thacker. Jenson and Tibke then put together the best round of the Senior Men’s Four-Ball, combining for an 8-under 64.
Defending champions Jim McNelis and Karl Smith, both of Gig Harbor, tied for second, four shots back of Jenson and Tibke.
John Geragotelis and David Acton, both of Oak Harbor, took home the Senior Men’s Four-Ball Net title.
In the Super Senior division, the team of Mike Jonson of Sammamish and Larry Daniels of Bremerton captured the title with rounds of 67-70.
The Washington Men’s Four-Ball Championship was previously known as the Inglewood Best-Ball from 1956 until 1993, when in 1994 WA Golf began to administer the event and introduced the Senior Men’s Four-Ball.
The Men’s and Senior Men’s Four-Ball are two of 14 championships conducted annually by WA Golf.