Winning the CCNB Fourball with his son, Kevin, 'means everything' to Jeff Silva

DARTMOUTH — Jeff Silva and Kevin Silva walked off the 18th green arm in arm after combining for a 1-up win over Chris Perry and Tom Ayala in the finals of the 92nd annual Country Club of New Bedford Men's Fourball on Sunday.

It was a picture-perfect moment on a windy day for two of the most popular and respected players at the historic club, which is located diagonally across Route 6 from Bishop Stang High School.

"This means everything to me," said Jeff Silva, a retired dentist from New Bedford who added to the titles he won with brother, Mike Silva (2006), and partner, Steve Bastoni (2015). "To win with my son is icing on the cake. That was the most fun I've ever had out here. I can't ask for much more."

The championship final featured four players with single-digit handicaps. Kevin Silva played as the tournament's low-handicapper at plus-one and Jeff Silva played as a seven-handicapper. Perry went off as a nine and Ayala competed as a three-handicapper.

SEMIFINALS: In just their second year, Perry and Ayala have run through Fourball to reach final

Kevin Silva had to give handicap strokes to his opponents, and his father, plus an additional shot. That added up to 22 total shots in the match — eight to his father, 10 to Perry, and four to Ayala.

"I just tried to play my game and stay out of trouble," said Kevin Silva, a star player at New Bedford High and the University of North Carolina who went on to compete in two U.S. Opens and play professionally for a few years on some mini tours. "I knew I could still affect the tournament even giving up strokes."

The No. 2 seed in the 64-team event, the Silvas got off to a slow start and found themselves three down after six holes against the 48th-seeded Perry and Ayala. But, they rallied to win the par-3 seventh hole and the par-4 eighth and nine holes to even the match at the turn. That's where the match started to shift in their favor.

"We started playing better at the turn," Kevin Silva said. "My dad really picked it up. He made some big shots when we needed them to keep us in the match."

QUARTERFINALS: Father-son duo of Jeff and Kevin Silva stay hot at CCNB Fourball, reaching the semifinals

Jeff Silva rolled in a 12-foot putt to take advantage of a handicap stroke and card a 4-net-3 birdie at the par-4 14th, and he made a hole-winning par three at the uphill 15th to give the team a 2-up lead with three holes left to play.

Ayala then made a clutch nine-footer for a birdie win at the par-4 16th that pulled his team to within 1 down. Jeff Silva then matched a par three by Perry for a halve at the 17th, where Perry made a nice up-and-down after hitting his tee shot short of the green on the right side.

THIRD ROUND: Baptiste, Merritt win 22-hole battle to reach CCNB Fourball quarterfinals for first time

The Silvas took a 1-up lead to the par-4 18th, where Kevin Silva had to give a handicap shot to the other three players in the foursome. Ayala hit the green in two shots and he lagged a 60-footer to within four feet for a chance at a 4-net-3 birdie that would have sent the match to a playoff. With the wind whipping the flagstick back and forth though, Ayala missed the putt and Kevin Silva finished up a par four for a halve that ended it.

"It was a tough day out there at times," said Kevin Silva, who made his only birdie of the day at the par-4 eighth hole. "I'm comfortable playing in the wind and we were up against two good players who both held it together really well. We knew it was going to be a tough match and it went right down to the wire. It was a long week, a grind-it-out week. We didn't make a lot of mistakes and we caught some breaks."

SECOND ROUND: Perry has found winning formula with Ayala at 92nd annual CCNB Men's Fourball

CCNB has always been a home away from home for Kevin Silva, who now plays out of Montaup Country Club in Portsmouth, R.I., and winning the fourball brought everything full circle.

"I grew up playing here and I caddied for a lot of great players out here," he said. "I watched my dad and my uncles play out here and this is where I got my start. It means the world to me to win this great tournament. Getting a chance to win it with my dad makes it extra special."

The win proved to be an emotional one for the Silvas, who shed some tears together after the match while accepting congratulations from members of the large gallery that circled the 18th green.

FIRST ROUND: Playing in just his second Fourball, former CCNB employee helps knock off defending champs

"It's really hard to win out here, because there are so many good teams and the competition is so tough," Jeff Silva said. "You have to be really lucky and you have to play well every day. You can't take a day off and expect to win. We played well together and we capped things off with a bogey-free round. It was a day that we'll never forget."

The trip to the finals was the first for Perry and Ayala, who had to qualify to make the field for a second straight year.

"We knew we were going to have our hands full against a solid team and we gave it everything we had," said Perry, a long-time CCNB member. "My partner played spectacular golf all week. I was a little off my game today and I didn't contribute as much as I would have liked. It was a great week though, and we're not going anywhere. I have Tom locked in as my partner for as long as he wants to play out here and we're hoping for more success down the road."

FINAL RESULTS

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Jeff Silva/Kevin Silva def. Chris Perry/Tom Ayala, 1 up

CONSOLATION DIVISION

Bill Heron/Ben Winters def. Mark Bulbulian/Dave Carvara, 4 and 3

FIRST DIVISION

Dan Eilertsen/Jerry Lamontagne def. Sun Kim/Shaun Tavares, 2 and 1

SECOND DIVISION

Steve Miranda/Bryan Picinisco def. Craig Correia/Matt Correia, 1 up

CHAMPIONSHIP EIGHT

Ed Winterhalter/Nick Clark def. Doug Glassman/Ryan Meggison, 3 and 2

CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR

Dean Snell/Paul Debortoli def. Mark Franco/Bruce Wedge, 3 and 2

SATELLITE TOURNAMENT

Sean O'Connor/Mike Scully def. Roland Valois/Nick Joly, 1 up

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Championship round of the 92nd annual CCNB Fourball