A pair of tall and talented teenagers, Moses Compaan and Chase Carroll, teamed up to fire a 7-under 31-32-63 at Palatka Golf Club March 14 to claim a two-shot victory in the Jacksonville Area Golf Association’s 2022 Spring Four-Ball Championship.
They finished two shots better than the teams of Troy Vannucci/Mike Smith and Toby Ragland/Jayce Barber.
Compaan, 19, and Carroll, 17, tallied five birdies on the front nine and two more on the back nine of the 1925 Donald Ross design that plays deceptively longer than its posted 6,014 yards from the back tees. It has a unique par of 36-34-70.
Since completing high school last year, Compaan is focused on turning professional. Carroll, whose brother Cody plays for the University of North Florida men’s golf team, is a junior at Middleburg High School.
In the net competition, a pair of U.S. Naval Academy graduates and Sawgrass Country Club members, Jeff Johnstone and Joe Cronauer, nipped the teams of Jacob Martin/Jimmy Martin and John Seubert/John Genovese by one shot.
Johnstone and Cronauer posted a bogey-free 31-31-62.
Both JAGA directors, Johnstone is JAGA’s current co-vice president of tournaments, a key position he shares with another Sawgrass member, Gregg Deiboldt.
The JAGA Spring Four-Ball featured 38 teams from all over northeast Florida – 18 in the gross division and 20 in the net division.
Palatka Golf Club has a rich history of supporting amateur golf. Since 1958, the club has hosted the Florida Azalea Amateur, which annually attracts a large field of top golfers from all around the country. Its roster of past champions includes some who have gone on to capture wins on the PGA TOUR, such as, Tommy Aaron, Dan Sikes and Bob Murphy.
“Fortunately, THE PLAYERS Championship and the JAGA Spring Four-Ball enjoyed excellent weather on Monday (March 14) after all the trials and tribulations the TOUR faced in the preceding days,” said JAGA president Jeff Adams. “As a result, the Four-Ball went off without a hitch and the host Palatka Golf Club course featured really good conditions. There were no wet areas, and we were able to play the ball down. Kudos to GM Andy Heartz and staff for hosting us during what has to be their busiest month of the year, and JAGA directors Ron Jerin and Jeff Elledge for conducting a first-class event for everyone involved.”
