Holcombe Wins the Mid-Amateur
Chip Holcombe of Casselberry roared back to defeat Tallahassee's Michael Grant and earn the Florida State Mid-Amateur title at Black Diamond Ranch, 4 and 3.
Grant was hot out of the box and took a 2-up lead through six holes. Holcombe then made birdies on four of the next five holes to reverse the score and go 2-up, Holcombe moved further ahead on the 14th hole when Grant hit a tree and went out of bounds. It was over at the 15th when Grant landed his approach in the water. Although he was 1-down after 9 holes, Grant shot a 2-under par 34. Almost all the birdies by Holcombe were tap-ins. On the 7th hole, Holcombe cut the comer and landed in a greenside bunker that was 341 yards from the tee. He got up-and-down to start his birdie barrage.
In the semifinals, Holcombe made another comeback to defeat Winter Haven's Mike Riley. After being down by 2, Holcombe went on another birdie barrage to even the score. He ended up winning at the 19th hole. Grant had a surprisingly easy time defeating Tampa's Doug LaCrosse. LaCrosse tried to make things close on the par-5 14th hole by making a birdie, but Grant made an eagle to win the hole. Grant closed out LaCrosse on the 16th hole to win 3 and 2.
The Florida State Mid-Amateur Championship is the 15th of 17 state championships conducted annually by the Florida State Golf Association. The FSGA is a not-for-profit organization that promotes, preserves and protects amateur golf in the state of Florida. For information about membership, please call (813) 632-3742.
