Battle of the Brothers at Big Easy Ranch
COLUMBUS— After a thrilling day of quarter and semifinal matches, the 28th Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play presented by Sun Cruiser championship match is set and it will be a family affair as brothers Michael and Casey Carnes face off against each other.
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Quarterfinals: The first quarterfinal match of the day at The Covey featured the number 32 overall seed Garrett Driver coming off two upsets on Friday taking on Matthew Henson of Spicewood. Henson earned his spot in the quarterfinals with wins over Augustine Zuccaro of Austin 2 up and then a round of 16 victory over Wesley Dowell of Houston 2&1. Henson took an early lead in the match with a par on hole 5. Driver would answer with back to back birdies on holes 6 and 7 to claim a 1 up lead himself. On hole 8 Driver attempted to drive the green and end up in the high grass short right of the green where he hit a stellar shot to about 8 feet however he would miss the birdie putt and Henson would make his to tie the match and then take a lead on the ninth hole. On the back nine Driver would tie the match on 16 but Henson again would answer on 17 winning the hole. Two pars on 18 secured a 1 up victory for Henson.
In the second match of the morning Casey Carnes and Mikey Vaughan provided theatrics to those on the course following their match throughout the day. 1 up leads were traded three different times at points in the match. Vaughan would tie the match again on hole 15 with a par. On 16 Carnes second shot found the bunker and plugged to the point where half of the ball was beneath the sand, he was unable to get out of the bunker on his first attempt and Vaughan would use that to his advantage winning the hole and taking a 1 up lead into 16 and 17. On hole 18 with the tees moved forward for the first time playing at 558 yards, Carnes decided to take driver and carried the initial penalty area at about 285 yards. His second shot was just as good, lacing a 5 iron about 20 feet past the hole. His birdie putt would be conceded, and Vaughan would make par to send the match to extra holes. On the first hole Vaughan hit his drive right down the center while Carnes found the pine straw right of the fairway about 30 yards past Vaughan. Vaughan’s wedge shot came up short of the green and Carnes hit his to 5 feet, Vaughan would fail to get up and down and conceded the match to Carnes.
The third quarterfinal match of the day saw number 2 seed Colby Harwell take on 23 seed Logan Boatner. Harwell took a 1 up lead on the third hole and never looked back. He made the turn 3 up eventually winning 5&4 as Boatner failed to win a hole during the match.
The final quarterfinal match of the day was another dominating performance from Michael Carnes who once again did not have to hit a shot on any of the final three holes defeating Ben Carter of Dallas 6&5. Carnes made birdie on the first hole after hitting his wedge to 8 feet and that was all the spark he needed to get his putter scorching hot over the quarter and semifinal rounds. Carnes would win the final four holes of the front nine before closing out Carter on hole 13.
Semifinals: In the first semifinal match Michael Carnes continued his dominance over every opponent put in front of him this week. He opened his match against Colby Harwell with another birdie on hole 1 which he has now played -3 over five rounds this week. Harwell would tie the match with his own birdie on hole 2 after hitting his approach to about 7 feet. Carnes would then birdie holes 3 and 4 to take his total numbers of putts through four holes to five. Carnes matched Harwell’s lengthy birdie putt on 6 with a birdie of his own making an 8 foot right to left sliding putt to maintain a 3 up lead. Harwell would win hole 8 to try to close the gap but Carnes immediately answered back on hole 9. The back nine only saw one birdie between the two players but it closed out the match on hole 14 to continue Carnes streak of not having to play any of 16, 17, or 18 during match play.
The second semifinal match between Casey Carnes and Matthew Henson looked to be a blowout early as Carnes would win holes 6, 8, and 9 to take a 3 up lead heading into the back nine. Carnes would extend that lead to 4 up with a par on hole 11 however Henson was not going to lay down. A par on 12 followed up by the lone birdie of the day on 13 brough Henson back to 2 down. On hole 15 Hensons drive found the fairway bunker, he however was able to hit his second shot onto the green while Carnes missed the green left. Carnes chip onto the green did not move right like he anticipated it would so he was left with a very long putt to save par. After missing the par putt Carnes conceded the hole to Henson which left him at only 1 down heading to the 16th hole. On hole 16 both players found the fairway. Henson played first and his wedge shot came up well short of the green, Carnes followed with a shot that landed on the same shelf as the hole about 18 feet away. Henson left his chip about 6 feet short and Carnes par putt was then conceded. Henson missed the par putt, both players would go on to par the 17th hole claiming Carnes a 2&1 victory and a ticket to face his brother in Sunday’s championship match.
Weather: Weather was once again extremely hot for players with the feels like high reaching 104 degrees in the afternoon. There was a slight breeze throughout the day of about 8-10 mph.
Course: The Covey, a par-72 layout in Columbus, opened in March 2023 and quickly established itself among the state’s premier golf destinations. The course was designed by architect Chet Williams, who also crafted the state’s top-ranked Whispering Pines and led the renovation at Houston Oaks Country Club. The Covey stretches across a 2,000-acre property with elevation changes of up to 80 feet, natural creek systems and specimen post oak and water oak trees framing the fairways. The quarterfinals played from 7,041 yards and the semifinals from 6,839. The 28th Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play is the first Texas Golf Association championship to be held at The Covey and will not be the last as the 120th Texas Amateur will head to The Covey at Big Easy Ranch in 2029.
Tournament History: This is the 28th edition of the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play and the first with presenting sponsor Sun Cruiser. The championship itself began with 90 mid-amateurs (25 years and older) playing 18 holes of stroke play qualifying on Thursday, July 23. The low 32 scorers advance to the match play stage of the championship. Round of 32 and 16 matches will be played Friday, July 24; quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, July 25; and the championship on Sunday, July 26. All matches are 18 holes.
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: The 28th Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play presented by Sun Cruiser championship match will tee off at 7:30am 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 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, click here.