Colby Harwell hits a tee shot on Friday
(Texas Golf Association Photo)
DALLAS, TX (July 22, 2016) -- Top two seeds fall in the
2016 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play at Northwood Club.
The round of 32 began Friday morning with number one
overall seed and Northwood Club member, Culley
Barragan looking to advance to the next 16 against Jeff
Wolff, who played 7 additional holes on Thursday just to
earn the right to play in the match.
Barragan of Dallas was down early in his match
versus Jeff Wolff, also from Dallas, before he won three
straight holes to take a 1 up lead headed into the
eleventh hole. However, those were his last holes won
as Wolff tool three of the next seven holes and closed
the match on the 17th with bogeys for both players to
win 2 and 1.
Wolff squared off with Zach Atkinson, Colleyville, in
the afternoon in the round 16. Zach played John
Schaefer in the morning and only lost two holes on the
day for a 3 and 2 victory. However, like his morning
match, Zach kept the opposition quiet by only allowing
Jeff Wolff to win one hole on the day. Zach’s 4 and 3
victory squares him up against Christopher Wheeler in
the quarterfinals. Wheeler defeated Richmond’s John
Dowdall 2 & 1 in the round of 32 in the morning and
Dallas’ Sean McCauley Jr. in the quarters 3 & 2.
The other survivor of the 11 for 2 playoff after the
Stroke Play qualifying round, Gary Ezmerlian, of Fort
Worth, had a date with the second overall seed John
Derrick from Waco.
Their match featured steady play from both players
but Ezmerlian’s stretch of one under par golf between
holes six through eleven allowed him to gain a four up
advantage with just seven holes remaining. Derrick
however, fought back and won three straight to just
have a one hole disadvantage with just two to play.
Emzerlian though parred his way in to grab a one up
victory.
Ezmerlian squared off in the afternoon with Brett
Forte, also of Fort Worth and he took the first two holes.
However, Ezmerlian won five of the next seven holes to
take a three up lead at the turn. An up and down back
nine ended up seeing Ezmerlian win 3&2.
Ezmerlian’s next match will be against Dallas’ Josh
Irving the reigning North Region and State Player of the
Year. Josh beat Barrett Sandefur 2&1 in the morning
and defeated Brian Noonan of Austin, 5 &4, to close out
the day.
Austin’s Jay Reynolds recorded a hole-in-one of the
187 yard par three 16th with a 5-iron that took one
bounce that went straight into the cup. Reynolds made
mention that his shot looked perfect in air only to not
find it on the green when they arrived. After scanning
the back portion of the green, the ball was found in the
cup. Reynolds used that momentum and closed out
Beau Davis with a birdie on the 17th for a 2 and 1
victory.
Reynolds’ afternoon match was against a
Northwood member and Dallas native, Ryan Hanratty.
The match was tight the entire duration and even saw in
extended to extra holes where Reynolds’ par, saw him
through the quarters.
Scott Abbott, of Dallas, used a nine hole score of 30
early in the morning to have a 6 up lead into the turn
versus Dallas’ Austin McDaniel. Abbott closed the match
with pars on the 13th for a 6&5 victory. Abbott’s front
nine score included birdies on four of the last five holes
before heading to the back nine at Northwood Club.
The highest seed remaining is San Antonio’s Colby
Harwell who beat Fort Worth’s Will Osborne 1 up in the
Round of 32. His afternoon match however, was much
tighter battle. Scott Abbott and Colby Harwell were four
under par and all square after eighteen holes. After 20
holes though, Harwell’s birdie on the 553 yard par five,
2nd saw him outlast Abbott.
Quarterfinal matches will begin at 7:30 am off the
1st tee on Saturday. The victors will play again in the
afternoon in the semifinals for their right to play for the
championship on Sunday morning.
View results for Texas Mid-Am Match Play
ABOUT THE
Texas Mid-Am Match Play
Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur golfers
with a GHIN handicap index of 5.4 or less, and who
are 25 years of age or older as of the first round of
the Championship.
Format/Field Size: Scheduled for 18 holes of stroke
play qualifying on Thursday. The low 32 players
advance to match play beginning on Friday. Round of
32 and 16 played on Friday, Quarter and Semifinal
matches played on Saturday, and Final match on
Sunday morning. The field is limited to 84 players.
View Complete Tournament Information