Caniglia, Hamilton Win Kirkbrae Four-Ball Championship
The team of Doug Caniglia and Mike Hamilton edged Matt and Domenic Mainelli to win the Kirkbrae Four-Ball Championship early Saturday afternoon.
Hamilton and Caniglia won the match 2&1 to take home the trophy.
They entered the tournament as the 30th seed, having survived a 5-for-3 playoff to get in.
The Match
Hamilton, the 2020 RI Stroke Play Champion, and Caniglia jumped out to a three-up lead after the first three holes before the Mainelli’s stopped the bleeding on the fourth hole with a par to halve it.
Team Mainelli won the fifth and seventh holes to get back to one down, before Caniglia made four for three on 8 to push the lead to two up at the turn.
However, the Mainelli’s would again storm back.
After winning the 12th hole, Domenic dropped about a 20-footer for birdie on 15 to tie the match heading into the last three holes.
Caniglia’s birdie putt on 15 just missed.
On the par-4 16th hole, Hamilton drove the green and just missed his eagle putt, however, a tap-in birdie would win the hole.
Caniglia and Hamilton were now one up with two to play.
On the tough par-3 17th hole, all four players put their shots on the green, with both Matt Mainelli and Hamilton missing birdie putts.
Caniglia had about seven feet or so from below the hole for birdie and knocked it down.
That put the pressure on Domenic Mainelli to make his birdie putt to halve the hole and send the match to 18.
It was not to be.
Putting from about five feet away, Mainelli’s putt just missed the cup, giving Hamilton and Caniglia the win.
The Summer of Doug
It has been a big summer for Caniglia up to this point.
First, he got into the Rhode Island Amateur as an alternate, but had to withdraw after about 10 holes due to injury.
Just a few weeks ago, he and partner Mike Venditouli won the Kirkbrae Four-Day Member-Guest in epic fashion.
Now, he won the Four-Ball Championship.
Both Hamilton and Caniglia now get set for the Kirkbrae Club Championship which begins on Sunday.
If they both win their first round matches, they play each other in the second round.