Chevy Chase, Md. – Match play got underway Friday, June 5, at the 105th Maryland Amateur Championship, as the field was narrowed from 32 players to eight through the Round of 32 and Round of 16 at Columbia Country Club.
A brief look at how we got here:
The 105th Maryland Amateur Championship got underway on Thursday, June 4, at Columbia Country Club with stroke play qualifying to determine the 32-player match-play bracket. Challenging conditions kept the field in check, as no player finished under par.
Five competitors, Kyle Gebhart of Manor Country Club, Patrick Carl of Holly Hills Country Club, Zack Miller of Baltimore Country Club, Aaron Sorkin of Pine Ridge Golf Course, and Chris Baloga of Country Club of Maryland, finished tied atop the leaderboard at even-par 70. The group returned Friday morning for a playoff to determine medalist honors, where Gebhart emerged victorious on the second playoff hole. The championship then transitioned to match play, with the remaining contenders beginning their pursuit of the Maryland Amateur title.
Round of 32
(1) Bennett Espenshade vs. (32) Cabell Faulkner
Defending champion Bennett Espenshade of Elkridge Club was pushed early by Cabell Faulkner of Manor Country Club. The two traded holes throughout the front nine and into the back before Espenshade seized control by winning the 12th, 14th, and 15th holes, securing a 4&3 victory and a spot in the Round of 16.
(16) Ralph Blasey vs. (17) Billy Peel
Former two-time Maryland Amateur champion Billy Peel of Columbia Country Club faced fellow member Ralph Blasey in the opening round. Blasey won two of the first three holes to take an early lead, but Peel quickly responded, winning seven of the next ten holes to close out a convincing 6&5 victory.
(8) Matthew Cocorikis vs. (25) Kevin Grady
Former Maryland Amateur champion Kevin Grady of Rolling Road Golf Club appeared in control after building a 3-up lead through nine holes. Matthew Cocorikis of the MSGA eClub mounted a strong comeback on the back nine, winning five holes and securing the match with a clutch victory on the 18th hole for a 1-up win.
(9) Toby Webb vs. (24) Colton Thomas
Toby Webb of Hog Neck Golf Course took on Colton Thomas of Nutters Crossing Golf Club. Thomas put the pressure on early, winning three of the first four holes. Webb countered with a pair of wins on holes six and seven before Thomas came back with another win on the 8th hole to lead 1-up at the turn. Webb would tie the match on the 11th hole and sat at 2-up after the 16th hole after winning holes 13, 15, and 16. Thomas made one final push on the 17th hole, but ultimately Webb would claim the match at 1-up.
(4) Chris Baloga vs. (29) Yuvi Singh
Baloga matched up with Yuvi Singh of Lakewood Country Club in the Round of 32. The match ended in a concession on the 13th hole by Singh, allowing Baloga to advance to the Round of 16
(13) Benjamin Warnquist vs. (20) Landon Tudor
Benjamin Warnquist of Manor Country Club and Landon Tudor of The Club at P.B. Dye battled for a spot in the Round of 16. Tudor claimed the first two holes and would add a third win on the 7th hole. However, Warnquist put together three wins of his own on the front, and the match was all square at the turn. Warnquist took the first hole on the back nine, but Tudor claimed the 12th, 16th, and 17th holes to take the match at 2&1.
(5) Patrick Carl vs. (28) Liam Moloney
Carl and Liam Moloney of the MSGA eClub had one of the more one-sided matches in the Round of 32. Carl came out firing, winning four of the first five holes before Moloney eventually got on the board on the 6th hole. Carl immediately reapplied the pressure, winning four straight holes and adding another on the 11th hole to go 7-up. Moloney would get one back on the 12th hole, but Carl closed out the match after the 13th hole, winning 6&5.
(12) Carson Looney vs. (21) Patrick McCormick
Carson Looney of Congressional Country Club took on Patrick McCormick of Argyle Country Club in the Round of 32. The two players traded blows on the front nine, with Looney winning four and McCormick taking five to lead 1-up heading into the back nine. McCormick would add two to his lead and led 3-up heading into the 14th hole. Looney responded by winning four straight holes and claiming the victory at 1-up.
(2) Kyle Gebhart vs. (31) Will Mullally
Stroke play medalist Kyle Gebhart took on Columbia Country Club member Will Mullally. The match was all Gebhart, who won six holes on the front nine and wrapped up the victory 8&7 on the 11th hole after three straight wins.
(15) Colin St. Maxens vs. (18) James Spallone
A matchup of Columbia Country Club members, Colin St. Maxens and James Spallone, met in the round of 32. St. Maxens maintained control for much of the match, winning six of the first nine holes. Spallone finally broke through on the 10th and 13th holes, but those were quickly matched by St. Maxens’s, leading to a match victory of 6&4.
(7) Brad Whitaker vs. (26) Pat McCarthy
The match between Brad Whitaker and Pat McCarthy was another matchup of Columbia Country Club members in the Round of 32. P. McCarthy claimed two holes on the front nine to lead 1-up at the turn. Whitaker would take over on the back nine, winning three holes and claiming a 2-up victory.
