A long, two match day was completed at Downing today with four of Erie’s elite golfers advancing to Saturday’s semi-final matches.

The second round matches were contested on Friday morning with the opening match pitting the defending champion, Jon Merriott against 3-time champion Drew Deimel. Deimel jumped to an early lead with 3 birdies in his first four holes and went on to make 5 more birdies to complete 14 holes in 6-under par to eliminate the defending champ 5&4.

Both Pat Arrigo and Alex Weir used 4&2 scores to eliminate their opponents. Arrigo defeating Mark Majewski and Weir beating T.J. Mitchell. The upper half of the bracket was completed when 3-time champion Ed Podufal slipped by Jesse Yates on the first hole of sudden death.

In the lower bracket qualifying medalist Mike Wolfe fought back from an early deficit against Sal Vella and closed out the match on hole 16. Vella took holes 4, 5, and 6 to take a 2-up lead but Wolfe strung 4 hole wins together on holes 12 through 15  to take control of the match. 2013 Champ Ted Grassi, III also used a late run in defeating his opponent, Phil Pedano. Grassi won holes 15, 16, and 17 to close out the match 3&1.

Two-time runner-up Matt Barto also made a late run to take down long hitting Mike Newcomer 2&1. Newcomer made birdies on 11, 13 and 14 to edge ahead 1 up before Barto won holes 15, 16 and 17 with pars to finish off the match. In the final match of the morning round Dave Spitzer bounced back from a first hole bogey and won 6 of the next 12 holes to go 5 up. Zac Bihler would take the 14th with a birdie but then drop the 15th with a bogey leaving Spitzer the 5&3 victor.

The quarter-finals teed off just after noon with Deimel taking on Arrigo. There were only 4 holes tied in the match with Deimel winning 8 holes, half of them with birdies while Arrigo claimed 4 holes, also with birdies on half of them. Arrigo was only in the lead after the first hole and he was finally closed out by Deimel 4&2.

In the first of two matches between Kahkwa Club members, Alex Weir and Ed Podufal tied most of the holes they played. Weir opened with 2 birdies to grab the early lead, Podufal would cut that lead in half on the sixth and Weir came back to capture 11 and 12 with 3’s to go 3 up. They tied the remaining 4 holes where the match ended on 16, 3&2.

The other Kahkwa only match had Wolfe against Grassi in a match that Wolfe would never trail. Wolfe’s birdies and 2 and 4 were offset by Grassi’s birdie on 3. A winning par on 8 would get Wolfe to 2 up. After matching pars for the next 4 holes Wolfe’s birdie on 12 would up the lead to 3. Grassi trimmed the lead to 2 with a birdie 2 on 15 before Wolfe birdied the 16th to end the match 3&2.

Matt Barto and Dave Spitzer played a back an forth match with lead changes throughout the match. Barto took the first with a birdie and Spitzer claimed three and five with birdies to go 1 up. Barto then won six and seven to turn the lead to 1 up in his favor. Spizter won 9 but Barto birdied 10 to hold the lead. Spitzer then seemed to take control with 3 consecutive birdies, winning 2 holes and then followed up with a winning par on 14 to have the first 2 up lead in the match. They tied 15 with pars but Spitzer was unable to make another par allowing Barto to close with three pars to turn the 2 down deficit into a 1 up victory.

The semi-finals begin on Saturday at 10:00 with Deimel facing Weir and Wolfe against Barto. Deimel is the only remaining champion, with titles in 2012, 2018 and 2019. His last 2 titles came against Wolfe and Barto. Both of them have a second runner up, Wolfe in 2007 and Barto in 2020. Weir was the runner up to Jon Merriott last year.

Deimel is gunning for his 5th EDGA major title which would rank him 5th all-time behind only Ron Coleman (8) and Tom Amendola, Dave Ciacchini, and Brett Keiffer who all have 6. Coleman and Ciacchini both have 5 match play titles, no one else has 4 … unless Deimel picks up the trophy this year.

The 50th EDGA Match Play Championship is now underway at the Downing Golf Club with the Qualifying Round complete as well as the first round of matches completed on Monday.

All results can be viewed at the Tournament Website.

The 2021 Champion, Jon Merriott was exempt from qualifying and so received the #1 spot in the match play bracket. Mike Wolfe claimed the qualifying title and the #2 position with a stellar round of 6-under par 66. He was closely challenged  by Matt Barto and Alex Weir, who both shot rounds of 4-under par 68. Interestingly enough each of these three have been Match Play finalists, including the last 4 tournaments, without having had the opportunity to claim the title.

Ed Podufal, who is a 3-time champion (1984, 1985, 1997) was the only other player to break par with a 3 birdie, 2 bogey round of 71. Dave Spitzer matched par with a round of 72. His round included an eagle, 4 birdies and 6 bogies.

There were 4 players who shot 73, 2013 Champion Ted Grassi, III, Mark Majewski, Mike Capotis, and Dean Rainville. The top 10 was rounded out by a trio of players who shot 74 which included 2006 Champion Rob Nicotra, Dustin Coleman, and T.J. Mitchell.

