Around the Green
The latest golf-related news, notes, and feature stories from the TGA.
Quarterfinals Set at Mid-Amateur Match Play
Briefly: Aaron Hickman continued his hot play as the top seed in the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play at Willow Brook in Tyler. Hickman won his first match in the Round of 32 Friday morning 3 and 2 before advancing to the Quarterfinals after a 2 and 1 win Friday afternoon. The quarterfinalists head into another marathon day Saturday with the Semifinals to be contested after lunch.
Golf Course: Organized in 1922, the course at Willow Brook was designed by Ralph Plumber and newly renovated by Tripp Davis. The newly renovated 6,782-yard, par-71 layout stretches across a pristine land and features a great variety of shape and length of holes, ample fairways, artistic bunkering and small, elevated greens. Willow Brook maintains a long tradition of providing players with a top-flight course.
Weather: Mostly sunny with a high in the low-90s and a slight breeze from the northeast.
In Contention: Friday’s matches resulted in seeds 3 and 4 falling short in the round of 32. The 3 seed, Zach Atkinson, fell to Gary Ezmerlian 3 and 2, and the 4 seed, Todd Albert, fell short against Padden Nelson 2 and 1. After a 22-hole match, Paul McNamara defeated Alec Spencer 1 up after 4 playoff holes in the round of 32 and is now heading into Saturday’s Quarterfinals after defeating Scott Kraul 5 and 4.
Two-time champion Colby Harwell (2017, 2019) is looking to repeat as he won both of his matches on Friday. He will face McNamara in the 8:27 a.m. match.
What’s Next: Quarterfinal Matches begin at 8:00 a.m., and the Semifinals take place tomorrow afternoon starting at 12:30 p.m.
More Info: For more information on the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, visit the tournament homepage here.
