Harwell wins second Texas Mid-Am Match Play title in three years
Colby Harwell (TXGA photo)
Colby Harwell defeated Jake Istnick 5 and 3 at Shadow Hawk Golf Club to win his second Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship in three years. Harwell won the 2017 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play at San Antonio Country Club and adds another TGA state championship to his decorated mid-amateur career.
Golf Course: Opened in 1999, the award-winning course at Shadow Hawk was designed by Rees Jones. The 7,207-yard, par-72 layout stretches across 274 acres of pristine land and features a great variety of shape and length of holes, ample fairways, artistic bunkering and small, elevated greens. All the subtle challenges are front and center at Shadow Hawk; there are no tricks or gimmicks. Shadow Hawk has earned the well-deserved reputation as a straightforward test of a player’s skill.
Weather: Sunny, humid morning with in the mid-80s and a slight southerly breeze.
Championship Match Summary: With the match all square through four holes, Harwell began his charge with birdies of the fifth and sixth hole to take a 2 up lead. He maintained that lead and added to it with wins on the par-3 11th and par-4 12th to go 4 up with six to play. Harwell closed out the match with a stellar approach shot on the par-4 15th, leading to Istnick conceding the hole and the match 5 and 3.
“I tweaked a few things and everything seems to be clicking,” the two-time defending Texas Mid-Amateur Champion Harwell said. “This golf course really sets up well for me; I like being able to see the landing zones and the greens which allowed me to just play my game. There is nothing tricky about this place, it is a great golf course.”
Harwell attributed his success this week to a solid performance on the greens.
“My putting has been really, really strong lately,” Harwell said. “I have gone 11 rounds without a three putt and the greens out here were perfect this week.”
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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.
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