(10) Ryan McCarthy vs. (23) Andrew Mlynarski
Ryan McCarthy of Argyle Country Club and Andrew Mlynarski of Crofton Country Club traded wins on the front nine, with each playing winning three holes. Mlynarski found momentum on the back nine to claim four holes and win the match at 3&2.
(3) Zack Miller vs. (30) Eddie Coffren
Miller took on Eddie Coffren of The Cannon Club in the Round of 32. Coffren claimed four holes on the front nine to Miller’s one to lead 3-up at the turn. Miller used a win on the 10th hole as momentum and would win four more holes to complete the comeback and win the match at 2&1.
(14) Lorenzo Sanz vs. (19) Sam Pancoast
Lorenzo Sanz of Hayfields Country Club met Baltimore Country Club member Sam Pancoast in the Round of 32. Sanz won the first hole of the match, and things remained quiet for much of the front nine. Sanz would win the 8th hole, which was quickly matched by Pancoast winning the 9th hole. Sanz took control on the 11th hole, winning four straight to wrap up the match at 5&4
(6) Aaron Sorkin vs. (27) Sky Aung
Sorkin took on Sky Aung of Hayfields Country Club in their Round of 32 matchup. Sorkin took a commanding lead, winning five of the first seven holes before Aung could respond on the 8th hole. After Sorkin went 5-up after the 10th hole, Aung made a move to get back into contention, winning three straight holes. However, Aung would fall short as Sorkin claimed the 15th hole and eventually won the match at 3&2.
(11) Will Gregware vs. (22) Brendan Peel
Will Gregware of Crofton Country Club took on Columbia Country Club member Brendan Peel in the final matchup of the Round of 32. Br. Peel established a lead at 3-up heading into the back nine after winning four holes on the front. Gregware pulled back to within one after winning holes 10 and 11, but ultimately, Br. Peel won the match at 3&2.
Round of 16
(1) Bennett Espenshade vs. (17) Billy Peel
Espenshade looked to establish a lead at the start, winning the first hole. Bi. Peel responded by winning the 3rd, 4th, and 7th holes to turn the match in his favor, leading 2-up heading into the back nine. Espenshade found his rhythm on the back nine, tallying wins on the 11th, 12th, 15th, and 16th holes. Espenshade kept his title defense alive, winning the match 2&1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
(8) Matthew Cocorikis vs. (9) Toby Webb
Cocorikis established control over the match after winning six straight holes on the front nine to lead 6-up heading into the back nine. Webb would not be able to respond, as Cocorikis ultimately took the match at 6&5 to earn his spot in the quarterfinals.
(4) Chris Baloga vs. (20) Landon Tudor
Tudor struck first with a win on the opening hole, but Baloga quickly took control. Baloga won the 3rd, 6th, and 7th holes to build a lead and never looked back, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 4&3 victory.
(5) Patrick Carl vs. (12) Carson Looney
Looney took early control of the match, winning four of the first six holes. Carl cut into the lead by winning the 8th and 9th holes, but Looney would counter by taking the 10th and 11th holes. Looney ultimately won the match at 4&3, earning his way into the quarterfinals.
(2) Kyle Gebhart vs. (15) Colin St. Maxens
St. Maxens put the stroke play medalist under pressure early, winning the 1st and 5th holes to build a 2-up lead. Gebhart responded in emphatic fashion, winning four consecutive holes beginning at the 8th to move in front. He maintained control down the stretch and advanced with a 3&2 victory.
(7) Brad Whitaker vs. (23) Andrew Mlynarski
Whitaker established a lead early on the front nine, going 4-up after seven holes. Mlynarski would only be able to cut it to as close as 2-up, as Whitaker responded to each of Mlynarski’s wins on the back nine. Whitake claimed a 3&2 win and a spot in the quarterfinals.
(3) Zack Miller vs. (14) Lorenzo Sanz
Miller and Sanz each tallied two wins on the front nine for the match to remain tied at the turn. Sanz seized momentum on the back nine, winning three of four holes beginning at the 12th to build a late advantage. Miller won the 16th to extend the match, but Sanz closed it out on the 17th for a 2&1 victory.
(6) Aaron Sorkin vs. (22) Brendan Peel
Br. Peel established a lead early on, one he would not surrender for the remainder of the round. He won three of the first four holes to go 3-up, but Sorkin was able to respond with two wins on the 6th and 7th holes. A win on the 9th hole by Br. Peel pushed his lead back to 2-up. He carried that momentum into the back nine, winning the 10th and 11th holes to go 4-up. Sorkin rallied, winning the 12th and 14th holes, but Br. Peel claimed wins on the 15th and 16th holes to wrap up a 4&2 victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.
Looking Ahead: Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals will tee off at 7:30 am on Saturday, June 6. The semifinals will immediately follow. We are looking forward to another great day of golf.
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