VERO BEACH, Fla. -- After 54 holes of golf, 36 more stood between the players and a spot in the Final Four. Today featured a full day of match play with the Round of 16 in the morning and Quarterfinals in the afternoon, whittling the field down to just four contenders vying for the 44th Mid-Amateur Championship.
Round of 16
The morning’s Round of 16 was loaded with exciting matchups and plenty of back-and-forths.
The day began with a heavyweight clash between 2014 Mid-Amateur Champion Thad Hudgens and reigning Men’s Player of the Year Will Davenport. Davenport struck first, but Hudgens answered with strong play of his own. The match was tied heading to the 17th, where Hudgens edged ahead. Needing to win the final hole to extend the match, Davenport watched Hudgens throw a dart into the 18th green to close out a tightly contested battle.
Carl Santos-Ocampo made a statement in his match against Ryan Gallan, rolling to a convincing 5 & 4 win in the morning’s first result.
Rhett Pooley and Will Evans delivered the round’s only extra-hole thriller. Tied through 18, Pooley drained a 20-foot birdie on the 20th hole to seal the win, as Evans couldn’t match.
In the “friends turned foes” matchup, Ty Capps would end up beating Tyler Gulliksen 1 up. Capps capitalized late as Gulliksen missed the green on 18, ending a tightly fought match.
Also advancing were Kyle Martin, David Morgan, and Graham Nichols, who survived tough tests to earn a spot in the afternoon's Elite Eight.
Quarterfinals
The afternoon brought wind, and even more pressure, as eight players battled for a semifinal spot.
In the opening quarterfinal, Thad Hudgens and Carl Santos-Ocampo traded the lead multiple times before Hudgens birdied the 16th to pull even. The match remained tied through 18, but Santos-Ocampo prevailed in 19 holes, taking down the stroke-play medalist.
David Morgan and Graham Nichols were all square at the turn before Nichols caught fire. The Jacksonville native birdied hole 11, made eagle on hoe 12, and went on to birdie the 13th to pull away, defeating Morgan 3 & 2 with a dominant back-nine performance.
Rhett Pooley looked poised for another win after capturing holes 5, 6, and 7 to go 3 up on Kyle Martin. Martin clawed back with wins on 8 and 11, and after Pooley capitalized on a short miss to go 2 up on 12, Martin rallied again. In a gutsy comeback, Martin won the final two holes to escape with a 1 up victory.
Ty Capps found himself down early to Mike Smith, who jumped ahead 3 up through four holes. But Capps stayed patient. After Smith bogeyed the fifth, the match turned. Capps went on a tear, winning holes 10, 13, 15, and 17 to cap off a 3 & 1 win and earn his spot in the semifinals.
