GREENFIELD — Connor Piecuch and Michael Bechard went into the 78th Invitational Four Ball at the Country Club of Greenfield with a firm game plan on how they would attack the course and take home the championship. 

That strategy of focusing on their own play instead of the opponent opposite them paid off. 

Piecuch and Bechard — who fell in the Championship Flight finals last year — pulled off a win over Kevin Bagge and Mike Lavalle in the quarterfinals on Saturday to secure a spot in Sunday’s semifinal, which was moved from Saturday to Sunday due to the rain that disrupted Friday’s rounds. 

The semifinal matchup was a rematch of the 2022 finals, with Piecuch and Bechard facing off against defending champs Dennis Booska and Cody Booska. Piecuch and Bechard, the fifth seeded team, turned the round into a birdie fest, sinking birdies on eight of the first 14 holes to ultimately get their revenge and knocking off the Booskas to earn a spot in Sunday afternoons championship match. 

Waiting for them in the finals was the upset minded father-son duo of Hugh Barber and Jared Barber. The Barbers were the No. 15 seed in match play but managed to pull off wins over 10th-seeded Doug Riel and Tim McKenna in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Andy Lesenski and Chris Austin in the semis to compete for the championship. 

The Barbers birdied the first hole to go 1-up but Piecuch and Bechard got it going to take a 2-up lead going into No. 13. A Hugh Barber birdie on No. 15 cut the lead to 1-up but Bechard sank a putt on No. 17 to go 2-up and put the match away, with Piecuch and Bechard taking home the Four Ball Championship Flight trophy for the first time. 

“This morning was a lot different than this afternoon,” Piecuch said. “It was two different matches. The last one you always have to grind out. [The Barbers] hung around. I know they didn’t play their best golf but they’re great guys to play with.” 

While both Piecuch and Bechard were on fire during their opening round on Sunday, the championship match didn’t come as easy. After making eight birdies through 14 in the morning session Piecuch and Bechard had just two birdies in the same spot in the second round of the   day. 

That didn’t deter them, however, as they remained steady and focused on the job at hand. 

“We just battled all day long,” Bechard said. “Like we said going into this on Thursday we weren’t going to get too high or get too low. The last round didn’t come easy for us. We just had to grind that one out and we were able to get it done. They came out and birdies one. That always put a scare in you. We just played steady through 11.”

The lack of birdies weren’t for a lack of trying, however. The pair got it close on a number of holes, but were unable to finish the putts to put added pressure on the Barbers. 

It wasn’t until the back nine where Piecuch and Bechard began getting into a groove, doing what needed to be done to win the tournament. 

“We didn’t really make anything,” Piecuch said. “We should have. We hit it close on six, we hit it close on seven. I hit the pin on No. 11 and made a bomb on 12 which shouldn’t have gone in. I thought we were playing OK, things just weren’t going in. That’s how the week was, just trying to keep it light. It is what it is.” 

The win is all the more sweet after finishing second a year ago. For Bechard, it snaps a five tournament streak of finishing second, making the win all the more special. 

“After five losses, every time it gets harder and harder to win,” Bechard said. “We’re definitely going to celebrate tonight.” 

Piecuch — the son of CCG pro Kevin Piecuch — says he is no stranger to second place finishes either, but that it is all worth it in the end to have come out on top in the Four Ball. 

“[Bechard] has five and the last three or four board tournaments up here I’ve got second place,” Piecuch said. “It feels good to finally get it done. Now I don’t have to worry about that. I can die peacefully knowing my name will be up there.” 

While it wasn’t the ending the Barbers had hoped for, Jared Barber says it making it to the finals was an accomplishment in it of itself.

Getting to play five rounds of golf with his dad made it all the sweeter. 

“It was a great week all together,” Jared Barber said. “It’s too bad to come up short. It was a battle. It’s stinks to come up short but the week as a whole was a win. Our goal each year to is qualify for the championship flight. To get all the way to the final is a win.” 

The Barbers — who live in Brattleboro, Vermont — have a long history with the Four Ball, as Hugh Barber’s father played in the original tournament. 

“It’s great getting to play in this,” Hugh Barber said. “My dad and his granddad played in the original Four Ball here. He’s third generation playing in this. It’s always great being here.” 

Rounding out the champions in the other divisions were David Donoghue and Sam Wolanske in the Championship Consolation, Jeffrey Houle and Rick Wisell in the First Division, Matt Matroni and Tom Herzig in the Second Division, Matt Grayson and Paul DeNofrio in the Third Division, Mike Duclos and Mike Duclos Jr. in the Fourth Division, Dylan Archer and Mike Archer in the Fifth Division, Chris Demers and Shaun Fleming in the Sixth Division, Andrew Wroblewski and Michael Ventura in the Seventh Division Patrick Grogan and Al Dean in the Eighth Division, Bill Luippold and Dan Gavin in the Ninth Division, Nick Marscher and Jon Atkins in the 10th Division, Scott Stacy and Jason Miller in the 11th Division and Doug Welenc and Dan O’Connell in the 12th Division. 

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