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.

Finals Set For Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Christopher Wheeler’s run as the top seed continues to extend as he defeated John Derrick 5 and 4 and no. 5 seed Coy Breen in a demanding 23-hole match. Andrew Lawson continues his hot streak as the no. 10 seed, eliminating Gary Ezmerlian and two-time champion Colby Harwell on Saturday at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

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: Mostly sunny with a high in the mid-90s and a slight breeze from the southeast.

In Contention: Saturday morning saw the quarterfinals play out with the elimination of both past champions. Coy Breen defeated Colby Harwell 2 and 1 and Aaron Hickman defeated Padden Nelson 3 and 1. Following Andrew Lawson’s 7 and 5 victory over Gary Ezmerlian, Lawson continued his hot play on his home course versus defending champion Aaron Hickman defeating him 2 and 1 on hole 17.

What’s Next: The championship match will begin at 8:00 a.m. with live scoring provided.

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

Quarterfinals Set For Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Christopher Wheeler continued his hot play as the top seed in the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas. Wheeler won his first match in the Round of 32 Friday morning 5 and 4 and then advanced to the Quarterfinals after defeating Todd Albert in a 20-hole match Friday afternoon. The Quarterfinalists head into another marathon day Saturday with the Semifinals to be contested after lunch.

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: Mostly sunny with a high in the mid-90s and a slight breeze from the southwest.

In Contention: Friday mornings matches saw the Round of 32 and Round of 16 play out with no major upsets. Two past champions, Aaron Hickman (2020) and Colby Harwell (2017, 2019) are both looking to notch another victory after winning both of their matches Friday. After a 21-hole match, Padden Nelson defeated Daniel Depasquale in the Round of 16 and is now heading into Saturday’s Quarterfinals.

What’s Next: Saturday’s Quarterfinal Matches begin at 7:30 a.m. followed by the Semifinal Matches beginning at 12:30 p.m.

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

Wheeler Claims Top Seed at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Christopher Wheeler earned the top seed in the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play after a bogey-free stroke play qualifying round of 6-under-par 65 at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas. Friday begins the marathon 32-player, single-elimination bracket to crown a state champion.

Stroke Play Qualifying Leaderboard:

1 Christopher Wheeler   Addison    -6    65

2 Drew Evans                  Houston    -4    67

3 Johnny Begzos             Dallas       -5    68

T4 7 players                                      -1    70

Leaderboard/Results

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: Mostly sunny with a high in the mid-90s and a slight breeze out of the south.

In contention: After all the scores were verified, there was a playoff at 3-over 74 for the 32nd position in Match Play. The one-hole playoff saw 5 players vying for one spot. Clayton Rodriguez of San Antonio birdied the first play-off hole to clinch the 32nd seed.

What’s Next: Friday morning’s Round of 32 begins at 7:30 a.m., and the Round of 16 takes place tomorrow afternoon at approximately 1 p.m.

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

Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Set for July 22-25

The state’s top amateur golfers age 25 and older will gather at Trinity Forest Golf Club for the 23rd Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play from July 22-25.

This will be the first TGA championship held at Trinity Forest Golf Club. One of the most unique venues in Texas, Trinity Forest served as the site of the PGA Tour’s AT&T Byron Nelson in 2018-19 and annually hosts an NCAA invitational tournament and additional high-profile professional and amateur events.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to conduct this year’s Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play at Trinity Forest Golf Club,” said Chris Untiedt, TGA Tournament Director. “With numerous risk-rewards options and the demand for creative shot-making, the course is ideally suited for match play and is certain to identify a worthy champion.”

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.

With fairways twisting and turning at odd distances and angles, bold green complexes and surrounds plus firm and fast playing conditions, Trinity Forest provides a true challenge that tests the skill and cleverness of players of all levels.

“Hosting important championships was one of the original tenets of Trinity Forest Golf Club, and we are honored to welcome the state’s best mid-amateurs at the upcoming Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play,” said Richie Hare, Director of Golf at Trinity Forest.

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 championship format is 18 holes of stroke play qualifying on July 22, with the low 32 scores advancing to match play. First- and second-round matches will be played Friday, July 23; quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, July 24; and the final on Sunday, July 25. All matches are 18 holes.

