Omega Player of the Year Race Heats Up as Match Play Heads to Day Two
Ardmore, Pa. – The 2016 Match Play Championship kicked off Monday morning on an unusually warm October day. It didn’t take long for the temperature to rise, and the 64-player field heated up as well.
The morning highlights included an ace on the 140-yard seventeenth hole by Dave Roberts (Cedarbrook Country Club), using a 9-iron to find the bottom of the cup. Jakob Gerney (Trump National – Philadelphia) added a highlight of his own on the par-4 eighteenth hole. His wedge landed 10 feet beyond the flagstick and spun back into the hole. Merion’s own, Robby Bruns, found the bottom of the cup on his second shot from about 170 on the par-4 fifth. Only three matches resulted in upsets in the morning wave, before the field was cut in half to 32.
After grabbing a quick lunch, the remaining players returned to the golf course to battle again. With many great match-ups on the course, it was anybody’s guess as to who would move on to day two. Eight matches in, and five lower seeds had advanced. As solid play continued, two players gave themselves a chance at the Section’s top prize – Omega Player of the Year. Jordan Gibbs (Gulph Mills Golf Club) and Stu Ingraham (M Golf Range) can still overtake Michael Little (Lookaway Golf Club), depending on their performances the remainder of the tournament.
Tomorrow’s third round will give 16 players a chance to earn a spot in the round of eight. With a picture perfect forecast, professionals will have the opportunity to move one step closer to having their names etched into Section history.