By Dalton Balthaser
MIDDLETOWN – This past April, Kevin Gately and Sam Jenkins needed two playoff holes in a qualifier at Connecticut National Golf Club to qualify for their first U.S. Four-Ball at Chambers Bay.
Tuesday at Newport National Golf Club, Gately and Jenkins left nothing to chance.
The duo made 12 birdies, including six consecutive birdies by Gately on the back nine, to seize medalist honors in U.S. Four-Ball Sectional Qualifying at Newport National (par 72, 7,244 yards).
The 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball will take place May 14-18, 2022 at the Country Club of Birmingham in Mountain Brook, Ala.
“I feel like this was the perfect golf course for us,” said Jenkins, 24, of Charlotte, N.C. “We are both long off the tee and we can hit a lot of drivers here. Newport National played into our hands just like Connecticut National. We loved Connecticut National. That comfort makes it easier to play in these events.
“Our goal today was to get the medal. The playoff in April was fun but we didn’t want to have to go through that again. We wanted to qualify outright and make it easier on our nerves.”
Gately made a total of 10 birdies on his own ball. It’s a feeling few golfers get.
John Pitt of Charleston, S.C. and Whitten Mears of Raleigh, N.C. secured the second spot after five playoff holes.
The duo made the turn in four under and parred Nos. 10 (par 4, 408 yards) and No. 11 (par 5, 550 yards).
Then Gately started his hot streak.
He rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on No. 12 (par 4, 366 yards) and birdied Nos. 13 (par 3, 170 yards) and 14 (par 5, 567 yards) with four footers.
Another 15-footer on No. 15 (par 4, 432 yards) made it four straight. He striped a 5-iron on No. 15 (par 3, 253 yards) to 20 feet and canned it again.
Then the icing on the cake came on No. 17 (par 4, 489 yards). Getting ready to chip in the front of the green, Gately asked to take the flagstick out. He channeled his inner Phil Mickelson and holed it. All he and Jenkins could do was smile.
“Today was awesome,” said Gately, 26, of Pembroke, Mass. “You can dip into that run and dip out of it at any point. We were in that rhythm today and when you get into it you never want to leave it. It just felt like everything was on my side today.”
The caddie of his playing partner Hayes Brown didn’t look at him for the entire back nine because he said he felt like he was watching a perfect game in baseball. He didn’t want to jinx Gately.
“For most of the back nine I sat back and watched Kevin play ridiculous golf,” said Jenkins. “That ridiculous golf is exactly what you need in these one-day shootouts.
“I think I will keep Kevin around. It’s nice when something like that happens and the person is on your team. What an awesome feeling.”
The duo missed the cut for match play at Chambers Bay last year by two shots. But they learned a lot that will help them next year.
“I personally felt like I was trying too hard at Chambers Bay,” said Gately. “You have to let it happen. If you force your game, things won’t work out. Once we learned that, we played better. We play better when we have fun.”
“We know we can make match play and compete,” said Jenkins. “It is a great feeling to get back to the Championship Proper and give ourselves a chance at redemption.”