Thomas Murray, from Orange Park, earned the 3rd seed after posting a 4-under par 68 in the seeding round. In the lower half of the bracket, Murray won his first match 7 and 6 and then won his next match 3 and 2. In the Round of 16, Murray defeated Doug Snoap, from Apopka, 2 up and reserved his spot in the semis after beating Michael Porte, from Fort Pierce, 3 and 2 in the quarters. In 2005, Murray finished runner up in the Match Play Championship. Murray will face David Johnson, of Palm Bay, in the semifinals. Johnson, coming off a semifinals finish at the US Public Links, beat Chris Piumelli, of Vero Beach, 1 up in the quarters. In Johnson’s Saturday morning match, he defeated two-time Public Links Champion Kevin Aylwin, from New Smyrna Beach, 3 and 2. In the upper half of the bracket, Jeff Golden, from Winter Park, will play Carlos Velez, from Miami, in the semifinal match. Golden, last year’s Player-of-the-Year, topped Phillip Theiss, from Winter Garden, 6 and 4 in the quarters. It was Theiss who knocked off top seed Jeff Williams, from Chuluota, 1 up in the Round of 16. Velez beat 2005 Mid-Amateur Champion Jon Veneziano, from Eustis, 4 and 3 in the quarterfinals for his place in the semis.
Since the number of entries received has always surpassed the capacity of the Championship, a qualifying stage was instituted last year. More than 320 players attempted to qualify at one of six sites across the state. In the qualifying, players competed in 18 holes of stroke play in hopes of reaching the Championship at Quail Valley. The Match Play Championship begins with an 18-hole seeding round to seed the 64 player field. Single elimination match play will follow to determine the Match Play Champion.
To view tee times, pairings, and complete results, please see www.fsga.org.
Organized in 1913, the Florida State Golf Association is a not-for-profit organization that governs amateur golf in the state of Florida. In addition to conducting 25 championships for amateur golfers in the state, the FSGA is responsible for more than 40 qualifying tournaments for USGA National Championships and the Florida Junior Tour. The FSGA also maintains the USGA Handicap System, performs course ratings throughout Florida and assists in junior programs and scholarships.
