The 2013 SCGA Match Play and Senior Match Play Championships will begin Monday, August 5 at Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena, moving away from Sandpiper Golf Club for the first time in the event’s six-year history. This 6,612-yard William Bell and Brian Silva design provides the perfect venue for a match play tournament, with drivable par 4s and par 5s that will surely test competitors, as the finest SCGA tournament players battle it out against one another. A wide variety of teeing grounds and hole locations will be used over the three-day event, which will welcome 32 competitors in the Championship field and 32 in the Senior Championship field.

With the venue change also came a format change, as the SCGA conducted its first ever Match Play and Senior Match Play qualifiers on Thursday at Brookside GC. Approximately 175 players battled it out for the championship’s final 16 spots - eight in each bracket. The initial 24 players in each championship were exempt into the field based off their position on the SCGA Match Play and Senior Match Play Points Lists.

The top 24 players in the Match Play Championship were seeded based on each player’s average rank relative to the rest of the field using three ranking systems: the SCGA Match Play Points List, the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings. The top 24 players in the Senior Match Play Championship were seeded based solely off the SCGA Senior Match Play Points List. The eight qualifiers in each bracket were seeded based on their finish at the qualifier.

Heading into the Championship as the No. 1 seed, Niall Platt will look to defend his title after defeating USC golfer Stewart Hagestad 2 & 1 in last year’s finals. Platt, a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame, secured the first seed with impressive play at the recent SCGA Amateur Championship, where he finished T3. He will face Brian Song in the first round of play.

Taking the No. 1 seed in the Senior Championship is David Delich, who won the 2012 SCGA Senior Amateur Championship at Pauma Valley CC. He will face off against Jeffrey Gipner of Carlsbad in an opening-round matchup.

Featured First-Round Matchups

10:10 (1) Niall Platt vs. (32) Brian Song

Platt, the No. 1 seed, will face San Diego State golfer Brian Song Monday. Song qualified for the championship with a round of even par at the event’ qualifier at Brookside. Platt will look to be the first golfer since Nick Delio to repeat as SCGA Match Play Champion.

10:50 (4) Tim Hogarth vs. (29) Jeffrey Fortson

One of the most decorated golfers in SCGA Tournament history, Hogarth has won five SCGA Mid- Amateur Championships as well as the SCGA Amateur Championship in 2004. He will face Fortson, who had an epic finish in qualifying at Brookside, recording a birdie on two of his last three holes to end the hope of a playoff for five other participants.

10:20 (16) Brandon Gama vs. (17) Brett Silvernail

Santa Barbara golfers will have an interest in this match, as UCSB golfer Silvernail goes up against Gama of Santa Barbara.

12:30 (6) Manav Shah vs. (27) Joshua Park

A great collegiate battle awaits Shah of UCLA and Park of Cal State Fullerton, as the Pac 12 will face off against the Big West.

Featured First-Round Senior Matchups

7:30 (1) David Delich vs. (32) Jeffrey Gipner

Delich, who will be entering into this championship as the No. 1 seed, was the 2012 SCGA Senior Amateur Champion. Gipner qualified at Brookside … his reward? A match against Delich.

8:20 (13) Mel Collins vs. (20) Dan Pouliot

Collins and Pouliot will battle it out as both players have won the Senior Four-Ball Championship. Collins won the Championship in 2012 and Pouliot in 2008.

8:50 (2) Greg Hetzer vs. (31) Thomas Hofman

Hetzer won last year’s event, defeating Jim Knoll in the final match ­­2&1.

9:10 (7) Mark Nickeas vs. (26) Jim Vanwyck

Nickeas won the CGA Senior Amateur Championship in 2011.

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