By Ken Love
For the Mirror
This weekend marks the 31st playing of the Summit Country Club Invitational.
To say there’s a favorite going into this week’s tournament is an understatement as the team of Artie Fink Jr and Anthony DeGol will be back to defend a title they’ve captured the past seven consecutive years.
Fink and DeGol have teamed to win a number of area two-ball events, but the Summit Invitational is where they’ve seen their most dominant success. While they look to win their eighth consecutive trophy this weekend, here is a quick look back at their historic run:
2017: During a rain-soaked weekend, Fink and DeGol opened the 2017 tournament with a first-round score of 63 to lead Brett Miller and Shaun Foor by a single shot. After a final round score of 67, which gave his team a six-shot victory, Fink had high praise for the course, calling Summit’s greens the best he’d played all year.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 63/67-130. Second place: Brett Miller/Shaun Foor: 64/72-136, Wes Elder/Lee Elder: 68/68-136.
2018: The 25th annual Summit Invitational saw Fink and DeGol stage a strong comeback to earn their second win in a row. Trailing the team of Dan Brown and Quintin Dziabo by three strokes after the first day, Fink and DeGol fired a final round of 9-under par, 63, to repeat as Summit champs.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 68/63-131. Second place: Todd Homan/J.P. Stultz: 67/66-138.
2019: The 2019 Summit tournament needed extra holes to decide the ultimate winner.
After regulation play, Fink and DeGol found themselves tied with the local duo of Steve DeStefano and Jay Pheasant. After both teams birdied the first playoff hole, DeGol hit his drive through the par-4, second green and eventually holed his birdie putt to seal the victory.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 63/66-129. Second place: Steve DeStefano/Jay Pheasant: 64/65-129 (lost in playoff).
2020: The victory for Fink and DeGol in 2020 was perhaps their most thrilling. After an opening round 68 left the team several shots back of the lead, Fink and DeGol went on a tear Sunday.
Recording birdies and eagles at a record pace, the team came to the last hole needing only a par to shoot 59. They actually did one better when Fink rolled in a birdie putt to finish with an amazing score of 58 — and a nine-shot victory.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 68/58-126. Second place: Calvin Mentzer/Landon Hollenshead: 66/69-135.
2021: The 2021 Summit Invitational ended with Fink and DeGol’s fifth consecutive title only after three teams finished tied at the end of regulation. The team of Sean Brannan and Mike Macionsky, along with Quintin Dziabo and Andrew Ferguson, joined Fink and DeGol in a sudden-death playoff which ended on the second hole with Fink and DeGol capturing their fifth straight win.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 67/69-136. Second place (lost in playoff): Sean Brannan/Mike Macionsky: 67/69-136, Quintin Dziabo/Andrew Ferguson: 66/70-136.
2022: The 29th Summit Invitational was perhaps Fink and DeGol’s finest team performance to date. Playing near-flawless golf, the duo scored rounds of 64 and 63 to finish at an impressive 17-under par. The dominant pair’s score would lead to a nine-stroke victory, with DeGol saying it was the best the two had ever played together.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 64/63-127. Second place: Bobby Stiffler/Don Dimoff: 71/65-136, Greg Ferguson/Chris Perry: 69/67-136.
2023: Last year saw Fink and DeGol reel off yet another victory, their seventh in a row. The win, however, came following a close battle with the Iron Masters’ team of Spencer Hinish and Wally Clapper. After both teams finished regulation play at 11-under par, a sudden-death playoff would decide the winner. With pars halving the first playoff hole, the championship was decided when Fink rolled in a three-foot birdie putt on the par-four, second hole.
Results: Fink/DeGol: 67/66-133. Second place (lost in playoff): Wally Clapper/Spencer Hinish: 66/67-133.