Womble and Stewart Set to Face off in NC Amateur Match Play Championship Match

 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (July 31, 2021) -- The Quarterfinals and Semifinals results of the 12th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship at Forsyth Country Club in Winston-Salem, N.C. on July 31, 2021. The field is competing at 6,784 yards, par 36-35--71.

 

Related: Championship Web Site | Full Field | Starting Times | Scoring | History | Photos

 

Quarterfinals Results:


After the initial two rounds of match play, the field was whittled down to eight elite golfers ready for a fight. While all four matches ended in a relatively swift manner, it took a barrage of birdies for a select four to earn their seat in the Semifinals.


Cyrus Stewart of Raleigh, N.C. took down the No. 32 seed Daniel Neveu of Pinehurst, N.C. 5 & 3 in the first match of the day. Stewart took an early lead going 2 up through 3, but Neveu fought back with a birdie on No. 4 to close the margin to just 1 up through 6. Soon after Stewart dialed it up and took Nos. 7, 9, 10, 11 and 15 to secure his seat in the Semifinals.


Timothy Driver of Holly Springs, N.C. defeated Connor Armistead of Charlotte, N.C. 4 & 3 after going back-and-forth for the majority of the match. Armistead started the round 1 up after a birdie on No. 1. Driver quickly answered back, winning Nos. 2 and 3 to take the lead. Armistead made another push taking No. 5 to tie the match, but Driver didn’t let that last long. He turned around and won Nos. 6, 7, and 8 to take a 3 up lead. Armistead took one last leap forward winning No. 9, but his valiant effort was not enough to refute Driver’s lead. Driver claimed Nos. 11 and 15 to take the position across from Stewart in the Semifinals.


Davis Womble of Winston-Salem, N.C. has been a dominant force in this championship since earning the No. 2 seed in the stroke play qualifying. He won his last two matches 6 & 4 and 4 & 3 and his Quarterfinals match followed suit. Womble defeated Bryson Boyette of Wilson, N.C. 4 & 3. Womble took a strong early lead going 4 up through 10, but Boyette pushed back, winning No. 11 with a clutch birdie and a solid par on the 13th hole. Boyette’s back-nine success couldn’t overcome Womble’s lead and Womble earned the third position in the Semifinals.


Randall Hudson of New Bern, N.C. came out of the gate running against the 2019 champion Ben Woodruff of Huntersville, N.C. Hudson claimed Nos. 1, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11 while matching every one of Woodruff’s clutch birdies and pars to lead the match 6 up through 11. Just as Hudson was ready to put it in cruise control, Woodruff took back the reins and won Nos. 12, 13 and 14 to decrease Hudson’s lead to 3 up through 14. Hudson ultimately captured the match 3 & 2 after tying Nos. 15 and 16.


The Semifinals matches followed after the conclusion of the Quarterfinals. Results of the Semifinals are as follows below. 

Semifinals Results:


Cyrus Stewart and Timothy Driver were well-matched opponents for the Semifinals. They both birdied No. 1, both parred No. 2, and a birdie on No. 3 gave Driver the first lead of the match. Stewart quickly returned with a birdie on No. 4 which carried the match tied through 5.


Driver claimed No. 6 with a par, but his one step forward was returned with two steps back as Stewart took Nos. 7 and 8 to take his first lead in the match. The 2020 Carolinas Mid-Amateur Champion won No. 10 to widen his lead to 2 up through 10. A string of matching pars carried Stewart to 2 up through 14 and a birdie putt on No. 15 set him in position to close out the match 3 & 2 on 16. However, Driver had other plans.


“It was a very good match. I stuck to my game plan and then when I was 3 up I decided to just make Tim (Driver) make birdies,” said Stewart. “Credit to him, that is exactly what he did.”


Driver made a game-changing birdie on No. 16 to force the match to No. 17. He kept his foot on the gas and after a great drive he stuck his second shot to one-foot for another birdie on No. 17. The match was slipping away from Stewart as he approached the 18th tee 1 up. On No. 18, Stewart and Driver both carded pars for Stewart to close out the match 1 up and  earn his place in the illustrious championship match.


