By Dalton Balthaser
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Although the temperature at one point throughout the day dropped to the high 40s, Eric Marchetti and Chris Francoeur’s golf games remained red-hot.
So did a healthy group of chasers.
The University of Rhode Island golfing buddies used a bogey-free best-ball score of 64 at Agawam Hunt (par 69, 6,156 yards) Wednesday to claim the 70th Rhode Island Golf Association Four-Ball by one stroke over Metacomet Golf Club’s Jeff Maher and Joey Miozza.
Marchetti, of Metacomet, and Francoeur, of Beaver River Golf Club, finished with a two-day total of 131 (7 under) after opening with a 2-under-par 67 at Warwick Country Club on Tuesday.
Maher and Miozza birdied the last two holes at Agawam to get in at 6-under-par 66 on the day one shot short of the URI duo with 132.
Defending champions Brad Valois and Greg Simoneau of Valley Country Club finished T19 after 141.
“It’s my first RIGA event,” said Francoeur, 20, of Amesbury, Mass. “It’s a good start for me in the Association. I felt that we played a lot better today than we did yesterday. It’s a good feeling.”
“It means a lot since I have had a lot of cracks at a title,” said Marchetti, 24, of North Attleboro, Mass. “Hopefully it is the start of some good things to come for me.”
Marchetti and Francoeur could have felt the pressure of trying to get into the winner’s circle and representing their University and teammates past and present. But they showed no signs of slowing down in their wire-to-wire victory.
“We wanted to keep it simple out there,” said Marchetti, who graduated from URI in 2017. “We didn’t want to over think things. If we played solid golf, which we are capable of doing, we had a shot at this. It was all a matter of execution for us.”
Francoeur started quickly with birdies on Nos. 2 (par 3, 175 yards) and 3 (par 5, 502 yards) after stuffing a 7-iron to two feet on No. 2 and chipping to tap-in range on No. 3.
He also added a birdie on No. 7 (par 5, 545 yards) to help them make the turn in 3-under-par 32.
Marchetti, the 2016 Rhode Island Amateur Stroke Play Medalist, got on the board with a birdie on No. 10 (par 4, 388 yards) after he rolled in a 10-footer as a result of a smooth 60-degree wedge from 86 yards.
“Our golf games complement each other quite well,” said Marchetti. “Chris is a long-baller and solid ball striker. I feel like I am more of an accuracy player and solid wedge player.”
The shot of the day came from Francoeur on No. 11 (par 3, 152 yards). After hitting a pure 8-iron to two feet, the group kept the good mojo going after Marchetti’s birdie on No. 10. The duo had plenty of good looks on Nos. 7-9 but failed to convert.
URI’s golf coach Gregg Burke was walking the Agawam fairways and watching each shot his current and former player were taking on the final few holes.
For the pair, it was nice to see someone who means a great deal to them come and follow their chase for the championship.
“For me as an alum it was cool to have coach out here,” said Marchetti.
“It was good to see coach come out and support us,” said Francoeur. “He was out here cracking jokes and it kept us relaxed.”
As for the future, Marchetti’s days in competitive golf are numbered and Francoeur will head back to URI for his junior year. Both with more business to take care of before the summer ends.
“I’ll be heading to Podiatry School in the fall so my days as a competitive golfer are coming to a screeching halt,” said Marchetti. “So I am going to make the most of the remainder of the summer.”
For Francoeur, an RIGA newcomer, these past two days could be the start of a good run of golf.
“Today was a really good boost for my confidence,” said Francoeur. “I played OK yesterday but I played really well today. I think today was a turning point for me and my game.
“It feels good having our name on the trophy with the best players the state of Rhode Island has had. Hopefully we can come back next year to defend if Eric is still able to compete outside of school.”