PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Sixty-four players teed it up Thursday at the 33rd Amateur Match Play Championship, all with hopes of being crowned champion on Sunday. The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach played host to one of Florida’s premier match play tournaments. With excellent course conditions, the competition did not disappoint.
What Happened
Morning Matches
The day began with Singer Island’s Thomas Wharton pulling off an upset over defending champion James Hassell, winning 1 up. Additionally, 2024 Player of the Year Will Davenport defeated Anthony Monteleone, 4 & 3, making five birdies en route to victory.
With a large crowd watching, Plantation at Ponte Vedra member Keaton Fannin defeated Matthew Joseph, 3 & 2. Rising Penn State senior and 2024 semifinalist Andres Barraza dominated Jose Vargas, winning 5 & 4.
Afternoon Matches
Will Davenport continued his stellar play, defeating Keaton Fannin, 6 & 4. Davenport shot a 31 on the back nine, highlighted by an eagle on the signature 18th hole. Junior golfer Christian Koehn took down Andres Barraza, 3 & 2, making only one bogey over his final 23 holes to take the lead in the group.
Neal Pease defeated Ariihau Faana, 2 up, to claim the lead in his group. Pease overcame a three-hole deficit on the back nine to earn the win. Finally, fresh off a win at the parent/child championship, Chad Ibbotson defeated Nick Stiles 6 & 4 in the final group of the day.
What’s Next
The final round of pool play will take place tomorrow, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 9:45 a.m. A playoff will immediately follow in the event of any ties.
Notable
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Timothy McMillan made an ace on the 179-yard 3rd hole, using a 7-iron to one-hop it into the cup.
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The signature 18th hole yielded seven eagles, making it the easiest hole on the course.
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The most difficult hole was the par-4 fourth, which played at half a stroke over par.
Quotable
“I was really glad to see some putts rolling in. I’ve been struggling with that lately. Out here, it’s hard for putts not to go in because these greens are just so perfect.”
— Gabriel Hull on the strongest part of his game today
“You’ve gotta hit fairways on this golf course. It’s so punishing if you miss. You’ll be hard to beat if you can keep the ball in play and hit putts at the right speed.”
— Christian Koehn on the key to winning this tournament
