Amateur Match Play Championship

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Andrew Kozan prevailed with a victory over Jordan Batchelor in the final match to be crowned Match Play Champion at Old Marsh Golf Club. 

Stroke Play Seeding Round

The  28th Amateur Match Play Championship jump started August as 63 of Florida’s finest amateur golfers teed it up to determine who would prevail and be crowned champion. Old Marsh Golf Club experienced a weather suspension with only a few groups left to finish the stroke play seeding round on Thursday.  The day finished with Derek Hurwitch, Nicholas Gabrelcik, and Andrew Kozan tied as stroke play medalists with a score of 70 (-2). 

Defending Champion, Gabrelcik, was looking to add another victory to his resume this year after winning the Amateur Public Links in June. Gabrelcik, who is only 17 years old, started match play as the third seed. The seeds were broken randomly for tied players, and Hurwitch’s first match as the number one seed was a bye. Andrew Kozan, who is searching for his FSGA championship win, entered match play as the second seed. Bryan Kordupel and Jordan Batchelor finished one stroke behind the medalists at one under-par heading into the Round of 64.

5 Things to Know: Amateur Match Play 
  
Stroke Play Seeding Results

Round of 64

Tough competitors remained after the first round of match play. The second seed, Andrew Kozan, won 7&6 against Zack Justice while the third seed from Trinity, Gabrelcik, moved closer to defending his title. Gabrelcik defeated Enrique Vila 7&5 to advance. An upset came from Adam Hofmann, 51st seed, who won 2-up over 14th seed Tom Bevington.  Jordan Batchelor, of Saint Augustine, continued to the next round after a 3&2 win over Shane Reynolds. Joe Alfieri, top ten finisher in both the Amateur and Amateur Public Links, earned a 3&2 win to face Joey Latowski in the Round of 32. 

Round of 32

Defending Champion, Gabrelcik, continued his winning streak by defeating Miles Albright 3&1. A 5&4 victory over Matthew Avril allowed Hofmann to advance. Kozan defeated Carlos Marrero 3&2 to move closer to the finals. After a long 24 holes delayed by darkness, Latowski prevailed over Alfieri to meet Batchelor in the next match. Number one seed, Hurwitch, was victorious over Andrew Morris, while Will Davenport won over Cooper Smith 4&3. Thomas Salanito and Danny Young earned wins to face each other in the Round of 16. 

Round of 16

Saturday morning began the Round of 16 where Hofmann prevailed after 19 holes to advance over Gabrelcik. Kozan, a past FJT winner from West Palm Beach, defeated Johnny Tucker 2&1 to face Alec Nachmann in the Quarterfinals. Gabriel Vanososte would go head to head against Batchelor, who defeated Latowski 3&2, in the next round.  Hurwitch never took his foot off of the gas as he moved closer to the finals, defeating Hopinks 4&3. 

Quarterfinals

Hofmann, of Ponte Vedra, played strong in his first FSGA Championship as he advanced past Salanito 4&2. Continuing to prevail, Kozan defeated Nachmann 1-up and Batchelor prevailed with a 6&5 win. Hurwitch, of Lake Worth, would move closer to his first individual Championship win with a 3&2 victory over Davenport. 

Semifinals

Hurwitch and Batchelor played a back and forth match on the front nine ending with a 1-up par from Hurwitch on the ninth hole. Batchelor fired back with an eagle, two, on the par four 10th hole to take the match back to all-square. A birdie on holes 12, 14, and 16 secured the 3-up win for Batchelor. A similar match was being played between Hofmann and Kozan. Turning at all-square, Kozan lit on fire and won holes 11 through 15 where the match ended at 5-up. 

Finals

The final match started as a back and forth battle between Batchelor and Kozan. An eagle on the par five seventh hole and a par on the eighth hole gave Kozan a 2-up lead at the turn. Kozan carded a second eagle of the day on the par five 12th hole to increase his lead by one.  A par on the par three 14th hole gave Kozan a 4-up lead heading into the finishing holes. The final match ended on the 15th hole with a birdie from Kozan and 5&3 victory! Kozan played a strong seven rounds of golf to be crowned Match Play Champion.

Math Play Results  

Follow the FSGA:

The men’s schedule will continue with the Mid-Senior Championship August 23-25 at Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota. 

Twitter: @FSGA
Instagram: @FSGA1913
Facebook: Florida State Golf Association 

The 28th Amateur Match Play Championship is an exciting event that utilizes golf's original match play format. There are six qualifiers slated throughout the state to provide players the opportunity to qualify for this prestigious Championship held at Old Marsh Golf Club, in Palm Beach Gardens. The Pete Dye design has previously hosted the FSGA Mid-Amateur Championship and been a site for numerous other USGA qualifiers and Palm Beach County Golf Association Events. For a look at the past results of the Amateur Match Play click here.

Championship Format & Seeding

• 18 holes of individual stroke play to determine seeds for match play.
• For purposes of determining places in the draw, ties in qualifying rounds will be decided by a blind draw.
• In the event of a tied match, the stipulated round is deemed to extend to as many holes as are required for a match to be won.

