Josh McCollum (Upland, Calif.) completed a strong two week run at the Long Beach Match Play Championship, first earning medalist honors and then riding the #1 seed all the way through the bracket to a finals win over Erick Liscio (Murrieta, Calif.).
McCollum, who said that he has been chasing this title for a few years, started the tournament with rounds of 68-67 on the El Dorado Park Blue Course to medal by three shots, with Liscio taking the #2 seed with rounds of 72-66. McCollum made three eagles in his two stroke play rounds.
From there, he was never seriously threatened en route to the final, with only one of his five matches going past the 15th hole. That match was the quarterfinal match against Brandon Trinkwon which McCollum won 2 and 1.
McCollum, who was well-supported by friends and family for the final match, was in good form coming into the tournament, having finished 7th in the Memorial Amateur over Memorial Day weekend.
Liscio defeated Nick Cantlay 4 and 3 to reach the final, with McCollum taking out Christopher Adnams 5 and 4.
Quarterfinalists included Tyler Schafer, Myoung Kim, Trinkwon, and Cole Griffo.
Josh McCollum rolls to a Long Beach Match Play title
In what he described as a long and tiring two weeks, the former Chico State golfer gets a win he had been chasing for some time