Around the Green

Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Set for July 23-26

TYLER – The state’s top amateur golfers age 25 and older will gather at Willow Brook Country Club for the 22nd Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play from July 23-26.

Willow Brook Country Club will be hosting its first Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play and sixth TGA championship this year. Previously the club hosted the 2019 Texas Shootout, three Texas Senior Amateurs and the 1964 Texas Amateur.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to return to Willow Brook Country Club,” said Kellen Kubasak, TGA Director of Competitions. “The club has a long history of supporting amateur golf and we are confident the newly renovated course will rigorously test every facet of a player’s game and identify a worthy champion.”

Founded in 1922 on West Erwin Street, Willow Brook Country Club moved to its present site in the late 1950s. It was at that time the club opened its 18-hole course designed by Ralph Plummer. Over the years numerous upgrades have been made to the original design, and in 2018, Tripp Davis completed a comprehensive renovation that has fortified the course’s strategic playing characteristics and revitalized its natural beauty.

“Willow Brook has always been a huge supporter of the Texas Golf Association and we very much are looking forward to hosting the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play this year and welcoming players from all over the state,” said Chris Hudson, Director of Golf at Willow Brook Country Club. “With the recent redesign by Tripp Davis, players can expect a changeling layout that demands precision shot-making and excellent course management skills.”

First conducted by the TGA in 1999, the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play is the only individual event on the annual schedule to feature head-to-head competition.

The format is 18 holes of stroke play qualifying on July 23, with the low 32 scores advancing to match play. First- and second-round matches will be played Friday, July 24; quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, July 25; and the final on Sunday, July 26. All matches are 18 holes.

At last year’s championship, held at Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Richmond, Corby Harwell of San Antonio Dallas defeated Jake Istnick of Dallas, 5 and 3, in the final match. It was the fourth TGA statewide mid-amateur victory for Harwell in the past three years. In 2017, Harwell won both the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play and Texas Mid-Amateur Championships and successfully defended his Texas Mid-Amateur title in 2018.

Once the action gets under way from Willow Brook, log on to txga.org for live scoring updates and daily recaps, as well as match play brackets and starting times.

ABOUT THE TGA: Founded in 1906 as the governing body of amateur golf in Texas, the TGA is an official representative of the United States Golf Association and the only licensed distributor of USGA GHIN Handicaps. We serve all golfers across Texas with elite competitive championships and recreational playing opportunities for men, women, seniors and juniors. The TGA is represented by hundreds of public and private facility Member Clubs throughout the state. It is our honor and responsibility to promote, protect and grow the game of golf on all levels. To learn more, click here.