New mindset lifts former champs into the semifinals of the 2023 CCNB Women's Fourball

DARTMOUTH — Facing an uphill battle in the quarterfinals of the 44th Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational on Wednesday, Kim Walecka and Denise Belanger came up with the T-shirt slogan of the week in a 2-and-1 win over Carlin Moroney and Sharon Woodward.

"We were three down heading to the 10th hole, and I told Denise 'New nine, new mindset,'" Walecka said. "We didn't have any rhythm and Sharon was parring everything. We needed to make a fresh start."

The team's comeback started when Belanger (Acushnet River Valley) took advantage of handicap strokes to make back-to-back 5-net-4 pars for wins at the 10th and 11th holes that pulled the team to one down.

A bogey win by Walecka at the par-4 12th evened the match and the teams halved the 13th with par fours. A par-four win by Walecka at the 14th regained a 1-up lead and the teams halved the uphill 15th with par threes.

That set the stage for the two holes that made the difference in the match — back-to-back birdie putts by Walecka at the par-4 16th and the par-3 17th that resulted in a red-hot ending that capped a firestorm of a comeback.

"I was above the hole, about 12 feet from the cup and I got a good read watching Carlin's putt from about the same spot. I saw the line, made a good stroke, and it fell in drunk on the left side," Walecka said. "I pulled out my trusty 7-hybrid on the 17th and ended up about six feet away. Everybody else on the hole was getting a handicap stroke, so I knew I needed to make it. I felt good standing over the ball, and it was a great feeling to watch it roll in for the win."

Walecka and Belanger both know what it takes to win at CCNB. Walecka and Rosemary Zehntner are the last team to win back-to-back titles (2013 and 2014) and Belanger teamed up to take home the championship trophy with JoAnn Squillante in 2015. Belanger also has runner-up finishes with Nancy Crowley (2003) and Amy McCoog (2008).

"Every match you play out here is a battle. You have to earn every match that you win," Belanger said. "Carlin and Sharon were solid. They didn't give us any openings on the front nine. We had to step it up on the back and winning the 12th hole to even the match was a key. We felt good about that. We were able to claw our way back into the match and that set the stage for more good things to happen down the stretch.

Sylvia, Torpey keep it going

Defending champions Sue Sylvia and Chris Torpey (Acushnet River Valley) put together a nice run on the back nine that helped fuel a 2-and-1 win over Deb Saba and Vivian Picinisco (Allendale Country Club).

After finding themselves one down at the turn, Sylvia and Torpey rallied for wins at the par-4 12th, the par-4 13th, the par-3 15th, the par-4 16th that set the stage for a match-ending par-three halve at the 17th hole.

A bogey win and a par win by Torpey at the par-4 12th and 13th holes gave the team a 1-up lead. Saba and Picinisco rallied to win the par-4 14th and even the match, but Torpey stayed hot with a par-3 win at the uphill 15th and a par-4 win at the 16th that gave her team what proved to be an insurmountable 2-up lead with two holes left to play.

First Round: Defending CCNB Women's Fourball champions stay alive in 2023 tournament

"We played well off each other. We alternated to keep things moving in the right direction," Sylvia said. "It was a tough match. Both teams played well. We had to make a lot of pars to halve holes."

Another tough win for Hynes, Garrett

Deb Hynes and Terry Garrett (Oyster Harbors Club in Osterville) had to grind for the second straight day to come away with a 1-up win over Pat Ansay and Linda Lemieux (Whaling City Golf Course).

The duo, who finished second to Walecka and Rosemary Zehntner in 2013, let a two-up lead on the front nine slip away in a match that was all even at the turn. Their spiral continued with losses at the par-4 10th and 11th holes before they turned things around in a hurry.

Their fortunes picked up when Hynes made a par four to win the 12th hole. Garrett then won the 13th with a par four and Hynes made a hole-winning bogey at the par-4 14th to give the team a 1-up lead.

Preview: New partners look to make a run at the title in the 2023 CCNB Women's Fourball

Ansay stopped the bleeding with a par-3 win at the uphill 15th that evened the match, but Hynes and Garrett both made par fours for a win at the 16th that gave them a 1-up advantage with two holes left to play,

The teams halved in from there to end the match, with matching par threes at the 17th and par fives at the 18th.

"We made some shots when we had to and that got us back into the match," Hynes said. "I missed some putts, but we went back and forth and never gave up."

Duval, Tanaka rally for win

Lorraine Duval and Patti Tanaka (Acushnet River Valley) had to dig themselves out of a deep hole, but they made it all the way back to notch a hard-fought 2-up win over Heidi Bettencourt and Nelly Nunes (Acushnet River Valley).

Four down at the turn, Duval and Tanaka evened the match with four straight wins at the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th holes. Duval and Tanaka went on to take a 1-up lead to the par-5 18th, which was halved with bogeys that ended the match.

Duval took advantage of a handicap stroke to make a 5-net-4 par at the 10th and Tanaka won the par-4 11th with a bogey. Duval made another 5-net-4 par to win the 12th and both made bogey fives to win the 13th and square the match.

"I started playing my game on the back nine," Duval said. "I started hitting the ball with more confidence and we fought our way back into the match playing together as a team."

First-round note

Barbara Grunkemeyer (CCNB) made a spectacular shot to chip in for a 2-net-1 eagle at the par-3 7th hole in a 4-and-3 loss to Sylvia and Torpey on Wednesday. Sylvia made a birdie but ended up losing the hole. Grunkemeyer is playing with Sandy Tillett (Whaling City Golf Course), a two-time tournament winner with Donna Doyle in 1998 and 2003.

QUARTERFINAL RESULTS

Kim Walecka-Chris Torpey def. Carlin Moroney-Sharon Woodward, 2 and 1

Lorraine Duval-Patti Tanaka def. Heidi Bettencourt-Nelly Nunes, 1 up

Deb Hynes-Terry Garrett def. Pat Ansay-Linda Lemieux, 1 up

Sue Sylvia-Chris Torpey def. Deb Saba-Vivian Picinisco, 2 and 1

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