First-year partners are a winning combination at the 2023 CCNB Fourball

DARTMOUTH — Steve Miranda and Shaun Tavares have been a good match playing together for the first time as a team in the 93rd annual Country Club of New Bedford Men's Fourball.

In a match where both teams had their chances to make a move, Miranda and Tavares built a 3-up lead after 12 holes and they halved the next three holes to notch a 3-and-2 win over Jeff Stickley and Bob Hickman in Friday's quarterfinals.

"It's been a good partnership," said Tavares, a member at Allendale Country Club in Dartmouth. "Our games have complemented each other well."

Miranda and Tavares found themselves 2 down after six holes, but they rallied to even the match at the turn on the strength of back-to-back par wins by Tavares at the par-three seventh and the par-four eighth.

Tavares went on to win the par-4 10th hole with a birdie and he stayed hot with a par-four win at the 11th that gave the team a 2-up lead.

Miranda then chipped in with a par-four win at the 12th that pushed the team in front by a 3-up margin, and the teams split the next three holes with pars to bring the match to an end at the par-four 16th.

"Shaun has been steady all week," said Miranda, a member at CCNB. "Once in a while, I show up and play a hole to help him out. He's played terrific and we're thrilled to make it to the semifinals."

Hickman, who plays out of Whaling City Golf Course in New Bedford, said he and Stickley, a member at CCNB, hurt themselves with their play on the greens.

"We couldn't make any putts when we needed them," Hickman said. "Steve and Shaun played great today. They teamed up well and made some big shots when it mattered."

Mathes-Bonneau stay consistent

Adam Mathes and Eric Bonneau played well down the stretch in a tough 3-and-1 win over Ed Winterhalter and Nick Clarke.

Bonneau, who is not affiliated with a local club, rolled in a five-foot par putt for a halve at the ninth that kept his team in front 1 up, and he made a tough 15-foot uphill putt for a hole-winning par three at the 15th that extended the team's lead to 2 up.

The teams then halved the 16th with par fours and Mathes took advantage of a handicap stroke at the par-three 17th to card a tap-in 3-net-2 birdie and end the match.

"We've been consistent all week," said Mathes, a member at CCNB. "Eric picked it up today. I struggled a bit, but he kept us going and we finished the match on a strong note."

Giusti's make late surge

The cousin-cousin team of Mark Giusti and Chris Giusti stayed hot with a hard-fought 2-and-1 win over Dean Snell and Paul DeBortoli, who combined to win the 2016 championship.

In a match that was all even after 15 holes, the Giusti's came alive with wins at the 16th and 17th holes that closed out the match.

A member at Country Club of Columbis in Georgia, Chris Giusti gave the team the lead for good with a par-four win at the 16th and both made par threes at the 17th.

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"The match went back and forth all day," said Mark Giusti, a CCNB member. "We took the lead for good at the 16th and we hung on after that against a good team."

Chris Giusti, who played the course for the first time in a July qualfier, said the tournament has been everything he thought it would be.

"It's been everything I imagined and more," he said. "It's a very competitive tournament, but it's also been a lot of fun, and the course is in great condition. We're looking forward to seeing how things work out the rest of the way."

Glassman-Meggison come alive late

Doug Glassman and Ryan Meggison, who plays out of Allendale Country Club in Dartmouth, spun their wheels in the early going, but they were able to pull things together on the back nine in a 3-and-2 win over Tom Neves and Dan Scully.

A member at CCNB, Glassman took advantage of a handicap stroke to make a 4-net-birdie for a win at the ninth hole that gave the team a 1-up lead.

Glassman then rolled in a seven-footer for hole-winning par four at the 10th that doubled the team's advantage, and the pair went on to stretch their lead to 4-up after the 14th hole.

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Scully made a birdie at the 15th to cut his team's deficit to 3 down, but Glassman made an up-and-down 10-footer for a par four at the 16th that won the hole and capped the match.

"The first nine wasn't pretty, but the real golf fired up on the back nine," Glassman said. "We never lost our focus. We kept grinding and it paid off with a nice win. Now, it's off to the semifinals and we couldn't be happier."

QUARTERFINAL RESULTS

Steve Miranda-Shaun Tavares def. Jeff Stickley-Bob Hickman, 3 and 2

Adam Mathes-Eric Bonneau dsf. Ed Winterhalter-Nick Clarke, 3 and 1

Mark Giusti-Chris Giusti def. Dean Snell-Paul DeBortoli, 2 and 1

Doug Glassman-Ryan Meggison def. Tom Neves-Dan Scully, 3 and 2

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Quarterfinals of the 2023 Country Club of New Bedford Fourball