Champions Cup Invitational winners Bryant Lach and Matt Cordell
(Photo via George Adams)
HOUSTON, TX (April 30, 2017) - The Houston team of Bryant Lach and Matt Cordell captured the 50th Champions Cup Invitational in a dramatic sudden death playoff by making a birdie three on the first playoff hole on Sunday at Champions Golf Club.
After overcoming a three-shot deficit on the first five holes during Sunday's final round, the match was head-to-head duel against third round leaders Derek Busby and John Talley over the final thirteen holes.
Lach and Cordell shot a final round 4-under-par score 67, giving them a 72-hole total of 15-under-par 267 over the challenging par-72 Cypress Creek championship layout to earn their spot into the playoff.
Busby and Talley, the strong Louisiana team from St. Martinsville and Ruston, LA, birdied the final hole in regulation to shoot a 1-under par 71 and force the playoff.
In the playoff Busby and Talley first had a chance convert a birdie but after they missed it set the stage for Cordell to deliver the winning eight-foot birdie putt.
The final round, which was played in cold blustery and swirling northwest winds at 15-20 MPH throughout the round, continued to create havoc for the field, challenging all teams to rely on their short games and putting to survive the windy conditions.
In third place at 270, 14-under-par, was the former champion team of Houstonian Kyle Maxwell and from Illinois, Derek Meinhart. Maxwell and Meinhart had a 12-foot birdie putt on the final regulation hole to join in the playoff, but the putt spun out of the hole and the team finished third.
Fifty-Six two-man mid-amateur teams, from 18 states, Japan and Scotland competed in the 2016 event. The field was loaded with top amateur golfing talent that included over 400 appearances by the competitors in various USGA national championships. Average handicaps of the 112 players is +2.9 strokes per round.
Editors Note: Story via George Adams of Champions Golf Club
View results for Champions Cup Invitational
ABOUT THE
Champions Cup Invitational
Champions is Jack Burke's club, and the
Champions Cup is his
invitational tournament. This is a special
place, full of history and
worthy of the championships it has hosted,
which include the Ryder
Cup, U.S. Open, U.S Amateur, U.S. Mid-
Amateur and multiple Tour
Championships. The Champions Cup is a 72-hole
four-ball event with
no cut. It is a very popular tournament that
attracts a very strong,
competitive national field. To be considered
for entry, players must
maintain a maximum USGA handicap of 3, be
at least 25 years old
and submit playing accomplishments to be
considered. Walking is
required but long pants are no longer
mandatory. Contestants are
urged to stay at the homes of Champions
members (at no cost), but
can arrange their own accommodations if
desiring to do so. The tournament formerly
required both contestants
to be from the same state but has since
waived that requirement.
View Complete Tournament Information