Field Set at Amateur Match Play

The top 64 amateur golfers in the state will compete this week, August 9-12, with hopes of winning the 22nd Florida Amateur Match Play Championship at the Country Club of Orlando in Orlando.

Before reaching the Championship, more than 300 participants attempted to qualify at one of seven sites across the state. The Championship consists of 18 holes of individual stroke play on Thursday to determine seeds in the round of 64 (all ties for seeds will be broken randomly). Match play begins on Friday morning with the round of 64 and then the round of 32 will be played Friday afternoon. The round of 16 tees off Saturday morning followed by the quarter-finals that afternoon.  Sunday, the semi-finals are in the morning and the finals in the afternoon.

The 2012 field features three past Amateur Match Play Champions, including the Defending Champion Don Bell, of Port Orange. Bell will be joined by the 2009 Champion Ryan Black, from Port Saint Lucie, and the 2001 Champion Joe Alfieri, of Lutz. Other notable past state champions include, Stephen Anderson, of Hobe Sound, Hank Lebioda, of Winter Springs, Chase Seiffert, of Panama City, Jon Veneziano, of Mount Dora, and Ben Vertz, of Coral Springs. The youngest player competing this week will be Philip Knowles, of Bradenton, who is 15 years old, while the oldest player is Tom Riley, of Lake Mary, at 57 years old.

Spectators and media are welcome to watch the state’s best amateur golfers compete at the Country Club of Orlando.