Christopher Wheeler wins Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Chris Wheeler (Addison, Tex.) jumped on Andrew Lawson early in the finals of the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship and never let up, cruising to a 6 and 4 victory at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

Wheeler, the 2019 Texas Golf Association Player of the year, got out the gates quickly by winning the first two holes of the match. With Lawson on the ropes, Wheeler increased his lead to 4-up by taking holes 5 and 6. Lawson got one back with a won on hole No. 7 but gave it right back when he dropped the eighth hole.

With a commanding 4-up lead heading to the back nine, Wheeler won holes 10 and 12 before eventually closing out the match on the 14th hole, claiming a 6 and 4 victory. It was the third time Wheeler closed out an opponent on the 14th hole during his title march.

Wheeler defeats Lawson on hole #14 (his 3rd time defeating his opponent on this hole this week!)🏌️‍♂️

Chris Wheeler, the 2019 Texas Golf Association Player of the Year, is the 2021 #TXMidAmMatch Champion! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/g7h69x2CwI
— Texas Golf Association (@TexasGolfAssoc) July 25, 2021

It was the second Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play title for the 38-year old Wheeler, who also won the event in 2019.

Wheeler's road to to the championship as the No. 1 seed included a 5 and 4 victory over John Derrick in the quarterfinals and a hard-fought 23-hole win over No. 5 seed Coy Breen in the semifinals. Lawson, the No. 10 seed, went through Gary Ezmerlian and two-time champion Colby Harwell to reach the finals.