PREVIEW: 94th Four-Ball Championship at Little Mill Country Club

MARLTON, N.J. - The stage is set once again for one of the premier team competitions in the state, as the 94th New Jersey Four-Ball Championship heads to Little Mill Country Club. Featuring many of the Garden State’s top amateur duos, the championship will showcase the unique blend of strategy, chemistry, and clutch performance that defines Four-Ball match play. With a deep and competitive field assembled, the path to the title will demand both consistency and timely brilliance.

Located in Marlton, New Jersey, Little Mill Country Club provides a fitting backdrop for championship golf. Known for its 27-hole layout, the club offers a diverse and demanding test that emphasizes accuracy, course management, and strong teamwork. The championship will be contested across the Red and White nines, two of the club’s three distinct layouts.

Designed by Hal Purdy, the course features tree-lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and greens that reward a confident putting stroke. With multiple nines in play, competitors will need to quickly adapt to varying looks and challenges throughout the championship. The combination of shot values and subtle difficulty makes Little Mill an ideal venue to determine the state’s best Four-Ball team.

Each year, the Four-Ball presents a compelling mix of long-standing pairings and newly formed teams. Established duos rely on trust and rhythm, while new partnerships often bring fresh energy and unpredictability.

Format
One, 18-hole stroke play qualifying round will be contested to determine the low 16 teams advancing to match play. From there, the championship shifts to head-to-head Four-Ball match play over two days, where partnerships are tested as much as individual skill.

Spectators who wish to attend must walk. Use of carts will not be permitted.

A Look Back
With another strong turnout, the 94th championship field reflects the continued popularity of Four-Ball competition in New Jersey. Teams advanced through qualifying and exemptions, forming a championship proper that blends experienced contenders with rising talent.

At last year’s 93rd New Jersey Four-Ball Championship at North Jersey Country Club, Henry Bolster and Sean Vowells of Canoe Brook Country Club captured the title in memorable fashion, battling through torrential rain to secure a 3 and 2 victory over brothers Jeremy and Ethan Wall in the championship match.

The duo showcased resilience and chemistry throughout the week. After earning the No. 6 seed with a 4-under par 67 in stroke play qualifying, Bolster and Vowells advanced through match play with steady, complementary golf. Their ability to “ham and egg”, picking each other up hole after hole, proved decisive, particularly in the final where they built an early lead and held off a late charge in difficult conditions.

Their victory not only highlighted their strong partnership, built over years at Canoe Brook, but also earned them a three-year exemption into the championship, making them a team to watch once again.

Teams & Storylines to Watch
A Bond Beyond the Scorecard
George Fernandez & Christian Przybyla

Both New Jersey State Police officers, Fernandez and Przybyla bring a unique connection to this year’s championship as members of the newly formed New Jersey State Police Golf Team.

The two have built their partnership through years of playing together through work, developing a natural chemistry that translated in qualifying at Oak Hill. “We’ve played so many rounds of golf together… just one of those good vibe type of feelings,” Fernandez said.

That familiarity showed in their performance, as the duo leaned on a complementary style throughout the round. “Every time I didn’t have a great hole, he had a great hole… we just kept flip-flopping like that,” Fernandez said of their qualifying effort.

For both players, who are also former college athletes, competition was the initial draw, but the result exceeded expectations. “We knew we had it in us, but in a situation like that, you’ve got to really bring what you’ve got. And we did,” Fernandez said.

Beyond the championship, their team is part of a broader initiative within the New Jersey State Police, competing in a league alongside other police and fire departments while supporting charitable efforts and community outreach. Now, with a spot in the field secured, the opportunity itself carries weight. “Just to play in this championship, that made my whole year,” Fernandez said.

Michael Puorro & Austin Devereux
A familiar team within NJ Golf circles, Puorro and Devereux continue to build continuity as a pairing. Devereux brings high-level competitive experience, including a New Jersey Mid-Amateur title (2024) and New Jersey Amateur title (2020), while Puorro adds both consistency and experience in team formats.

Puorro is also the host of The DROP Podcast, a platform focused on golf throughout the Garden State, further cementing his presence within the local golf community. Having played together multiple times, their chemistry is already established, something that can be a differentiator in a field filled with newer partnerships.

Erik Diamond & John Havay
Championship experience matters in Four-Ball, and Diamond and Havay bring exactly that. The duo captured the 2023 Four-Ball Championship, proving their ability to navigate both stroke play and match play under pressure.

Havay also enters in strong form, having captured last year’s New Jersey Mid-Amateur Championship, adding another major title to the team’s résumé. With a proven track record together and individual success at the state level, they enter as one of the most accomplished and dangerous pairings in the field.

Patrick Scenna & Ethan Lee
One of the more intriguing pairings in the field, Scenna and Lee are teammates at Monmouth University, bringing built-in chemistry from the collegiate level. The duo has already shown success together in NJ Golf competition, posting a bogey-free 66 in Four-Ball qualifying, a round highlighted by six birdies. That combination of familiarity and firepower makes them a dangerous team capable of going low early.

Erik Stevens & Chester Patterson
Stevens and Patterson return as former champions, having captured the 2024 Four-Ball Championship. Their title run showcased a complete team performance, combining steady qualifying play with clutch execution in match play.

With proven chemistry and experience navigating every stage of the championship, they remain one of the most dangerous and battle-tested teams in the field.

Brian Hollins & Troy Vannucci
Few teams bring the individual pedigree of this pairing. Troy Vannucci, a back-to-back New Jersey Golf Player of the Year, enters as one of the most accomplished players in the field, while Brian Hollins adds experience and local familiarity.

Representing Little Mill Country Club, the duo benefits from home-course knowledge, a factor that could prove significant over both stroke pkay qualifying and match play. Despite his extensive success in NJ Golf competition, this marks Vannucci’s first appearance in the Four-Ball Championship, adding an intriguing layer to one of the field’s most talented teams.

Jeremy Wall & Ethan Wall
The only sibling pairing in the field, the Wall brothers return with experience in the Four-Ball format. Their familiarity with each other’s games is an inherent advantage, particularly in match play where trust and tempo are critical.

Jeremy has previously shown strong form in NJ Golf competition, including a quarterfinal run in the Mid-Amateur and a top finish in the Amateur, giving this team a proven competitive ceiling when they find momentum.

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