JOHNSTOWN — Garrett Browning and Dan Maier didn’t have to look far to see what it would take to win the WPGA Four-Ball Championship Monday.
Not only did the duo have the experience of winning the same tournament just a year prior, but they also watched as their playing partners dominated during the morning round at Sunnehanna Country Club.
It was the defending champions, however, who surged in the afternoon.
After thunderstorms dampened Sunnehanna and caused a brief suspension of play, Browning and Maier heated up, shooting a championship record two-round score of 120, good for 20-under par, to repeat as champions in the 85th WPGA Four-Ball Championship.
“We started on (the 10th tee) in the second round and Dan got hot,” said Browning, a member at Chartiers Country Club. “Dan was 7-under through seven holes, hitting it close, making putts, all the things you need to do.
“We made the turn and I got hot. I made five birdies on the front nine and we ham and egg’d it pretty good.”
The former teammates at Robert Morris University trailed by two strokes following the completion of the first round, as their playing partners, Nick Sorkin and Bradlee Frank, carded a 10-under score of 60 to start the championship.
“We had a great group and Nick and Brad played awesome,” said Browning. “It’s easier to play good when everybody in the group is playing good. There’s momentum there, for sure.
“We knew that, in the second round, we had to go low because there were a lot of people behind us with a lot of holes to play. But, halfway through the afternoon, we were like, ‘we just have to beat these guys and we know we’re going to have a good chance.’”
Sorkin and Frank tied for second place, following their opening round of 60 with a mark of 62, matching the 18-under score of Sunnehanna members Louis Bruzda and John Olsen.
Browning and Maier became the first duo to repeat as champions in 51 years, when Bob Allhouse and Larry Smith took titles in consecutive seasons.
Their mark of 20-under and overall score of 120 was a record, and their second round mark of 58 is the best in the championship’s illustrious history.
“It was nice to have someone on the other side that was playing well,” said Maier, a member at Seven Oaks Country Club who is relishing the opportunities to play competitive golf before he and his wife welcome their first child in two months. “It frees you up a lot. Days like today are just a blast.
“We play well together. We don't get to see each other or play golf with each other as much as we'd like to, but we love coming together for this event. It’s nice to both put it together, play well and, and win again.”
Monday was also a strong showing for members of Nemacolin Country Club, as the team of Hunter Bruce and Tanner Johnson finished fourth at 16-under, while fellow Nemacolin members Nicholas Haught and Colton Lusk were fifth at 15-under.
The winning duo will turn their attention to next year’s Four-Ball Championship, in hopes of becoming the first team to ever claim the event in three straight seasons, while also getting the chance to team up and play golf together again.
“We have to play in it next year,” said Browning. “We could have finished last today and we would have had a great time. But, obviously, it's more fun when the ball goes in the hole.”
For media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
