Miskell and Hallmark win 2016 Texas Four-Ball Championship
BOERNE—From 195 yards on the final hole of the 2016 Texas Four-Ball Championship at picturesque Cordillera Ranch, Terrence Miskell on Sunday striped a 4-iron to 15 feet, then rolled in the eagle putt to win the Championship Division title in style along with partner Trey Hallmark.
In this their seventh four-ball event together, Miskell and Hallmark teamed to shoot rounds of 64-69 to win with a final score of 11-under-par 133. Midday Saturday, thunderstorms and lightning led to a four-hour delay that caused TGA Officials to shorten the championship to 36 holes. As soon as the championship concluded just shy of noon Sunday, the skies opened again and brought down another heavy downpour.
Miskell, from New Braunfels, and Boerne’s Hallmark won the Texas Four-Ball by three shots. They defeated three teams that finished at 8-under 136. The teams of San Antonio’s Colby Harwell and Brett Nichols; Barrett Sandefur and David Backus from Austin; and 2015 TGA Player of the Year Joshua Irving from Dallas and Scott Volpitto from Fort Worth all shared second place.
For Miskell, a member at nearby Sonterra, the victory was his fourth Texas Four-Ball title and eighth overall TGA Championship. A two-time college All-American at USC and Fresno State, Miskell also won the Four-Ball in 2003 and ’04 with Titus Harris and in 2007 with Trip Kuehne. Miskell was the TGA Player of the Year in 2004, ’06 and ’07.
“This one is really sweet because it’s been nine years since my last TGA win,” Miskell said. “In that time I’ve had shoulder surgery, elbow surgery and back surgery. So to get one of these again is pretty special.”
Hallmark, a Cordillera Ranch member since 2013, gave his team a leg up on the field with his knowledge of the course. A two-time Match Play Club Champion at Cordillera Ranch, Hallmark knows the subtle breaks of the Jack Nicklaus-designed greens as well as anyone. Of course, the flip side of that can be the burden to win on your home course because everyone expects it.
“It’s always tough to play on your own course because there is a little bit more pressure with everyone around,” Hallmark said. “It’s a big advantage here knowing the greens and knowing how the course plays. Especially with the weather and the wind changing, there’s definitely an advantage. The home course advantage is big.”
The Texas Four-Ball Championship is the second team title for Miskell and Hallmark this year. In February, they shot 61-66 to win the San Antonio Golf Association’s Regional Four-Ball event.
Despite Saturday’s weather delay, players in the Senior and Super Senior Divisions finished their second rounds and two teams were crowned champions. The Senior Division title went to Richard Koenig and Aaron Billings from Horseshoe Bay with a score of 10-under 134. The Senior Division is played by amateurs aged 55 years and older. Koenig and Billings held off a pair of teams from the Houston area by a single shot. Jonathan Shipley and John Dowdall, as well as Bob Kearney and Gary Durbin, tied for second place at 9-under 135.
“It was a very, very tough field and we knew it,” said Koenig, who holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the 17th hole. “We knew we had to play really well.”
In the Super Senior Division (65 years and older), Bob Hullender from San Antonio and Mike Arnold from Windcrest won the Texas Four-Ball for the third time. The duo also won in 2013 and 2014. This year, they finished with a score of 7-under 137 to clip Sam Boyd from Horseshoe Bay and Ken Redfern from Austin by one stroke.
“The first three holes after the delay were tough, but we had to scramble for some pars,” Hullender said. “Once we kind of got back into the game we ended up making three birdies in a row.”
The TGA extends its warmest and most sincere appreciation to the staff and members of Cordillera Ranch, as well as our volunteers, for their integral roles in making the 2016 Texas Four-Ball Championship a memorable and successful event.