PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (August 15, 2014) — Matthew Seramin’s self-proclaimed slump is officially over.
Seramin more than snapped out of his funk Friday at par-72 Spyglass Hill, draining a tough 13-foot putt for birdie on the 36th hole to defeat No.1 seed Aaron Beverly 1-up in the finals of the 111th NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship.
Just last summer, Seramin was so unsure of his golf future that he began contemplating a temporary divorce from the game. The last time the finals came down to the 36th hole was in 2009, when George Grandanata defeated Casey Boyns 1-up.
“It’s awesome. But I’m also definitely exhausted,” said Seramin, a fifth-year senior at UC Davis. “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say the slump is over, but I still need to work on my wedges.”
On the pivotal 36 hole (the par-4 18th), a wedge never entered the equation. After hitting his drive slightly into the right rough, the No.26 seeded Seramin knocked his second shot to 13 feet above the flagstick. Beverly, at least for a moment, appeared to be in better shape, hitting his approach to within 6 feet of the flagstick.
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ABOUT THE NCGA Match Play
The oldest of the NCGA’s major events, the Amateur
Match Play Championship, dates back to 1903 when
it
was first played at San Rafael GC. Varying formats
have
been used over the 100+ years of competition but
today
the tournament is 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying,
followed by a 32-person seeded match play bracket.
Pre-qualifying required for non-exempt players.
Players
must have a handicap index of 5.4 or less.
View Complete Tournament Information