Schultz Wins Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Argyle – Jason Schultz of Allen wins 3 & 1 to claim the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship. This is Schultz’s second Texas Golf Association win of the year, previously winning the North Mid-Amateur at Paris Golf and Country Club in late March.

Championship Match: In Sunday morning’s Championship Match, No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina went head-to-head against No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen. Couture struck first with a par on the par-4 first to go 1-up through early. The two tied the 2^nd hole with a pair of pars keeping the match at Couture 1-up. On the 187-yard par-3 3^rd hole, Couture made birdie from 30-feet to go 2-up in the match. Both players stuck it close on the 4^th hole and made birdie three and then another pair of pars on the 5^th to keep the match status at 2-up in favor of Couture through 4 holes. A bridie on the par-4 6^th hole for Schultz to get to 1-down was what he needed to shift the momentum in the match. He would go on to make three more birdies on the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th, making it four consecutive birdies. Schultz’s birdies on the 7^th and 9^th matched Couture’s birdies, but his birdie on the par-3 8^th hole was enough to get the match to all tied up.

Tied at the turn, both players made pars on the 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th to keep the match tied through 12 holes. Schultz made birdie on the par-4 13^th hole to take his first lead of the match. On the 14^th hole, the pair each made birdie three to keep the match status Schultz 1-up. Both players made par on the par-4 15^th before Schultz made a birdie two on the 16^th going 2-up and dormie in the match. Schultz found the fairway on the par-5 17^th and hit a near perfect shot reach the green in two, 11-feet short of the flag. Couture missed his birdie putt and conceded the eagle putt to Schultz, giving him a 3 & 1 match victory.

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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: By winning, Schultz was awarded 750 points towards Statewide Player of the Year standings.

What’s Next: The TGA will conducting their North and South Amateurs to close out the regional series. The regional amateurs are schedule to be played simultaneously, August 5-7. Next on the state championship schedule is the Texas Four-Ball. With registration closed, the Four-Ball will be contested August 19-21 at Comanche Trace in Kerrville. Texas Mid-Amateur qualifying is underway for the TGA with sites scattered across the state for the next two months. The Texas Mid-Amateur will be hosted Abilene Country Club September 23-25.

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.

Championship Match Set at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Argyle – During Saturday morning’s Quarterfinals, top seeded players continued to play well as three of the four top seeds all advance to the afternoon Semifinal Matches. In the afternoon Semifinal Matches, the top two remaining seeds fall creating a No. 4 vs No. 9 Championship Match.

Quarterfinal Matches: In the first match of the Quarterfinals, Match 1, Colleyville’s Zach Atkinson continued his dominance as he defeated No. 9 seed Clay Fullick of Conroe 7 & 6. The No. 1 seed has made few mistakes on the course with only three bogeys through 58 holes thus far, which includes Thursday’s 18-hole stroke play qualifying round. In Match 2, No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina defeated No. 12 seed Seth Murphy of flint. One down in the match heading into the par-5 17^th hole, Couture hit his approach shot to 18-feet and made the birdie putt to tie the match going to the 18^th hole. On the 18^th hole, Couture hit another solid approach shot to 20-feet and rolled in his second consecutive birdie to win the match 1-up, advancing to the Semifinals.

The third match of the Quarterfinals was between No. 10 seed Scott Maurer of Dallas and No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen. Maurer was down one heading into the 18^th hole and made birdie three to extend the match. Going back to the par-4 1^st hole, Schultz made a routine par to win the match in 19 holes. In Match 4, the final match of the morning Quarterfinals, No. 3 seed Matt Miller of McKinney defeated No. 6 seed Jace Moore of Keller. Moore was 2 up with four to play in the match when Miller found something. That something was four consecutive birdies on holes 15, 16, 17, and 18. Miller’s birdie stretch was enough to win the match 1-up and secure the last spot in the afternoon Semifinals.

Semifinal Matches: In the first match of the afternoon Semifinals, Match 1, No. 1 seed Zach Atkinson of Colleyville was up against No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina. The No. 4 seed was going up against heavy favorite Atkinson, who had carded 24 birdies and a lone eagle through his four previous rounds. Couture didn’t let that phase him as he continued to play smart and consistent, and making putts when they mattered most. His Semifinals scorecard was bogey free through 16 holes and included five birdies, to Atkinson’s one bogey and three birdies. While Atkinson got his tournament birdie count to an impressive 27 birdies, he ultimately fell short to Couture who won the match 3 & 2 and secured his spot in Sunday’s Champion Match.

In Match 2 of the Semifinals, No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen defeated No. 3 seed Matt Miller of McKinney 2 & 1. It was a strong showing for Miller as he was competing in his first ever Texas Golf Association championship. Schultz, who earned the final spot in tomorrow’s Championship Match, made four birdies on the round. His fourth and final birdie of the afternoon was the match clinching putt on the par-5 7^th green. Schultz and Couture will go head to head tomorrow morning in the Championship Match to crown the 2022 Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Champion.

