GREENFIELD — For 39 of the 40 teams in the Championship Flight of the 79th Invitational Four Ball, Thursday’s qualifying round tends to be the most stressful. Only 16 teams advance to Friday’s match play in the top bracket of the event.

It’s stressful for every team that wasn’t Connor Piecuch and Michael Bechard, the defending champions. After winning the 78th Invitational last summer, Piecuch and Bechard earned an automatic spot in Friday’s match play, though that didn’t stop them from getting into a rhythm on Thursday.

The pair shot a 5-under 67 on the day, which was the fifth best score overall. As the defending champs, the duo is approaching the tournament the same as they have in the past. 

“I don’t think there’s any extra pressure,” Piecuch said. “It’s exciting. We were just relieved we didn’t have to go through qualifying. This is the hardest day. We never take it too seriously. It was a lot of fun out there today.”

Piecuch got the day going with a birdie at No. 4. Both players birdied No. 7, Bechard birdied No. 8, both birdied No. 12, Bechard birdied No. 14, both again birdied No. 17 before Piecuch closed things out with a birdie on No. 18.

Bogeys on Nos. 9 and 16 prevented their score from being even lower.  

“I think it went better than we thought it would,” Piecuch said. “We didn’t hit the ball well enough to shoot a really good score but we made enough birdies. It was a good opening round.”

Piecuch and Bechard made sure to take things one round at a time last year, not looking too far ahead. That same strategy is in place this year, as they prepare to face off with 16th-seeded Thane Schinabeck and Kevin St. Laurent in Friday’s Round of 16 match play.

“At the end of the day, it’s the same routine,” Bechard said. “You have to hit it shot by shot and you have to beat good teams to win. Our mindset doesn’t change going into this year.” 

Like many competitors, it's the fear of losing rather than the joy of winning that pushes the duo forward. 

“We’re ready to go [Friday],” Piecuch said. “Both of us hate to lose more than we like to win. Even if we don’t see each other for months on end, when we get together we both hate losing so we go out there to win. It’s about playing well. We have a good time out there which helps.” 

It was the opposite kind of day for the father-son duo of Hugh Barber and Jared Barber, the pair Piecuch and Bechard defeated in the championship match last summer. 

As it goes sometimes in an unforgiving sport like golf, the putts just didn’t fall for the team in Thursday’s qualifying round. The Barbers finished with a 1-under 71, placing them 21st overall and two shots out of a top 16 finish required for Friday’s championship flight. The cut line to earn a spot in the Championship Flight field was 3-under 69.

“Overall we hit the ball quite well but we made nothing,” Hugh Barber said. “We made no putts. It was one of those days. If we played it with break, it didn’t break. If we played it straight, it broke. Jared played very well.” 

Both Barbers recorded pars on the opening 11 holes before a birdie on No. 12 put them 1-under. That was the lone birdie of the day however, as they posted pars on the remaining six holes en route to the 71.

Jared Barber agreed with his dad that the ball striking was good, it just came down to not being able to sink a birdie putt. 

“If we keep hitting it like we are, whatever flight we’ll land in, I think we start making putts we’ll be alright,” Jared Barber said. “Mama said there will be days like this. It was a fun day. Just would have been nice to see more putts drop.”

“I’m happy with the ball striking,” Jared Barber added. “A couple par putts went in on the back nine for saves. The lid was shut for the birdie putts. We’ll see where that lands us.” 

The Barbers will compete in the Second Division on Friday against Alec Meikle and Derek Hoy at 12:56 p.m.  

“The course is in nice shape,” Hugh Barber said. “We have no excuses. It just didn’t happen today.”

Country Club of Greenfield’s club champion Andy Lesenski and his partner, Chris Austin, fired the low score of the day in the Championship Flight. Lesenski and Austin shot an 8-under 64, sinking seven birdies to go with an eagle from Lesenski on No. 8. The pair will be the No. 2 seeds in the match play bracket behind the defending champs, who automatically pencil into the 1-line.

The second-lowest qualifying round went to the team of Chris Cervini and Ryan Cote, which shot a 7-under 65. The team of David Kennedy and Nate Burdick tied for third with David Donoghue and Sam Wolanske (6-under 66), while the pairs of Matt Grayson and Paul DeNofrio, Chris Bourbeau and Cody Booska, Jarrod Goss and KC Finley, and Jacob Willis and Reece McLeod recorded scores of 5-under 67 to also reach match play in the Championship Flight. 

Scores of 4-under 68 from the pairs of Sam Conant and Will Conant, Dylan Archer and Mike Archer, Cam Meerigan and Jason Goodhind as well as Matt Matroni and Tom Herzig tied them for 10th.

A 3-under 69 was the score to get into Friday’s Championship Flight match play bracket, with the pairs of Jamie Crocker and Pat McGuire, Clint McLoud and Justin McCloud and Kevin St. Laurent and Thane Schinabeck tying for 14th to take the final three spots.

Here’s how it matches up on Friday: Piecuch and Bechard tee off at 8:44 a.m. against Schinabeck and St. Laurent. Finley and Goss take on McLeod and Willis at 8:52 a.m., Kennedy and Burdick will face off against Herzig and Matroni at 9 a.m. and Donaghue and Wolanske take on Merrigan and Goodhind at 9:08 a.m. 

Starting on Hole No. 10, Lesenski and Austin will take on the McClouds at 8:44 a.m. Bourbeau and Booska face off with the Conant’s at 8:52 a.m., Cote and Cervini take on Crocker and McGuire at 9 a.m. and DeNofrio and Grayson will face the Archers at 9:08 a.m.

Wolanske sinks hole-in-one

The shot of the day came from Max Wolanske on the 11th hole.

Playing with son Jacob Wolanske, Max dropped a hole-in-one from 185 yards out using a 5 iron during his round on Thursday. Mike Corduff and Ben Zaranek were other witnesses. The Wolanskes shot 3-over 75, and will be the No. 1 seeds in the Fourth Division bracket.