The four 2020 NOGA Match Play Championships are now down to the Semi-Finals! Let’s get an update on who is still alive and kicking on their way to each of the individual and four-ball championships.
Great Lakes Auto NOGA Scratch Match Play Championships
Two NOGA heavyweights battled it out in the Quarter-Finals, and the match came down to the wire as expected. Past Player of the Year Brian Smith faced off against reigning Player of the Year Chris Okeson, and Smith earned a hard-fought 1-up victory.
Smith will now face Jason Stiwald in the Semi-Finals, as Stiwald got past Ryan Dorff 2&1.
On the opposite side of the bracket, it’s an all Avon Oaks Semi-Final: Tim Skufca slipped past Barry Cohn 3&2 and will face off against Saumil Jhaveri, who squeaked by Brian Polick 1-up.
In the Senior brackets, Larry Lahnan beat Scott Saari 2-up in the Quarters and will play Mark Guadagni in the Semis; Guadagni has cruised through every match he’s played thus far.
Across the way, Brain Sparrow will face off against the current Senior POY points leader Monty Guest in the Semis, having dispatched Mark Wise and Tom Laubacher respectively.
Great Lakes Auto NOGA Scratch Four-Ball Match Play
Four stout teams remain in the Four-Ball Match Play Championship: Doug Barber + Brian Smith will play Aaron Crewse + Bob Henighan; while Jeff O’Brien + Damian Rhodes will play defending champions Josh Clay + Kurt Peterson in the Semi-Finals.
The tightest victory of the Quarters was the Clay + Peterson win, as they slipped past 2019 USGA Four-Ball qualifiers Chris Okeson + Steve Putinski 1-up.
Over in the Senior ledger, Larry Lahnan + Fred Miller earned a pass into the Semis to face a two-player team that has already won a full-field NOGA event in Four-Ball this season, Monty Guest + Tom Laubacher.
The winner of that match will play the champs of the Jeff Knox + Richard Marlowe vs. Jim Durr + Mark Guadagni Semi.
NOGA Net Match Play Championships
Mike Crawford has crushed his prior opponents thus far in reaching the Semi-Finals, and will now face off against Steve Kellogg in the upper bracket of the Net Match Play Championship.
The winner of that match will go up against either Jonathan Roebuck or John Brocklehurst in the Finals.
NOGA Net Four-Ball Match Play Championships
The four teams that remain in the Net Four-Ball matches are clearly deserving of their place, as each team routed their competition to reach the Semi-Finals.
David Routh + Jay Yorty will square off against Paul Gibbons + Mike Gary in the upper bracket.
Craig Dunlap + Gabriel Michel with play Gordon Netschke + David Ehrman in the lower Semi-Final.
All of the above NOGA Match Play Championships Semi-Final matches must be completed by the starting days of September. So watch for an update then as to who has made it to the championship match for each event!