Click here for full leaderboard

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: Sunday’s Championship Match will start at 7:30 am tomorrow.

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.

Quarterfinal Matches Set at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Argyle – During Friday morning’s Round of 32 matches, all but two lower seeded teams advanced to the Round of 16, including all the top 12 seeds. In the afternoon Round of 16 Matches, six single-digit seeds found their way to the Quarterfinal Matches.

Round of 32: In Match 1, No. 1 seed Zach Atkinson of Colleyville defeated No. 32 seed, and host club exemption, Zach Sams of Argyle 4 & 3. Atkinson was 6-under through 15 holes before winning the match. His round included four birdies and a 115-yard hole out for eagle on the par-4 5^th.

In Match 2, No. 16 seed Rick Sulzer of Carrollton defeated No. 17 seed John Brewer of Dallas. Sulzer finished the match on the 15^th hole with a par to win 4 & 3. The third match of the day was between two-time Mid-Am Match Play champion Colby Harwell of San Antonio and Highland Village’s Jeff Froese. Harwell, the No. 8 seed, defeated No. 25 seed Froese 6 & 4.

In Match 4, No. 9 seed Clay Fullick of Conroe defeated No. 24 seed Chris McCrary of Southlake. Fullick closed out the match with a bridie on the 214-yard par-3 16^th to win 3 & 2. In the fifth match, No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina defeated No. 29 seed Eric Heinle of Conroe 2 & 1.

In Match 6, No. 20 seed Brent Battson of Houston upset No. 13 seed Marshall Roenigk of College Station. After both players made birdie on the par-4 18^th hole to keep the match tied, Battson made par on the 19 hole to advance to the Round of 16. In Match 7 between No. 5 seed John Stollenwerck of Dallas and No. 28 seed Harris Graham of Argyle needed extra holes before Stollenwerck defeated Graham in 21 holes.

In Match 8, No. 12 Seth Murphy of Flint defeated No. 21 seed Gary Ezmerlian of Fort Worth. Murphy carded seven birdies enroute to his 5 & 3 victory. In Match 9, No. 2 seed Kevin Doskocil of Benbrook took on No. 31 seed Brett Woolston of Prosper. The No. 2 seed carried his momentum from stroke play qualifying as Doskocil won the match 2 & 1.

In Match 10, Dallas’ Scott Maurer upset No. 15 seed Kiley Hardy of Spring Branch 5 & 4. Maurer was the 18^th seed going into match play. Match 11 included No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen and No. 26 seed Dan Depasquale of Austin. Schultz defeated Allen 3 & 2. Schultz

In Match 12, host club member and No. 10 seed Kent Yarbrough of Denton defeated No. 23 seed Kyle Robbins of Keller 3 & 2. In Match 13, No. 3 seed Matt Miller of McKinney defeated No. 30 seed Michael Hailey of Frisco 5 & 4. Match 14 was between No. 14 seen Sean Heidrick of McKinney and No. 19 seed Ryne Carter of Carrollton. Heidrick ended the match on hole 16 defeating Ryne 4 & 2.

In Match 15, No. 6 seed Jace Moore of Keller defeated No. 27 seed Steven Williams of College Station 4 & 3. The final match of the Round of 32, Match 16, was between No. 11 seed Judd Pritchard of Fort Worth and No. 22 seed Kade Miller of Lorena. Pritchard won his match against Miller 4 & 3 and advanced to the Round of 16.

Round of 16: In Match 1, No. 1 seed Zach Atkinson of Colleyville kept the momentum going into the afternoon. Atkinson closed out No. 16 seed Rick Sulzer of Carrollton on the 13^th hole winning the match 6 & 5. He continued to put his strong game on display carding six birdies through 13 holes. The second match to go off was between No. 8 seed Colby Harwell of San Antonio and Conroe’s Clay Fullick, who was the 9^th seed. Fullick made four birdies during his afternoon round which was enough to close out the match on hole 16 winning 3 & 2.

In Match 3, No. 4 seed Rob Couture of Celina defeated No. 20 seed Brett Battson of Houston 3 & 2. Couture’s steady play was enough for him to win his match and advance to Saturday’s Quarterfinals. Match 4 was between Dallas’s John Stollenwerck and Flint’s Seth Murphy. Murphy, the No. 12 seed knocked off No. 5 seed Stollenwerck with a 3 & 2 match victory.

