By Dalton Balthaser
WARWICK - Davis Chatfield and Andrew O’Leary had three things going against them during the 71st Rhode Island Golf Association Four-Ball Championship.
The first was they had never seen Potowomut Golf Club (par 71, 6,380 yards) before. The second was severe weather delays each day of the tournament. The third was trying to beat darkness to claim the title.
Chatfield and O’Leary, teammates on the University of Notre Dame’s Golf Team, claimed the RIGA Four-Ball in their first tournament as partners Tuesday with a final round best-ball score of 64.
They shot 63 in Round One.
Chatfield, of Wannamoisett Country Club, and O’Leary, of Pawtucket Country Club, finished with a team score of 15-under-par 127 to win by four shots over two-time champions Bobby Leopold and Tyler Cooke (2015-16).
Cooke and Leopold, of Wannamoisett, carded a team total of 11-under-par 131 after a final round of 64.
“We needed to shoot 60 or 61 to at least put some pressure on them,” said Leopold, 35, of Coventry. “We missed a few birdies early and it was tough out there. We couldn’t seem to get together where we both had our best.”
“We were off rhythm the whole time,” said Cooke, 28, of Warwick. “It could be the case of not playing that much right now.”
Chatfield and O’Leary are the first pairing of past #RIAmateur champions to team up and win the #RIGAFourBall since Leopold and RIGA Hall of Famer Paul Quigley did it in 2009.
Chatfield won the Rhode Island Amateur at Point Judith Country Club in 2016 and O’Leary won in 2019 at Shelter Harbor Golf Club.
“It’s nice to get the win and join the elite company of the best players in Rhode Island who have won this event,” said Chatfield, 21, of Attleboro, Mass. “It’s a pretty cool list to be on.”
“It means a great deal to me since I haven’t played in this event before,” said O’Leary, 20, of Norfolk, Mass. “But Davis called me up asking if I would play with him. I thought it would be a lot of fun. Winning my first tournament is a nice way to start the summer.”
The Irish duo entered the day with a two-shot lead over Valley Country Club’s Joe Tucker and Alex Parente. All they wanted to do was keep the pedal down.
“We didn’t have a specific number in mind,” said Chatfield, a rising senior at Notre Dame. “We figured that if the weather was OK, the course was still soft. Shooting something like we did Monday was what we thought we needed.”
They played the first four holes in 1 under. Then the horns blew.
Play was suspended at 4 p.m. due to lightning in the area and resumed at 5:40 p.m. after an hour and 40 minute delay.
That break didn’t shake Chatfield. After they both birdied No. 7 (par 4, 352 yards). Chatfield birdied No. 9 (par 5, 445 yards), eagled No. 10 (par 5, 497 yards) and birdied No. 11 (par 4, 355 yards). It was a stretch that gave them a stranglehold on the tournament.
“Davis didn’t miss a beat after the rain delay, he came out firing,” said O’Leary, a rising junior at Notre Dame. “It took me a few swings to get loose again. We didn’t want to take the foot off the pedal.”
They said they believed the tournament was theirs after No. 11. That was before both bogeyed No. 12 (par 3, 207 yards).
But birdies from Chatfield on Nos. 15 (par 5, 527 yards) and 16 (par 3, 159 yards), cemented them at the top.
As they approached the final hole, the only thing that stood in their way was darkness. They used every second of daylight to avoid returning Wednesday morning to finish. O’Leary tapped in the winning putt at 8:40 p.m.
In the two-day event, Chatfield made 12 birdies and an eagle. O’Leary added eight birdies of his own. Both showing the serious firepower and talent they possess.
“We are both grateful to be here and to be back competing again,” said Chatfield. “It was cool to play in something with each other and to play as well as we did. I am going to remember this for a while.”
“It means a lot to win this with Davis,” said O’Leary. “We grew up playing together and this was the first time we teamed up. Usually we are playing against each other even though we are on the same team at school. It was nice to have him on my side for a change."