PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Sixteen players remained in the hunt for the title as Saturday began at the 33rd Amateur Match Play Championship, all hoping to be one of the four to advance to Sunday. On a cooler day at The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach, several close matches unfolded — and the players did not disappoint.
What Happened
Round of 16:
2024 Florida Amateur Champion Jimmy Ellis took care of business in his opening match, defeating Richard Donegan 4 & 3. Ellis got off to a blistering start, making birdies on his first three holes to take a commanding lead. From there, he played steady, making only one bogey en route to victory.
Fifteen-year-old Christian Koehn added to his impressive run by winning a back-and-forth match against Braydon Moye. Koehn jumped out to an early 3-up lead, but Moye came storming back, eventually taking a 1-up lead on the 12th hole. However, Koehn stayed composed and won three of the next five holes to secure a 2 & 1 victory.
In another tight match, Graham Nichols outlasted 2024 Player of the Year Will Davenport. Despite making the turn 2 down, Nichols caught fire on the back nine, winning four holes and capping off the 2 & 1 victory with a birdie on the 17th.
Quarterfinals:
Jimmy Ellis ended Christian Koehn’s run with a 3 & 2 victory. Ellis found his groove on the back nine, winning three straight holes to put the match out of reach.
Jordan Bachelor claimed a convincing 5 & 3 win over Lance Lacombe. After falling 1 down on the 8th hole, Bachelor locked in and went on to win six of his next eight holes, closing out the match with a birdie on the 15th.
Ian Ball continued his dominant stretch with a 4 & 3 win over Graham Nichols. After a slow start, Ball caught fire, winning four straight holes on the front nine to take control — a lead he never relinquished.
Finally, Ryan Nicoll comfortably defeated John Coultas 4 & 3, aided by a bogey-free back nine that helped him close out the match in style.
What’s Next
The semifinals will tee off tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. The championship match will follow in the afternoon.
Notable
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Only one match made it to the 18th hole today.
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For the first time all tournament, no eagles were made in any match.
- Ryan Nicholl has not played 16 holes throughout the entire week
Quotable
“This has been incredible. The course has been in really good shape. I’m glad to be playing great golf, hitting fairways and greens all week and not really making any bogeys along the way.”
— Ryan Nicoll on how it feels to be in the final four
