Estorga takes down Bills for Texas Mid-Am Match Play title
Anthony Estorga (TXGA photo)
WESTLAKE, Texas (July 29, 2018) – Anthony Estorga claimed the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship on Sunday, taking down Gant Bills, 5 and 3.
Estorga and Bills rode hot putters going in to the championship match at Vaquero Club. Bills took the early lead, going 1 up through the first five holes. After that, Estorga’s putter caught fire as he birdied the next three holes. After the front nine, he had a 3-up advantage on Bills.
Bills quickly won No. 10 to get back to 2 down, but he could never catch up from there. Estorga knocked a 3-wood to 15 feet at the par-5 12th and when Bills couldn’t hole his bunker shot for par, he conceded the hole. It helped Estorga reestablish his 3-up lead.
Estorga went 4 up with a par on the 14th hole and closed out Bills on the 15th when Gant failed to record another par. Estorga took the win in dominating fashion, 5 and 3.
Estorga’s road to the title was a tough one as he was the fifth overall seed and faced a Vaquero member in Mark Johnston in the first round. He competed against two fellow Hackberry Creek Country Club members that he plays with regularly, and then defeated Scott Abbott, a player who had reached the semifinals three years in a row including at last year’s Mid-Amateur Match Play. Finally, he took down Bills, arguably the hottest player in the field, to win it all.
ABOUT THE
Texas Mid-Am Match Play
Eligibility: Entries are open to male amateur golfers
with a GHIN handicap index of 5.4 or less, and who
are 25 years of age or older as of the first round of
the Championship.
Format/Field Size: Scheduled for 18 holes of stroke
play qualifying on Thursday. The low 32 players
advance to match play beginning on Friday. Round of
32 and 16 played on Friday, Quarter and Semifinal
matches played on Saturday, and Final match on
Sunday morning. The field is limited to 84 players.
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