FAYETTEVILLE — An amateur golf tournament, nestled right here in the Ozarks, with a unique format has developed into one of the gems in the entire region.
The Fayetteville Country Club 4-Ball Invitational, which began in 2006, offers golfers a chance to play two-man, team vs. team tournament golf in a weekend format not usually seen in most
AT A GLANCE
Fayetteville Country Club 4-Ball Invitational
WHEN: Today-Sunday
WHERE: Fayetteville Country Club
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Michael Chaney and Brett Grenata
FORMAT: Two-man team vs. team tournament. Match play will be used on the first two days and players will switch to stroke play on the final day.
NOTABLE: Total of 256 participants, including players from as far away as Washington, D.C. … Tournament began in 2006 and has grown into the most popular and largest annual event at Fayetteville Country Club.
club events. The FCC 4-Ball, which begins today and runs through Sunday, also provides players with the opportunity to play match-play golf, usually reserved for professional tour stops such as the Ryder Cup or the Accenture Match Play Championship.
The tournament has been a hit. Fayetteville Country Club golf professional Bill Agler said the tournament has gotten so big, there’s now a waiting list to get in.
“It has grown every year and it’s probably one of the top two or three in the state,” Agler said. “We attract them nationwide. We’ve got them coming from as far as Washington, D.C. and as far west as who knows to come and play.
“Statewide, there’s not very many match play events. They’ve even talked about it on the tour. That’s why they like the Ryder Cup and that’s why they have the Accenture. So we’re one of the fortunate ones to have match play and it’s a really good draw.”
Teams square off today and Saturday in match play format. Once winning teams are determined from those matches, the tournament will switch to a stroke play format on Sunday.
Brett Grenata and Michael Chaney return to defend their title from a year ago and are sure to face a challenge. Among those to look out for are Steven Dixon and Chris Collins. Dixon is the reigning Chick-A-Tee champion at Springdale Country Club, while Collins is another top amateur player in Northwest Arkansas.
Players were allowed to test out the course with a practice round on Thursday. Tee times begin a 7 a.m. today and run through approximately 2 p.m.
“We’ve got a whole big weekend planned,” Fayetteville Country Club General Manager Ben Kawkaba said. “We have a big dinner for our players and we’ll have a lot going on for them.”