In Match 5, No. 18 seed Scott Maurer of Dallas defeated No. 2 seed Kevin Doskocil of Benbrook. Down one in the match heading into the par-5 17^th hole, Maurer hit his second shot to 17-feet and made the eagle putt to tie up the match going to the 18^th hole. Playing roughly 274-yards, Maurer drove the green on the short par-4 18^th hole and rolled in the 12-foot eagle putt to win the match with an eagle-eagle finish. Match 6 was between No. 7 seed Jason Schultz of Allen and No. 10 seed Kent Yarbrough of Denton. Yarbrough was the last host club member remaining in the field and fell just short to Schultz. Schultz defeated Yarbrough 1-up with an impressive 20-foot birdie putt on the 18^th hole.

In Match 7, McKinney’s Matt Miller and Sean Heidrick needed extra holes to determine who would be advancing to the Quarterfinal Matches. Miller, the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 14 seed Heidrick on the 19^th hole. The final match of day, Match 8, was between No. 6 seed Jace Moore of Keller and No. 11 seed Judd Pritchard of Fort Worth. Moore carded five birdies and an eagle on the round to defeated Pritchard 4 & 3 and secure the last spot in tomorrow’s Quarterfinals.

Click here for full leaderboard

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: Quarterfinal matches will begin at 7:30 am on Saturday, July 23. Following those matches, the semifinal matches start in the afternoon beginning at 12:30 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.

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.

Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Set for July 21-24

As one of the highlights of its yearlong 100th anniversary celebration, Denton Country Club in Argyle will host the 24th Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play. The championship, which features the state’s top amateur golfers ages 25 and older, will be played July 21-24.

This will be the club’s second TGA championship, having previously hosted the 2016 North Senior Amateur, won by Dave Davis.

“The TGA is honored to be back at Denton Country Club and to be a part of their milestone anniversary,” said Chris Untiedt, TGA Senior Tournament Director. “We’re very appreciative of the club’s continued support of amateur golf and the course will certainly be a great stage for the championship’s compelling match-play format.”

Located in the northern part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, Denton Country Club was founded in 1922 and began as a nine-hole course. The club expanded to 18 holes in 1969 and was 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.

The 6,549-yard, par-71 layout sits on 215 acres of rolling countryside and features tree-lined fairways and undulating greens. With many holes curling around strategically placed bunkers and water hazards, the course provides plenty of risk-reward opportunities that demands clear thinking and fearless execution.

“We are excited to host this year’s Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship,” said Travis East, Denton Country Club’s Director of Golf. “The golf course is in wonderful shape and should provide a fun yet challenging test for the players. We are looking forward to a great week of golf.”

Established 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 championship format is 18 holes of stroke play qualifying on July 21, with the low 32 scores advancing to match play. First- and second-round matches will be played Friday, July 22; quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, July 23; and the final on Sunday, July 24. All matches are 18 holes.

At last year’s Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, held at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Christopher Wheeler of Addison defeated Andrew Lawson of Dallas, 6 and 4, in the championship match. Wheeler, who claimed medalist honors and the No. 1 overall seed with a 6-under 65 in the qualifying round, never trailed in the final, building a 4-up lead after nine holes on Lawson before winning the 14th hole to close out the match. With the victory, Wheeler, who also won the 2019 Texas Mid-Amateur, became the seventh player to have captured both the stroke- and match-play championships.

Once the action gets under way from Denton Country Club, log on to the TGA website for match play brackets, starting times, live scoring updates and daily recaps.

Wheeler Wins Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Addison’s Christopher Wheeler finishes strong and defeats Andrew Lawson 6 and 4 at Trinity Forest Golf Club to win his first Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship. The 2019 Texas Golf Association player of the year and number one seed was able to perform confidently and continued his hot streak even after 18 holes of stroke play and 85 holes of match play. 

Match Play Leaderboard

Golf Course: Opened in 2016, Trinity Forest was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Built in the Great Trinity Forest and surrounded on its edges by thousands of majestic hardwood trees, the classic links-style course artistically meanders through an open meadow of rolling, rumpled sand recalling the wind-swept land of Great Britain or the coastline of the Northeastern U.S.

Weather: Sunny with a high in the mid-90s and a slight breeze from the west north-west.

 Championship Match Summary: Wheeler continued his torrid play throughout the week with going two up through the first two holes against Lawson. The two halved the par four 3rd hole and par four 4th hole before Wheeler nearly eagled the 5th. Wheeler made two birdies throughout the first nine holes and lost only one hole, the par five 7th hole, when he made the turn at 4-up. On the 11th hole Lawson, who is no stranger to Trinity Forest, capitalized by draining a birdie putt and watched Wheeler miss his attempt to win the hole. Wheeler continued his birdie barrage on 12 to go 5-up with five holes to play. Lawson, unable to win the par four 14th hole gave Wheeler another Texas Golf Association victory to add to his name with a 6 and 4 win.

The Texas Golf Association extends its sincere appreciation to the membership and staff at the Trinity Forest Golf Club for hosting this year’s Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play.

More Info: For more information on the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, visit the tournament homepage here.