Texas North wins United States Mid-Amateur Team Championship

The 14th Annual United States Mid-Amateur Team Championship at Creekmore Golf Club in Kansas City, Mo. ended in a thrilling finish with Team Texas edging out Team Arizona by a single shot, while Chris Kovach and Bryan Hoops secured individual titles.

Kovach, representing Team Missouri, turned in rounds of 67-66-73 to finish at 10-under 206, which was good for a two stroke over Draegan Majors of the North Texas squad, who carded rounds of 72-68-68 to finish 8-under 208.

Though he won the individual title in wire-to-wire fashion, Kovach didn’t have an easy time getting to the finish line. Kovach, the 2019 Missouri Mid-Amateur Champion, seemed to be on cruise control as enjoyed a six-shot lead with nine holes remaining. However, Majors cut into the lead with a birdie on 11 and when Kovach made a bogey on 13, the lead was down to four.

Another birdie by Majors on the 14th coupled with a bogey by Kovach on 15 cut the lead to just two strokes with three holes remaining.

Mid-Am individual winner Chris Kovach (r)

Both players parred holes 16 and 17 and exchanged birdies on the par-5 closing hole, sealing the two-shot victory for Kovach.

Draegen’s birdie putt on 18 was not for naught, as it gave Texas North, which also included Travis Woolf, John Pierce and Marcus Jones, the winning margin in the team competition over Arizona and Tennessee.

Bryan Hoops of Team Arizona survived a rollercoaster back nine in which he made four birdies, four bogeys and just one par to win the individual title.