The cut for match play fell at 82 where a playoff of 2 players was conducted for 1 spot.

The first round of match play was completed in the afternoon with all of this year’s favorites advancing. Defending champion Jon Merriott took out Scott Simonsen 8&7, Mike Wolfe defeated 2011 Champion David Hewett, 7&6, 2021 Runner Up Alex Weir bested Kyle Westfall 6&5 and 2019 and 2020 Runner Up Matt Barto upended Mark Noce 3&2.

Additionally 3-time match play champion Drew Deimel dispatched Mike Slupski 2&1 which now sets him up for a round 2 match against the defending champion, Jon Merriott. Spitzer advanced with a 3&1 victory over Matt Modica and Grassi made short work of Tim Weyand 7&5.

The remaining results include; Pat Arrigo d. Mike Capotis 2 up, Mark Majewski d. Ron Richardson 1 up in 20 holes, T.J. Mitchell d. Brett Folga 2 up, Podufal d. Chris Keim 3&1, Jesse Yates d. Dustin Coleman 2&1, Sal Vella d. Maclain Deitrick 6&5, Phil Pedano d. Dean Rainville 3&1, Mike Newcomer d. Matt Stearns 3&2, and Zac Bihler d. Rob Nicotra 1 up.

The matches continue on Friday with the second round commencing at 9:00am and the quarter-finals scheduled to begin at 1:00pm that afternoon. The semi-finals are slated for Saturday and the finals for Sunday with play beginning at 10:00am both days.

All results will be available on the tournament website here.

The  2022 schedule is set and listed here.

The online entry site is be up and open. All of the tournaments are available for online entry by visiting the online entry portal here.

Gannon’s Connor Bennink shot a wonderful round of 5 under par 67 in Sunday’s final round of the 101st EDGA Amateur Championship sponsored by Marquette Savings Bank. Bennink started the round 7 strokes behind the second round leader, Ryan Deimel.

He opened with a 2 birdie, 2 bogey nine of 36 and then came home in 31, with birdies on 10, 11, 13, 15, and 17. His putt on 18 for 66 would have been the eventual winner but lipped out. Bennink finished at 2-over 218. On the first playoff hole Bennink made par leaving Alex Weir with a 3 footer to extend the playoff, but Weir missed left and Bennink was the champion.

Alex Weir, who was the runner up in the EDGA’s other major (the Match Play) added a second runner up finish after losing in a playoff to Bennink. Weir started slow and was seemingly out of it after a double bogey on 8 leaving him at +6 and 4 behind. But he birdied 9 and offset bogies on 10 and 15 with birdies on 11 and 13 before closing with birdies on 16, 17, and 18 to match the clubhouse lead.

Mike Wolfe was at or near the top of the leaderboard all afternoon, needing only a par on the finishing hole to join the playoff. His second at 18 went over the back and he was unable to save par, finishing one stroke back with 72-219.

First and Second round leader, Ryan Deimel fell out of the lead for the first time after following a bogey on 3 with a double on 4. He then traded birdies on 6 and 9 with bogies on 5 and 8 to remain in the hunt. A double on 13 and a bogey on 15 ended his title hopes for all intents and purposes, but did bounce back with birdies on 16 and 17 and closed with 76, good for a tie for 4th. He tied with two players that started the round 8 back, both shot 68. Mike Garcia used an eagle on 6 to fuel his 34-34-68 while Isaiah Swan eagled the par 4 16th, and surrounded that with birdies on 13, 14 and 17 for his 68.

With Deimel’s early struggles, Dave Spitzer moved into the lead with a birdie on 6. He exchanged a bogey on 9 with a birdie on 10 and continued to hold the lead until he made bogey on 16. He added two more bogies on the finishing holes and shot 74 and finished tied for 7 with Drew Deimel. Deimel had his best round of the event with 3 birdies offset by 2 bogies for 71.

Mark Majewski also shot 71 for a 222 3-round total. He was tied with Breckin Taylor who closed with 76-222 to complete the top 10.

The top 16 won prizes and they can be redeemed in the pro shop at Lake View.

Click here for complete results.

Although he shot 74, Ryan Deimel increased his lead in the 101st EDGA Amateur Championship sponsored by Marquette Savings Bank from one stroke to two heading into the final round Sunday at Lake View Country Club.

Breckin Taylor (75-71) and Dave Martin (74-72) will make up the final threesome, both are 2 shots back.

Five players sit one more shot back at +3. They are Mike Wolfe, who shot 69 and has the low round of the tournament thus far, Dave Spitzer (76-71), Defending Champion Ted Grassi, III (74-73), Alex Weir (74-73) and the 2021 EDGA Match Play Champion, Jon Merriott (71-76). The top 10 is rounded out by players at +4, Clayton Skoff (75-73), 4-time Champion Ellery Tarbell (71-77), and Billy Colbert (75-73).

The field was cut to the top 24 for Sunday’s final round. The cut came at 154. Play begins at noon.