Championship Match Set at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play
Azle — During Saturday morning’s Quarterfinals, two of three defending champions fall while the stroke play qualifying medalist and last remining past champion advances. In the afternoon Semifinal Matches, Aaron Hickman defeated Seth Murphy while Matthew Sullivan continued his match play run defeating local Azle resident, Kyle Wesolowski.
Click here for full leaderboard
Quarterfinals:
The first Quarterfinals match, Match 1, extra holes were needed as past champion Chris Wheeler of Addison and Matthew Sullivan of Lewisville went head-to-head. Sullivan, who is playing in his second TGA event and first TGA state championship got the best of No. 9 Wheeler, defeating him in 20 holes. No. 17 seed Sullivan is the first player advancing to this afternoon’s Semifinal matches. In Match 2, No. 13 Kyle Wesolowski defeated No. 21 seed Andrew Grice of Austin. Wesolowski who resides in Fort Worth had yet another dominating match play performance winning the match 6 &5. Wesolowski will be paired against Sullivan in the first Semifinal Match of the afternoon.
Match 3 was between No. 15 seed Anthony Estorga of Dallas and No. 10 seed Seth Murphy of Tyler. Past champion Estorga tried to make a late round charge winning the par-3 16th hole to get the match to 1 down heading into the short par-4 17th. Under pressure, Murphy remained solid and won the 17th hole to win the match 2 & 1, advancing himself to the Semifinals. The fourth and final match of the morning, Match 4, was a pairing of No. 3 seed Aaron Hickman of Tyler and No. 6 seed Matt Miller of McKinney. Hickman, who shared stroke play qualifying medalist honor, found something in his game and got hot mid-round winning three consecutive holes before making the turn. Miller tried to match Hickman shot for shot on the back nine but ultimately fell to the past champion 4 & 3. His win in the Quarterfinals secured him a spot in the second Semifinals Match, which will be a showdown between two of Tyler’s very own.
Semifinals:
In the first match of the afternoon Semifinals, Match 1, No. 17 seed Matthew Sullivan of Lewisville was up against No. 13 seed and local resident, Kyle Wesolowski of Azle. In just his second TGA Championship, Sullivan advanced to the Championship Match after winning the last two holes of the Match, the par fourth 17th, and par five 18th. Sullivan carded four birdies in his Semifinal match with the most important one coming on his final hole to close out the match, 2 up.
In Match 2 of the Semifinals, No. 3 seed Aaron Hickman of Tyler defeated No. 10 seed Seth Murphy, also from Tyler. Murphy grabbed the lead quickly after driving the par four, 1st. After dropping the second hole, Murphy went on to win the next two holes to grab a 2 hole lead. Hickman grabbed the lead on the par 4, 17th after Murphy found trouble off the tee and was forced to take relief from an unplayable ball. Hickman found the fairway on the par 5, 18th while Murphy found the rough. With a good approach, Hickman was able to get up and down to secure a birdie and the final spot in the Championship Match. Hickman is looking to add his first win of the season while another Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play title. Hickman recently won the Championship after defeating Colby Harwell in the 2020 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play at his home club, Willow Brook Country Club.
Course: Cross Timbers Golf Course in Azle will be the host site for the 25th Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play. Opened in 1995, Cross Timbers Golf Course was designed by Texas-based architect Jeffery Brauer. Routed through a secluded woodland area near Ash Creek, the strategic 6,734-yard, par-72 layout features significant elevation changes, tree-lined fairways, natural penalty areas, and well-protected, contoured greens.
Tournament History: The Mid-Amateur Match Play is open to players 25 years of age or older and hold a handicap index of 5.4 or less. The unique format starts with 84 players competing in an 18-hole stroke play qualifying round. From there, the low 32 players will advance to the match play portion of the championship. Matches will take place over three days, with 36-holes being played Friday and Saturday for those who continue to advance, and an 18-hole championship match to crown our champion on Sunday morning.
POY Points Race: Statewide Player of the Year points will be awarded to the top players making it to the Round of 16. The champion will receive 750 points towards the statewide honor followed by 500 for runner-up, 400 for semifinalists, 200 for quarterfinalists, and 100 for Round of 16 participants. For more information about TGA Statewide Player of the Year points, click here.
What’s Next: Sunday’s Championship Match will start at 7:30 am tomorrow morning.
About the TGA: The Texas Golf Association was established in 1906 with a mission to promote the playing and advancement of the royal and ancient game of golf in Texas. The association is one of the most respected in the country with an ongoing commitment to its members, contestants, volunteers and all who strive to preserve the great traditions of the game.
For more information about the 25th Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, click here. To see all the scores from Cross Timber Golf Course, click here.
Quarterfinal Matches
#17 Matthew Sullivan vs #9 Chris Wheeler – Sullivan def. Wheeler 20 holes
#13 Kyle Wesolowski vs #21 Andrew Grice – Wesolowski def. Grice 6&5
#15 Anthony Estorga vs #10 Seth Murphy – Murphy def. Estorga 2&1
#3 Aaron Hickman vs #6 Matt Miller – Hickman def. Miller 4&3
Semifinal Matches
#17 Matthew Murphy vs #13 Kyle Wesolowski – Murphy def. Wesolowski 2 up
#10 Seth Murphy vs #3 Aaron Hickman – Hickman def. Murphy 1 up