Ownbey, Lyerly move on toward N.C. Match Play title

GASTONIA, N.C. (Aug. 3, 2018) – No. 1 seed Carson Ownbey of Candler, N.C., ended both of his matches early today, moving on from the first round, 2 and 1, and the second round, 4 and 3, to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals. No. 3 seed Nick Lyerly of Salisbury, N.C., is the next highest seed remaining after winning his first and second round matches 1 up and 2 and 1, respectively. Lyerly is just two weeks removed from winning the Eastern Amateur.

On Thursday, Ownbey gave credit to his putter for his low scores, but today he said it was the ball striking that kept him in the tournament.

"The putter was good for the first match, but in the second match nothing was too hot. I was really hitting the ball well today," said Ownbey.

The incoming freshman at UNC Charlotte admitted that he may not have come into Friday as prepared as he could have been, and will look to improve on that tomorrow.

"After the first round, I got pretty tired," said Ownbey, "I'll need to stretch a little more and hydrate better for tomorrow."

Along with that, Ownbey joked that he'll make sure to "get to bed early" in preparation for two more matches tomorrow.

No. 29 seed Brett McLamb of Coats, N.C., is the highest remaining seed and had an eventful day today. McLamb's first match was a constant back and forth that did not end until McLamb made an eagle on the 25th hole to grab a spot in the Round of 16. The rising junior at Campbell University would make up for it though, solidifying his spot in the quarterfinals with a commanding 6-and-4 win in which he led the match through every hole.