By Ben Mandell For Times Leader

Bobby Santarelli watches his partner John Barone attempt to sink a 12-foot put during the John A. Allan Tournament at Fox Hill Country Club on Sunday. The pair lost to Eric Williams and David Kluger 6 & 5 for the 2020 championship.

Bobby Santarelli watches his partner John Barone attempt to sink a 12-foot put during the John A. Allan Tournament at Fox Hill Country Club on Sunday. The pair lost to Eric Williams and David Kluger 6 & 5 for the 2020 championship.

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<p>John Barone blasts out of a bunker on the front 9 at Fox Hill Country Club on Sunday.</p>

John Barone blasts out of a bunker on the front 9 at Fox Hill Country Club on Sunday.
<p>David Kluger tees off on the 7th hole at Fox Hill Country Club with his partner Eric Williams looking on. The team of Kluger/Williams defeated Bobby Santarelli/John Barone for the John A. Allan Tournament championship on Sunday.</p>

David Kluger tees off on the 7th hole at Fox Hill Country Club with his partner Eric Williams looking on. The team of Kluger/Williams defeated Bobby Santarelli/John Barone for the John A. Allan Tournament championship on Sunday.
<p>Eric Williams watches the ball go into the hole on the front 9 during the championship final on Sunday afternoon.</p>

Eric Williams watches the ball go into the hole on the front 9 during the championship final on Sunday afternoon.

EXETER – David I. Kluger and Eric Williams were crowned champions at the John A. Allan golf tournament on Sunday, defeating John Barone and Robert Santarelli at Fox Hill Country Club.

The duo’s path was not easy, as they ended up with the 12th seed after the qualifying rounds on Friday.

“Our goal on Friday was really just to get into match play,” Williams said. “Once you get to match play, anything can happen.”

Kluger and Williams shot a 72 in the qualifying Friday, 1-over par, to earn the 12th seed.

“Friday is the hardest day for me personally,” Williams said. “Then once you get in, then you can just free-wheel it.”

The road to the finals for the pair included defeating the the fifth seed, 13th seed and the No. 1 seed.

Once they got to the finals, Kluger and Williams cruised to a championship, needing just 13 holes in match play to clinch the victory.

“(Williams) was flawless. He carried me all day (Sunday),” Kluger said. “The second 18 was a grind for me, and it was a long weekend

“But luckily (Williams) was phenomenal. He was the best player out here.”

Barone and Santarelli also had a difficult path on their side of the bracket. They earned the sixth seed after shooting just 1-under par in Friday’s qualifier.

They won their first two rounds against the 11th and 14th seed but faced a tough test in the second seed in the semifinals.