At last year’s Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play, held at Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler, host club member Aaron Hickman defeated defending champion Corby Harwell of San Antonio, 5 and 4. Playing in front of a large crowd of friends, family and other well-wishers, Hickman never trailed in the final, building a 5-up lead after nine holes on Harwell, who also won the 2017 championship, before closing out the match on No. 14.

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

Hickman Wins Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Aaron Hickman goes wire-to-wire and defeats Colby Harwell 5 and 4 at Willow Brook Country Club to win his first Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship. Hickman felt the pressure all week to perform at his best in front of his home club and lived up to the challenge.

Match Play Bracket Leaderboard

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: Sunny, humid morning with in the mid-80s and a slight variable breeze. 

Championship Match Summary: Hickman continued his torrid play throughout the week with going three up through the first six holes against Harwell. The two halved the par four 7^th hole before Hickman carded two more birdies to make the turn at 5-up. Harwell won the next two holes to close the gap. With both players hitting close tee shots into the par three 12^th hole, Hickman once again capitalized by draining a birdie putt and watched Harwell miss his attempt to halve the hole. Hickman continued his birdie barrage on 13 to go 5-up with five holes to play. Harwell, unable to win the par four 14^th hole gave Hickman his biggest Texas Golf Association victory of his career with a 5 and 4 win.

“To play in front of the home crowd brings added pressure with all of the moving parts, but the membership here was so supportive of everything this week. They are really excited to host the 2022 Texas Amateur, which is also our 100^th anniversary as a club.”

Hickman went on to say how much this victory means to him. “This is validation for all of the hard work I have put in. I have won team events, but this is special to do this on my own”.

“Getting that first birdie in each match helped settle the nerves” Hickman said. “I had four bogeys all week and played the rest of the golf at 31-under par.”

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

The Texas Golf Association extends its sincere appreciation to the membership and staff at the Willow Brook Country Club for hosting this year’s Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play. The next state championship on the 2020 calendar will be the 111^th Texas Amateur at Boot Ranch August 6 – 9.

Finals Set For Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Aaron Hickman’s run as the top seed continues to extend as he defeated Cole Wiederkehr 6 and 4 and 5 seed, Scott Maurer 8 and 7. Colby Harwell, the two time champion (2017 and 2019) continues his hot streak as the 14 seed, defeating Paul McNamara and Tyler Terry on Saturday at Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler.

Match Play Bracket Leaderboard/Results

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 cloudy with a high in the mid-80s including a slight variable breeze.

In contention: Saturday morning saw the quarterfinals play out with Maurer and Harwell each winning their matches 1 up over Padden Nelson and Paul McNamara, respectively. Ensuing Tyler Terry’s 5 and 4 victory over Judd Pritchard, Harwell was able to defeat Terry 5 and 4 this afternoon to advance to the final.  Hickman continued his hot play on his home course versus Maurer with six birdies and one eagle in the eleven holes their match went.

What’s Next: The championship match will begin at 8:00 a.m. with live scoring provided.

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

Hickman Claims Top Seed at Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Briefly: Aaron Hickman earned the top seed headed into the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play after a Stroke Play Qualifying Round of 6-under-par 65 at Willow Brook Country Club in Tyler, his home course. Friday begins the marathon 32-player, single-elimination bracket to crown a state champion. Hickman enters the Mid-Amateur Match Play as a six-time Club Champion at Willow Brook CC.

Leaderboard:

1          Aaron Hickman           Tyler                -6                     65

T2        Charles White             Houston          -5                     66

T2        Zach Atkinson             Colleyville        -5                     66

4          Todd Albert                 Katy                 -4                     67

5          Scott Maurer               Dallas              -3                     68

Stroke Play Qualifying Results

Match Play Bracket Pairings

Golf Course: Organized in 1922, the course at Willow Brook CC was designed by Ralph Plumber and recently 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 CC maintains a long tradition of providing players with a top-flight course.

Weather: Partly cloudy with a high in the lower-90s and a slight breeze out of the north.

In contention: Charles White and Zach Atkinson posted Qualifying Rounds of -5 under, finishing in a two-way tie for second. After all of the scores were verified, there was a playoff at 3-over 74 for the 32^nd position in Match Play. The one-hole playoff saw 10 players vying for one spot. Elliot Thompson birdied the first play-off hole to clinch the 32nd seed.

What’s Next: Friday morning’s Round of 32 begins at 7:30 a.m., and the Round of 16 takes place tomorrow afternoon at approximately 1 p.m.

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