Mattare's Run Ends at U.S. Mid-Amateur
UPDATED: 12:45 p.m., September 12
Matt Mattare's tremendous run at the U.S. Mid-Amateur came to an end in the quarterfinals when he ran into Garrett Rank of Canada, who defeated the Met Amateur runner-up 3 and 2. Rank's stellar round included four birdies and two bogeys. Mattare fought hard to make it a match, winning holes 11 and 12 to square up the match, but proceeded to lose holes 14, 15, and 16.
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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (September 12, 2012) - Matt Mattare of New York, N.Y., continued his winning ways on Tuesday, beating Joseph Benedetti of Huntington Beach, Calif., 1 up to advance to the Round of 16, then defeating former University of Arkansas golfer Stephen Cox 2 and 1 to move on to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Down one on the back nine to Benedetti, the 2012 Met Amateur runner-up went birdie-eagle on holes 14 and 15 to take a 1 up lead. The birdie came on a par-five and his eagle came on a par-4 playing 284 yards, where he hit a 3-wood.
“Fifteen was straight downwind and I figured I would take a rip at it," he said. "I hit it perfectly and it landed softly, right into that hill and it released back to like 12 feet [from the flag]. That shot got me to 1 up.”
Mattare said the weather played a pivotal role in the round. He said it was imperative to stay patient and to keep his swing smooth to avoid putting too much too spin on his golf ball.
"Today was by and away the toughest day," he said. "The wind is howling and you just have to stay in control. You can’t try and kill any irons because they are going to get eaten up by the wind."
Mattare is currently taking on Garrett Rank of Canada. Click here for live scoring.
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