Huidekoper, Meeker knock off defending CCNB Fourball champions in second round

DARTMOUTH — Beppie Huidekoper and Kathleen Meeker have it going on this week at the 43rd Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Fourball.

After opening with a 3-and-2 win over Heidi Bettencourt (CCNB) and Anneli Valm (Harmon Golf Club in Rockland) on Monday, Huidekoper and Meeker stayed hot with a 2-up victory over defending champions Nicki Demakis (CCNB) and Linda Shaw (The Vineyard, Escondido, Calif.) in Tuesday's second round.

"It went right down to the wire and we won by the skin of our teeth," Huidekoper said. "We just kept grinding. I feel bad about beating the defending champs, but that's golf. Both teams went right at each other."

Beppie Huidekoper putts during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Beppie Huidekoper putts during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

Huidekoper, who played her self-described "best round of the year," made a 4-net-3 eagle at the par-5 fifth hole to give her team a 3-up lead.

The advantage was short-lived though, because Demakis made a par three to win the seventh and Shaw won the eighth and ninth holes with a 5-net-4 par and a 4-net-3 birdie to even the match at the turn.

Huidekoper and Meeker won the 10th to take a 1-up lead, but Shaw squared things with a 5-net-4 par at the 14th. Huidekoper and Meeker battled back for a 1-up lead with a par-three win at the 15th and the teams halved the 16th with par fours and the 17th with par threes.

Beppie Huidekoper sinks a fantastic 50-foot putt during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Beppie Huidekoper sinks a fantastic 50-foot putt during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

That set the stage for the dramatic 18th hole, where Huidekoper took advantage of a handicap stroke to card what proved to be a match-winning 5-net-4 birdie.

"Beppie played out of her mind and we didn't make enough putts," Demakis said. "It was a great match, but that's how it goes. Some days you win and some days you lose."

Because not enough players signed up to fill a full 32-team field, the four top-seeded teams in the 28-team event received first-round byes on Monday.

Nicki Demakis tees off at the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Nicki Demakis tees off at the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

Demakis and Shaw entered the week as the top seed, followed by Jillian Blanchard (CCNB) and Jillian Grolley (Acushnet River Valley), Carla Fitzgerald (CCNB) and Chris Cochis (Cape Fear National in North Carolina), and Kim Walecka (CCNB) and Denise Belanger (Acushnet River Valley).

Blanchard and Grolley got their week started with a 1-up win over Lorraine Duval (CCNB) and Patti Tanaka (Acushnet River Valley). Fitzgerakd and Cochis advanced with a 3-and-1 victory over Deb Saba (CCNB) and Lori Keegan (Pinehurst Golf Club in North Carolina).

Walecka (CCNB) and Belanger (Acushnet River Valley) christened their new partnership with a 1-up win over the guest-guest team of Bethany Kauff and Linda Therrian, who both play out of The Brookside Club in Bourne.

Amy McCoog tracks the flight of the ball after pitching onto the green at the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Amy McCoog tracks the flight of the ball after pitching onto the green at the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

After finding out on the final day of last year's tournament that long-time partner Rosemary Zehntner wasn't going to play this year, Walecka knew she couldn't waste any time finding a replacement.

"As soon as I found out, I was on the phone calling Denise," Walecka said. "I hadn't even left the course yet, but I knew I had to move quickly. There was no way I was going to let her get away and it all worked out in the end."

Isabel Engelsted pitches out of the sand trap at the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Isabel Engelsted pitches out of the sand trap at the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

With Walecka struggling on the front nine, the team trailed 1 down at the turn. That all changed at the par-4 13th, where Walecka went on a run of six straight pars to win five holes and bring the team home down the stretch.

"Denise carried me on her back for the first nine holes," Walecka said. "The 13th was a turning point in the match. I got hot at the right time and we turned things around."

