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Cotton States: Churchman, Gjesteby reach championship match
Cory Churchman (left) + Andreas Gjesteby
Cory Churchman (left) + Andreas Gjesteby

MONROE, La. — Thirty-two players are down to the final two at the W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational. Sunday's 18-hole championship match will feature University of North Texas junior Cory Churchman and Baylor University senior Andreas Gjesteby.

Churchman, the Abilene, Texas native who held the first-round lead during stroke play qualifying, eventually took the No. 8 seed but stormed his way through the first four rounds to reach the final, including a 1-up victory over Ross Bell III on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals.

Gjesteby, of Norway, earned the No. 2 seed after rounds of 71 and 68 in stroke play. He mowed through his four opponents, never reaching the 17th hole during any of his matches. His closest match came in the semifinals when he defeated University of Arkansas golfer Zach Coats 3-and-2.

Tomorrow's 18-hole final will begin at 8:30 a.m. local time at Bayou DeSiard Country Club in Monroe, Louisiana.

Results: Cotton States Amateur
WinTXCory ChurchmanAbilene, TX400
Runner-upNorwayAndreas GjestebyNorway300
SemifinalsARZachary CoatsSpringdale, AR200
SemifinalsMSRoss BellMadison, MS200
MedalistLABlake TraweekMonroe, LA100

View full results for Cotton States Amateur

ABOUT THE Cotton States Amateur

Originally played in 1949 as the Bayou DeSiard Labor Day Golf Tournament, the tournament's name was changed to the Cotton States Invitational in 1951 by the club's young head professional, W. E. "Winnie" Cole. He felt that the name better reflected the main states that the tournament's players originated from (and a move to mid-summer made the name a necessity later anyway). Little did Cole know that 27 years later, in 1978, the event would be renamed again, forever to be known as the W. E. Cole Cotton States Invitational Golf Tournament.

Past champions of this highly competitive, yet festive tournament include Don January and Hal Sutton. Gil Morgan, David Toms and many other PGA Tour players have also competed. The tournament field field is limited to 96 amateur participants having a verified USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 0.0. Long a match play event, the format was changed in 2021 to 72 holes of stroke play.

View Complete Tournament Information

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