Championship Field Size

• Maximum of 64 players

Eligibility 

• Male amateur golfer
• A valid USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 11.4
• Entrant is required to be a member of the FSGA

Entry Fees

• Qualifying Fee: Qualifying Fee includes entry fee and cart fee.
• Championship Fee: Fee paid by those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying. Includes tee gifts and gift certificates, course and cart fees, range balls for each competitive round.
  
• Exempt Fee: Exempt Fee includes Championship Fee and Entry Fee for those individuals eligible for exemption.

Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the qualifying field. 

Pre-Registration

Those individuals who advance to the Championship through qualifying must pre-register and remit an additional $125 online at the FSGA website at www.fsga.org. Payment must be received by Friday, July 26 by 3:30 pm, or the individual will be withdrawn from the Championship. Championship Fee includes cart fees for all competitive rounds.

To Pre-Register:

• Log on to the FSGA website at www.fsga.org using your email address and password
• Click on "My Account" in the upper right hand corner of the homepage
• Under "My Tournaments", click on the "Pre-Register" button to the right of the tournament name
• Enter your credit card information and then click the "Charge My Card" button on the bottom right hand corner of the page

Refunds, Notice of Withdrawals

Qualifying Entry Fees - Requests for qualifying entry refunds received prior to entry closing date will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). Requests received after the closing date will be honored (less 50% of entry fee). No requests will be honored within two days of the scheduled start date of the qualifier.

Championship Fees & Exempt Entry Fees - Requests for refunds of Exempt or Championship fees prior to the pre-registration deadline will be honored (less $20 per entry administrative fee). No requests will be honored after the pre-registration deadline (See pre-registration date displayed on this page).

Course Set-Up

• The golf course will be set-up at approximately 6,900-7,200 yards.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, August 1st

• 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM - Stroke Play Seeding Round off #1 and #10 tees

Friday, August 2nd

• 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM - Match Play Round of 64 off #1 & #10 tees
• 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Match Play Round of 32 off #1 tee

Saturday, August 3rd

• 8:00 AM - 8:56 - Match Play Round of 16 off tee #1
• 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM - Match Play Quarterfinals off #1 tee

Sunday, August 4th

• 8:00 AM - 8:15 AM - Match Play Semifinals off #1 tee
• 12:00 PM - Match Play Final off #1 tee

Local Qualifying

• 18 holes stroke play at 6 qualifying sites.
• During qualifying, each player must use a golf cart.
• Players are responsible for cart fees for all practices rounds.

Defending Champion

Number 36 seed, Trevor Hulbert, overcame the strong competitor Joe Alfieri, 3 & 2 to reach the Final match. Nicholas Gabrelcik, of Trinity, continued on his winning streak, defeating Morgan 3 & 2, and would face Hulbert in the final. Hulbert and Gabrelcik played steady golf in the first nine holes of the final match. Both players made the turn all square after Hulbert, of Orlando, was one down over the first three holes. On the 15th hole, Gabrelcik moved to one-up in the match with a par and finally sealed his victory with a birdie on the par five 18th hole. Gabrelcik, who is nearly 16 years old, is the youngest Amateur Match Play Champion in the history of the event. Click here for the 2018 results. 

Carts

Carts are included for all competitive rounds of the Championship. Players are responsible for practice round cart fees.

Practice Rounds

Practice rounds are available one week prior to the championship. Practice rounds may be played after 12:00 PM on the weekend. The price for a practice round is $35.00 + tax. Please call 561-694-9267 to arrange your practice round. The club is closed on Monday and Tuesday, July 30-31. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range, hitting multiple shots on the course is unacceptable.

Exemptions

Players in the following categories will be eligible for exemption provided they meet all entry and eligibility requirements:   

NOTE: Blank entries will be filed by the FSGA for players who become exempt after the close of entries. 

• Last three year's Amateur Match Play Champions
• Last year's Amateur Match Play Semifinalists
• Last year's Amateur Player of the Year
• Last three year's Amateur Champions
• Current year's top five and tied Amateur Championship finishers
• Current and last two year's Mid-Amateur Champions
• Current year's Mid-Amateur Championship Semifinalists
• Last year's Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Champion
• Last year's Junior Amateur Player of the Year
• Last year's Junior Amateur Match Play Champion (16-18 Age Division)
• Last year's Mid-Senior Champion
• Current year's Amateur Public Links Champion
• Last year's Florida Open Low Amateur
• Current and last year's Boys' Junior Champions (16-18 Age Division)

Exemptions Earned from this Tournament

Winner

• Next three Amateur Match Play Championships
• Next year's Mid-Amateur Championship
• Next year's Florida Open

Semi-Finalists

• Next year's Amateur Match Play Championship
• Next year's Amateur Championship
• Next year's Mid-Amateur Championship

Other Policies

• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy -  Click here.
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. However, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player's clubs must remain on the golf cart. 
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Terms of the Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules. The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Host Hotel and Accommodations

Palm Beach Gardens Marriott
4000 RCA Blvd.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
561-622-8888

$114 per room, per night. Call and ask for "FSGA Room Block" or click here to book online. Must book by 7/16/2019 to receive room rate.

Payment

Old Marsh accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and Amex as forms of payment.

Directions

Old Marsh Golf Club
7500 Old Marsh Road
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
561-694-9267

Click here for directions