Around the Green

Atkinson Earns Medalist Honors at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Argyle — Zach Atkinson of Colleyville earned medalist honors after firing a 7-under 64 in the stroke play qualifying round of the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play. Atkinson will be the No. 1 seed in the match play portion of the championship.

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Leaders: Atkinson made eight birdies and a lone bogey during his qualifying round. Starting on No. 1, his first birdie of the day came on the par-3 third hole which played 173 yards. After a bogey on the par-4 fifth, Atkinson got hot when he rolled in five consecutive birdies on holes 6-10. At 5-under through 10 holes he carded two more birdies to finish his round at 7-under. Atkinson will face off against Denton Country Club member Zach Sams of Argyle in the opening round of matches.

In Contention: In Thursday’s stroke play qualifying round players had to card 2-over 73 or better to avoid a playoff for 32 spots on the line. With eight players tied for 27^th place at 3-over-par, a sudden death playoff was conducted to determine the final six spots of the match play bracket. The No. 2 seed going into match play is Kevin Doskocil of Benbrook who shot 6-under 65 during qualifying. One shot back of Doskocil was McKinney’s Matt Miller who will be the No. 3 seed. Four players finished tied at 68 making up seeds 4-7 including Rob Couture, John Stollenwerck, Jason Schultz, and Jace Moore.

Course: Denton Country Club is hosting the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play while celebrating the club’s centennial 100^th 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: Round of 32 matches will begin at 7:30 am on Friday, July 22. Following those matches, the Round of 16 matches start in the afternoon beginning at 1:00 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.