Davis Womble and Randall Hudson have both yet to play the 18th hole since the start of match play and their Semifinals match was no different. The opponents both started with pars on Nos. 1, 2 and 3. A birdie by Hudson on No. 4 gave him the first lead in the match. However, birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 gave Womble a 1 up lead that was immediately followed by Hudson winning Nos. 7 to bring the match back to a tie. As one could expect at this point, the tie didn’t last long and Womble took back the lead with a birdie on No. 8.


After taking back the lead on No. 8, Womble held onto the lead for the remainder of the match. He extended the lead to 2 up through 11, but a yet another birdie from Hudson on 13 brought Womble back to 1 up through 13. As seen on the front-nine, Womble quickly recovered and took back the lead with a birdie on No. 14. 


“Making birdie on No. 14, downhill par-3 with a tucked pin, was huge for me,” said Womble. “I made a 12-footer, which was the first putt I made most of the day and that got the momentum back in my direction.”


Womble used that momentum to make another birdie on No. 15 and take the match 3 & 2 after matching birdies on No. 16. 


Stewart and Womble will face off in the highly anticipated championship match tomorrow, which has been highly anticipated by the opponents for quite some time. The two finalists were teammates at Wake Forest University for three years and have since stayed close friends. However their competitive nature is sure to keep their friendship on the sideline until a champion is crowned by the afternoon. 

 

Womble remarked on the match, “Cyrus is a good buddy of mine. We won’t be the best of friends on the course tomorrow, because we are both very competitive and will be gunning for the victory, but it will be fun. He is an awesome player so I’m sure it will be a great match.”


The championship match evoked a similar reaction from Stewart. “Davis is truly a tremendous guy. He is super nice, a great player and I’m going to have to make a handful of birdies, actually a lot of birdies, to beat a good player like him,” said Stewart. “It is probably the best case scenario for a final match. No matter what, it is going to be fun.”


The championship match will take place at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Stay tuned to our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see who will be named the 12th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Champion.

 

12th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship

Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Quarterfinals Results 

 

(25) Cyrus Stewart, Raleigh, N.C. def. (32) Daniel Neveu, Pinehurst, N.C., 5 & 3

(21) Timothy Driver, Holly Springs, N.C. def. (20) Connor Armistead, Charlotte, N.C., 4 & 3

(2) Davis Womble, Winston-Salem, N.C. def. (7) Bryson Boyette, Wilson, N.C., 4 & 3

(11) Randall Hudson, New Bern, N.C. def. (3) Ben Woodruff, Huntersville, N.C., 3 & 2

 

12th North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship

Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Semifinals Results 

 

(25) Cyrus Stewart, Raleigh, N.C. def. (21) Timothy Drive, Holly Springs, N.C., 1 up

(2) Davis Womble, Winston-Salem, N.C. def. (11) Randall Hudson, New Bern, N.C., 3 & 2
 

Schedule of Final Round:
 

Sunday, August 1

8:00 a.m. Championship Match

 

About the Carolinas Golf Association (CGA)

The CGA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization that was founded in 1909 to promote and to protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golf clubs and golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with over 700 member clubs represented by nearly 150,000 individuals.

The CGA annually conducts 48 championships and five team match competitions for men, women, juniors, and seniors. It also runs over 150 One-Day (net and gross) events as well as qualifying for USGA national championships. The CGA serves golf in the Carolinas with numerous programs such as: the USGA Handicap System; tournament management software and support; course measuring and course/slope ratings; agronomy consultation; answers about the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, and Handicapping; Carolinas Golf Magazine; Interclub series; Tarheel Youth Golf Association; Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame; expense assistance for USGA Junior and Girls' Junior qualifiers from the Carolinas; and the Carolinas Golf Foundation (CGF). The CGF has distributed nearly $2,000,000 since 1977 to benefit Carolinas' golf initiatives including junior and women's programs.     

For more information about the CGA, visit our website.

 

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