James Hassell (FSGA Photo)
After a long four days of golf and battling the tough conditions of the passing tropical storm, James Hassell became the 32nd Amateur Match Play Champion, defeating Ty Capps 3&2 at PGA National Resort.
A week that started with 64 players competing in round robin matches within their pool, James Hassell found himself as the last man standing after 7 grueling matches of battling the heat and then the outskirts of a tropical storm. The test of golf the conditions provided only added to the already difficult PGA National Resort, Champion Course.
Just weeks after claiming the Low Amateur honors at the Florida Open, Hassell added his name to the short list of players to claim both honors in the same year, last done by Nick Gabrelcik in 2019.
Starting in pool play, Hassell found himself needing to overcome early adversity after dropping his first match of the event. He’d go on to win his next two matches and find himself in a playoff to get out of his pool. A birdie at the first playoff hole advanced him to the bracket play and Round of 16.
In the Round of 16, he faced a tough competitor in former Player of the Year, Joseph Latowski, where he found himself two down at the turn. Hassell would go on to win 5 holes on the back 9 including the final two holes of the match to win 2 up.
A quick turnaround due to weather suspensions in the morning, he’d head right back out to take on former Mid-Amateur Champion Jay Halverson. A match that featured great play from both sides, 6 birdies through 16 holes for Hassell was too much and he’d close that match out on the 16th, 4&2.
In the semifinal match on Sunday morning competitors faced winds sustaining over 30 mph as Tropical Storm Debby made its way up Florida’s west coast. Hassell, a redshirt freshman at the University of South Florida, took on Andres Barraza, an incoming transfer at Penn State University. After dropping the first hole of the match, Hassell turned it on winning five holes on the front 9 to turn with a 3up lead. He did not slow down on the back 9, winning holes 11, 13, and 14 to close the match out 5&4.
The stage was set for the Championship match versus Mid-Amateur Ty Capps of Palm Coast, who is having a tremendous year in his own right and in contention for the Player of the Year race. A slow start, Hassell found himself down 1 through 5 holes, but he went on to win 5 straight holes to take a 4up lead through 10. He would go on to match Capps hole for hole other than a Capps Birdie at the 14th, eventually closing the deal with a par on the 16th to win 3&2.
Hassell will carry in impressive summer back to the University of South Florida in hopes of continuing it through the college season.
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ABOUT THE
Florida Amateur Match Play
Prequalifying to determine a championship field of
64
players. 18 holes of stroke play to determine
seeding
for the match play bracket. Open to male amateur
golfers with a valid USGA handicap index not
exceeding
11.4. Must be a member of the FSGA.
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