Photo by: Pinehurst Resorts
Holcomb advances to finals at North and South
7/6/2020 3:45:00 PM | Men's Golf
Pinehurst No. 2 is an iconic golf course. Some of the greatest moments in the history of the game have taken place there, including Payne Stewart's famous win over Phil Mickelson in the 1999 US Open. It has also become a favorite for Sam Houston senior William Holcomb.
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After making a run to the semifinals at last year's U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst, Holcomb once again put together another stellar week at the famous course, advancing to the finals before falling to Tyler Strafaci, a senior at Georgia Tech.
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On the 11th hole, Holcomb chipped in for birdie to tie the match, but lost consecutive holes and dropped the match 3 and 1.
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"It was a great match, and hats off to Tyler," Holcomb said following the round. "I'm pretty frustrated because I feel like I gave away a few shots, but heck, what did Tyler have? Five, six, seven birdies on No. 2, one of the hardest golf courses in the world? He played great."
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To get into the final, Holcomb knocked off LSU's Trey Winstead in the semifinals. On Friday, Holcomb managed his way through two matches, dispatching the championship's highest-ranked player in the field, Georgia's Davis Thompson (No. 4 in the world), 5&4 in the morning before building a 4-up lead and eventually beating Santa Clara's Matt McCarty 2&1 in the afternoon.
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"I love it here," Holcomb said Friday about playing at Pinehurst. "This feels like home. (Caddy) Keith (Silva) is on my bag again, I'm staying with the same host family from last year, and I'm back on No. 2, which is my favorite golf course I've ever played."
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Holcomb, who had never played match play prior to last summer is now 8-3 at Pinehurst. He has qualified for the match-play round in three events at Pinehurst, losing in the first round at the 2019 North and South to Cooper Dossey, who went on to win the event. He lost in last season's semifinal of the US Am and then Saturday's loss in the North and South finals.Â
The top two finishers at the North and South earn an automatic spot in the 120th U.S. Amateur. Holcomb know his spot was secure after last year's semifinal run at Pinehurst.Â
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The 2020 U.S. Amateur will be played at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon Dunes Oregon. Holcomb still plans to keep Pinehurst close to him.
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"The ultimate goal is to get back here for the 2024 U.S. Open," he said. "This feels like a second home to me, and hopefully I can come back sometime – or maybe even move here because I always play so good here."
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After making a run to the semifinals at last year's U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst, Holcomb once again put together another stellar week at the famous course, advancing to the finals before falling to Tyler Strafaci, a senior at Georgia Tech.
Â
On the 11th hole, Holcomb chipped in for birdie to tie the match, but lost consecutive holes and dropped the match 3 and 1.
Â
"It was a great match, and hats off to Tyler," Holcomb said following the round. "I'm pretty frustrated because I feel like I gave away a few shots, but heck, what did Tyler have? Five, six, seven birdies on No. 2, one of the hardest golf courses in the world? He played great."
Who needs a putter ??
— Pinehurst Resort (@PinehurstResort) July 4, 2020
William ties the match with this birdie chip on No. 11! pic.twitter.com/tJ3ahjYC95
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To get into the final, Holcomb knocked off LSU's Trey Winstead in the semifinals. On Friday, Holcomb managed his way through two matches, dispatching the championship's highest-ranked player in the field, Georgia's Davis Thompson (No. 4 in the world), 5&4 in the morning before building a 4-up lead and eventually beating Santa Clara's Matt McCarty 2&1 in the afternoon.
Â
"I love it here," Holcomb said Friday about playing at Pinehurst. "This feels like home. (Caddy) Keith (Silva) is on my bag again, I'm staying with the same host family from last year, and I'm back on No. 2, which is my favorite golf course I've ever played."
Â
Holcomb, who had never played match play prior to last summer is now 8-3 at Pinehurst. He has qualified for the match-play round in three events at Pinehurst, losing in the first round at the 2019 North and South to Cooper Dossey, who went on to win the event. He lost in last season's semifinal of the US Am and then Saturday's loss in the North and South finals.Â
The top two finishers at the North and South earn an automatic spot in the 120th U.S. Amateur. Holcomb know his spot was secure after last year's semifinal run at Pinehurst.Â
Â
The 2020 U.S. Amateur will be played at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon Dunes Oregon. Holcomb still plans to keep Pinehurst close to him.
Â
"The ultimate goal is to get back here for the 2024 U.S. Open," he said. "This feels like a second home to me, and hopefully I can come back sometime – or maybe even move here because I always play so good here."
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