Quarterfinal Matches Set at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play
Argyle – During Friday morning’s Round of 32 matches, all but two lower seeded teams advanced to the Round of 16, including all the top 12 seeds. In the afternoon Round of 16 Matches, six single-digit seeds found their way to the Quarterfinal Matches.
Round of 32: In Match 1, No. 1 seed Zach Atkinson of Colleyville defeated No. 32 seed, and host club exemption, Zach Sams of Argyle 4 & 3. Atkinson was 6-under through 15 holes before winning the match. His round included four birdies and a 115-yard hole out for eagle on the par-4 5th.
In Match 2, No. 16 seed Rick Sulzer of Carrollton defeated No. 17 seed John Brewer of Dallas. Sulzer finished the match on the 15th hole with a par to win 4 & 3. The third match of the day was between two-time Mid-Am Match Play champion Colby Harwell of San Antonio and Highland Village’s Jeff Froese. Harwell, the No. 8 seed, defeated No. 25 seed Froese 6 & 4.
In Match 4, No. 9 seed Clay Fullick of Conroe defeated No. 24 seed Chris McCrary of Southlake. Fullick closed out the match with a bridie on the 214-yard par-3 16th to win 3 & 2. In the fifth match, No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina defeated No. 29 seed Eric Heinle of Conroe 2 & 1.
In Match 6, No. 20 seed Brent Battson of Houston upset No. 13 seed Marshall Roenigk of College Station. After both players made birdie on the par-4 18th hole to keep the match tied, Battson made par on the 19 hole to advance to the Round of 16. In Match 7 between No. 5 seed John Stollenwerck of Dallas and No. 28 seed Harris Graham of Argyle needed extra holes before Stollenwerck defeated Graham in 21 holes.
In Match 8, No. 12 Seth Murphy of Flint defeated No. 21 seed Gary Ezmerlian of Fort Worth. Murphy carded seven birdies enroute to his 5 & 3 victory. In Match 9, No. 2 seed Kevin Doskocil of Benbrook took on No. 31 seed Brett Woolston of Prosper. The No. 2 seed carried his momentum from stroke play qualifying as Doskocil won the match 2 & 1.
In Match 10, Dallas’ Scott Maurer upset No. 15 seed Kiley Hardy of Spring Branch 5 & 4. Maurer was the 18th seed going into match play. Match 11 included No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen and No. 26 seed Dan Depasquale of Austin. Schultz defeated Allen 3 & 2. Schultz
In Match 12, host club member and No. 10 seed Kent Yarbrough of Denton defeated No. 23 seed Kyle Robbins of Keller 3 & 2. In Match 13, No. 3 seed Matt Miller of McKinney defeated No. 30 seed Michael Hailey of Frisco 5 & 4. Match 14 was between No. 14 seen Sean Heidrick of McKinney and No. 19 seed Ryne Carter of Carrollton. Heidrick ended the match on hole 16 defeating Ryne 4 & 2.
In Match 15, No. 6 seed Jace Moore of Keller defeated No. 27 seed Steven Williams of College Station 4 & 3. The final match of the Round of 32, Match 16, was between No. 11 seed Judd Pritchard of Fort Worth and No. 22 seed Kade Miller of Lorena. Pritchard won his match against Miller 4 & 3 and advanced to the Round of 16.
Round of 16: In Match 1, No. 1 seed Zach Atkinson of Colleyville kept the momentum going into the afternoon. Atkinson closed out No. 16 seed Rick Sulzer of Carrollton on the 13th hole winning the match 6 & 5. He continued to put his strong game on display carding six birdies through 13 holes. The second match to go off was between No. 8 seed Colby Harwell of San Antonio and Conroe’s Clay Fullick, who was the 9th seed. Fullick made four birdies during his afternoon round which was enough to close out the match on hole 16 winning 3 & 2.
In Match 3, No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina defeated No. 20 seed Brett Battson of Houston 3 & 2. Couture’s steady play was enough for him to win his match and advance to Saturday’s Quarterfinals. Match 4 was between Dallas’s John Stollenwerck and Flint’s Seth Murphy. Murphy, the No. 12 seed knocked off No. 5 seed Stollenwerck with a 3 & 2 match victory.
In Match 5, No. 18 seed Scott Maurer of Dallas defeated No. 2 seed Kevin Doskocil of Benbrook. Down one in the match heading into the par-5 17th hole, Maurer hit his second shot to 17-feet and made the eagle putt to tie up the match going to the 18th hole. Playing roughly 274-yards, Maurer drove the green on the short par-4 18th hole and rolled in the 12-foot eagle putt to win the match with an eagle-eagle finish. Match 6 was between No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen and No. 10 seed Kent Yarbrough of Denton. Yarbrough was the last host club member remaining in the field and fell just short to Schultz. Schultz defeated Yarbrough 1-up with an impressive 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.
In Match 7, McKinney’s Matt Miller and Sean Heidrick needed extra holes to determine who would be advancing to the Quarterfinal Matches. Miller, the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 14 seed Heidrick on the 19th hole. The final match of day, Match 8, was between No. 6 seed Jace Moore of Keller and No. 11 seed Judd Pritchard of Fort Worth. Moore carded five birdies and an eagle on the round to defeated Pritchard 4 & 3 and secure the last spot in tomorrow’s Quarterfinals.
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Course: Denton Country Club is hosting the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play while celebrating the club’s centennial 100th anniversary. The member-owned club opened in 1922 as a 9-hole course and later expanded to 18 holes in 1969. It was originally designed by Texas Golf Hall of Fame architect Ralph Plummer. The course has undergone several modifications through the years, most notably in the mid-1980s when Dick Nugent oversaw an extensive renovation and modernization project.
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 90 players competing in an 18-hole stroke play qualifying. From there, the low 32 players will advance to the match play portion of the championship. Matches will take place over three days, with a champion being crowned 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.
What’s Next: Quarterfinal matches will begin at 7:30 am on Saturday, July 23. Following those matches, the semifinal matches start in the afternoon beginning at 12:30 pm.
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. To see all the scores from Denton Country Club, click here.