BROCKTON — In pursuit of dethroning the dynasty, Arthur Zelmati and Zak Kovat gave it all they had. The tandem birdied on the sixteenth hole to set up a grand finish.
It’s rare that the Tasho team is pushed to the brink at the end of the Brockton Golf Association’s Four Ball Golf Tournament. Steve Tasho Sr., with help from an array of sidekicks over the years, has earned the top spot 16 times since 1978.
Sunday marked the first time that Tasho Sr., 64, and his son Steve Tasho Jr., 25, had been corralled into a playoff rematch of Thorny Lea Golf Club’s 18th hole.
At 14-under through three days and 198 total strokes, the father-son duo from Easton walked off the green with smiles and a collective exhale. It was their fourth tournament win in five years.
“Usually, the last two years, we had a comfortable lead on 18,” Tasho Jr. said. “But this year, Arthur and Zach played great coming in: Birdie on 16, making it a great up-and-down on 17 to really put some pressure on us and tie it up on 18. That’s all you can ask for. It’s a good win when it’s hard; it feels rewarding.”
Tasho Sr. previously won the tournament with his brother-in-law, Bruce Challas, five times (1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1998). Years later, he and his friend, Matt Parziale, won it five times over the course of six years (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014).
Tasho Jr. then took Parziale’s spot, and the father-son duo has a pair of back-to-back triumphs (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) to sandwich Chris Tarallo and David Lee’s 2021 title.
“Any time you can play any event with your child, it’s a great thing,” said Tasho Sr., a 2005 Oliver Ames Hall-of-Fame inductee. “All the partners in the past — I’ve had brother-in-laws, good friends and now my son, which makes it special.”
“It’s just nice to try to get more than them, I guess,” Tasho Jr. said with a chuckle. “I’m like, ‘I want to be the No. 1 partner and win the most.’”
Tasho Jr. is a former standout at Oliver Ames High and Bryant University. In high school, he was a two-time Enterprise All-Scholastic who led the Tigers to four consecutive league titles and a winning streak of 33 straight matches as a junior in 2014.
Tasho Jr. has competed at Thorny Lea Golf Club since he became a member in 2012.
“It’s good to do it while you can. That’s the best part about it. Everyone is good,” Tasho Jr. said of the tournament. “The first (title in 2019) was awesome. Then they all feel the same: a good feeling.”
Alongside partner Thomas Harrison, Tasho Jr. won this year’s Massachusetts Four Ball tournament for the first time with a 17-under 126 in “one of the most competitive in (the tournament’s) 42-year history”, the tournament website said, this past April at Hyannisport Club and Bayberry Hills Golf Course in West Yarmouth. Tasho Jr. delivered eight birdies, as the win clinched him and Harrison a spot in the tournament for the next decade. Tasho Sr. won the event with Challas in 1988 and 1994.
Tasho Sr. said he sees a lot of himself as a golfer in his son. The competitive nature, he cited, is what keeps him in the hunt for another hoist of the trophy that has his name engraved in it more than anyone else.
“We used to butt heads. Not really, but just a tug back-and-forth,” Tasho Jr. said. “Now, it’s a more mature thing; it’s more of a partner thing and it’s not a father-son thing. But when we win, it’s a father-son thing, so that’s the best part.”
“Hopefully he’ll keep me around a few more years,” Tasho Sr. said. “I’m 64. He’s 25. It all depends on how long he wants to carry me around. As long as I can be competitive, we’ll still play.”
“I’ll give him until, like, 70,” Tasho Jr. joked. “70, I figure is fair. Or, until we stop winning.”
The field at the Brockton Four Ball tournament is getting increasingly competitive. A total of 18 teams finished below par between the three days at DW Golf Club (Friday), Brockton Country Club (Saturday) and Thorny Lea (Sunday).
“I’ll tell you, it’s hard,” Tasho Jr. said. “Every year, you go in and you’re like, ‘I want to win. We can do this.’ But it’s so hard. It’s three days. Day one, we play well: ‘Alright, we’re right where we want to be.’ Day 2, we play OK: ‘We’re in a good spot.’ Day 3, it’s like, ‘Here we go again.’”
There’s no place Dad would rather be.
“I cherish these days,” Tasho Sr. said. “What can be better? You tell me. This is great. Did I envision this (father-son success) 20 years ago? Probably not. Five years ago? Yeah. Now, he’s taking the reins and I’m hanging in there.”
BROCKTON FOUR BALL TOURNAMENT SEEDED DIVISION, TOP 10
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Steve Tasho Sr., Steve Tasho Jr. (-14, 198)
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Arthur Zelmati, Zak Kovat (-14, 198)
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Mike Viola, James Tyer (-11, 201)
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David Lee, Chris Tarallo (-11, 201)
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Ryan Riley, Sean Fitzpatrick (-11, 201)
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Michael Haglof, Scott Hickey (-9, 203)
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Nate Davis, Matt Costello (-9, 203)
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Matt Montt, Nick Drago (-8, 204)
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Mike Calef, Matt Hall (-8, 204)
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Brady Allbritton, Mike Andre (-8, 204)
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Steve Tasho Sr. and son finish Four Ball golf tournament on top again