A par-four win at the 13th pulled the team to within 1 down and another par-4 win at the 14th evened the match. The teams then halved the uphill par-3 15th and Walecka gave her team a 1-up lead with a par-four win at the 16th. After the par-3 17th was halved with pars, Walecka made a good run at a birdie at the par-5 18th before rolling in a putt for a par that brought the match to an end and slammed the door on a possible playoff.

Julie Shaw putts during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Julie Shaw putts during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

"It was a tough, grind-it-out kind of day," Walecka said. "We're happy to get the week off to a good start. It's always good to put that first win under your belt. Hopefully, this was our bump in the road and things will get better as the week goes on."

Diane Lacoste (CCNB) and Isabelle Engelsted (The Bay Club at Mattapoisett) are playing together for the second time and they advanced with a hard-fought 1-up win over Amy McCoog (CCNB) and Angela Tango (Union Country Club).

"It was a very close match from start to finish. Nobody really pulled away," said Lacoste, who also teamed up with Engelsted in 2017. "It was a tug of war out there. We helped each other out and it's a pleasure playing with Isabelle. She has a great attitude on the course."

Lacoste and Engelsted built a two-up lead at the turn and they moved to 3 up after winning the par-4 10th hole. McCoog and Tango bounced back to win the par-4 11th and 12th holes and pull to within 1 down.

The teams then halved the 17th with par threes and the match ended at the 18th, where both teams carded par fives.

"We were never up, but it was a tight match the whole way," McCoog said. "The teams were evenly matched and the match went right down to the wire. It was a nice day and a fun day of golf."

Lori Keegan putts during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.
Lori Keegan putts during the 43rd Annual Country Club of New Bedford Women's Invitational Four-Ball.

Bethany Mello (CCNB) and Linda Bodenmann (The Bay Club at Mattapoisett) did a nice job playing off each other in a 4-and-3 win over Pat Ansay (CCNB) and Martha Clancy (Potowomut Golf Club in East Greenwich, R.I.).

"It was a team effort all the way. We picked each other up when we needed to," said Mello, who teamed with Bodenmann to win the tournament's Consolation Division a year ago. "It was a back-and-forth match and both teams had their moments. We were able to hold on down the stretch on the back nine."

After building a 2-up advantage at the turn, Mello and Bodenmann stretched their lead to 4-up on a 4-net-3 birdie by Bodenmann at the par-4 14th. The match then ended at the uphill par-3 15th, where both team made pars for a halve.

"We were up against a good team and they played really well," Ansay said. "They teamed up nicely. They both hit the ball a long way and they're steady. We ran into a buzzsaw."

CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

SECOND ROUND RESULTS

Bethany Mello-Linda Bodenmann def. Pat Ansay-Martha Clancy, 4 and 3

Carla Fitzgerald-Chris Cochis def. Deb Saba-Lori Keegan, 3 and 1

Diane Lacoste-Isabelle Engelsted def. Amy McCoog-Angela Tango, 1 up

Jillian Blanchard-Jillian Grolley def. Lorraine Duval-Patti Tanaka, 1 up

Sue Sylvia-Chris Torpey def. Ute Prevost-Ginny Rivenburg, 6 and 5

Kim Walecka-Denise Belanger def. Bethany Kauff-Linda Therrian, 1 up

Pat Aube-Tracy Botelho def. Barbara Grunkemeyer-Sandy Tillett, 3 and 2

Beppie Huidekoper-Kathleen Meeker def. Nicki Demakis-Linda Shaw, 2 up

ROUND THREE TEE TIMES

First Tee

Huidekoper-Meeker vs. Aube-Botelho, 8:40 a.m.

Walecka-Belanger vs. Sylvia-Torpey, 8:50 a.m.

Blanchard-Grolley vs. Lacoste-Engelsted, 9:00 a.m.

Fitzgerald-Cochis vs. Mello-Hodenmann, 9:10 a.m.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Second round of the 43rd annual CCNB Women's Fourball