Tyler Lehmann and Daniel Webb wear face masks as they ride in a golf cart during the Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship held at Willow Brook County Club in Tyler on Thursday, July 23, 2020.

Aaron Hickman used knowledge of his hometown Willow Brook Country Club course to fire a 6-under 65 to take medalist honors during Thursday’s stroke play round of the 22nd Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play Championship.

Thus, Hickman is the No. 1 seed as match play will begin on Friday with the top 32 golfers competing.

The 18-hole stroke play round is used to whittle down the field to 32 linksters for match play. Some 83 golfers competed to earn the right to advance to match play. The Texas Golf Association event is open to male amateur golfers who reside in the state of Texas age 25 or older as of the first round of tournament play, with a WHS Handicap Index of 5.4 or less.

Hickman, who won the WBCC Men’s Club championship on June 28, will face No. 32 seed Elliot Thompson of Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco. Thompson, who carded a 3-over 74, won a playoff with nine other golfers for the last spot in bracket play.

Hickman, who played at Palestine High School and TCU and is a six-time club champion at WBCC, had five birdies and an eagle (par-5, 552-yard No. 16 hole). He made one bogey on the par-3 No. 3 hole.

One stroke back in a tie for second with 5-under 66 were Charles White (The Traditions Club at Texas A&M) and Zach Atkinson (Colleyville). White will be the No. 2 seed with Atkinson No. 3.

Other area golfers qualifying and their seeds include: WBCC’s Clay Hodge (1-under 70), Piney Woods Country Club’s Drew Canty (2-over 73), and Pinecrest Country Club’s Eric Joseph (2-over 73).

Hodge lost to Hickman in a playoff for the 2020 WBCC title.

On Friday, golfers are scheduled to tee off beginning at 7:30 a.m. with the Hickman vs. Thompson match.

Hodge, the No. 13 seed, will face No. 20 Marcus Sanna (Tanglewood Resort & Country Club, Pottsboro) at 8:15 a.m. Canty is the No. 24 seed and will take on No. 9 Ted Waldrip (Grapevine) at 7:57 a.m. Joseph, the noted Longview golfer, is the No. 31 seed and will match up with No. 2 seed White.

The match play portion is single-elimination.

—

Texas Golf Association

22nd Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play

Willow Brook Country Club, Tyler

July 23-26

Thursday’s Stroke Play Qualifying Round

Par: 71, Yardage: 6,782

1, Aaron Hickman, Willow Brook CC, 65; T2, Charles White, Traditions Club, 66; Zach Atkinson, Medalist Golf Club, 66; 4, Todd Albert, Medalist Gulf Coast, 67; 5, Scott Maurer, Bent Tree CC, 68; T6, Zach Morrison, The Hills CC, 69; Chris Headen, Hackberry Creek CC, 69; Scott Abbott, Dallas CC, 69; T9, Ted Waldrip, Medalist GC, 70; Boston Brittain, The GC at Champions Circle, 70; Paul McNamara, Medalist GC 70; Tyler Lehmann, Medalist GC 70; Clay Hodge, Willow Brook CC, 70; Christopher Wheeler, Medalist GC, 70; Colby Harwell, Oak Hills CC, 70; Rob Couture, Maridoe CC, 70; 17, Jeff Howard, Medalist GC, 71; T18, Tyler Terry, Spring Creek CC, 72; Zach Sams, Denton CC, 72; Marcus Sanna, Tanglewood Resort & CC, 72; Gant Bills, Stonebriar CC, 72; Alec Spencer, Medalist Hill Country, 72; T23, Judd Pritchard, Colonial CC, 73; Drew Canty, Piney Woods CC, 73; Cole Wiederkehr, Waterchase GC, 73; Scott Kraul, Hackberry Creek CC, 73; Ross MacKay, Golfcrest CC, 73; Marshall Roenigk, Medalist Gulf Coast, 73; Padden Nelson, Hearthstone CC, 73; Gary Ezmerlian, Ridglea CC, 73; Eric Joseph, Pinecrest CC, 73; 32, Elliot Thompson, Stonebriar CC, 74.

Failed To Qualify — Kevin Doskocil, Ridglea CC, 74; Geoff Heller, Pine Forest CC, 74; Bryan Mitchell, Pine Forest CC, 74; Mike Lohner, Vaquero Club, 74; Michael Samp, Hackberry Creek CC, 74; Ryan Hill, Pinecrest CC, 74; Mike Custer, Hollytree CC, 74; Jed Shreve, Woodlands CC, 74; Jim Quinn, Arlington Golf Association, 74; Ron Byrd, Woodforest GC, 75; Jacky Lee, Willow Brook CC, 75; Jeffrey Juillerat, The Golf Club of Dallas, 75; Jake Istnick, Four Seasons Golf & Sports Club, 75; Billy Nash, Shadow Hawk GC, 75; Jamie Griffiths, Lions Municipal Golf Course, 76; Randy Lance, Willow Creek GC, 76; Adam Renfroe, The Cascades Golf & Country Club, 76; Daniel Luna, Golf Clubs at the Tribute, 76; Luke Loggins, Willow Brook CC, 76; Edward Hesson, Medalist Hill, 77; Graham Maxwell, Champions GC, 77; Derek Abel, Medalist GC, 77; Bryan Hjelm, Great Hills CC, 77; Jeremy Freedman, Medalist GC, 77; Jeremy Lowry, Stonebridge Ranch CC, 78; Clayton Smith, Ridglea CC, 78; John Stollenwerck, Lakewood CC, 78; Wesley Goodlett, Lions Municipal Golf Course, 78; William Ward, Arlington Golf Association, 78; Rick Jones, Dallas CC, 78; Brent Cooper, Royal Oaks CC, 78; Gary Durbin, Champions GC, 79; Jeff Dodson, Bridlewood GC, 79; Cole Carruthers, Champions GC, 79; Carl Cook, Moody Gardens Golf Course, 79; Richard Philpot, Tenison Park Golf Course, 80; Kenneth Huffman, Tenison Park Golf Course, 80; Travis Whittaker, Tenison Park Golf Course, 80; Doug Northcutt, Berry Creek CC, 80; Jonathan Cygan, Memorial Park Golf Course, 81; Mark Taylor, Indian Creek GC, 82; Bennett Fink, Twins Creek CC, 82; Patrick Halden, Medalist GC, 82; Clay Snyder, Willow Brook CC, 83; Joachim Suillivan, Wildflower CC, 87; Jerry Searls, The Bridges GC, 87; Daniel Webb, The Clubs at Houston Oaks, 87; Cody Anderson, Hollytree CC, 91; David Bridges, Hollytree CC, NC; Kevin Liberto, Medalist Gulf Coast, NS; Chris Williamson, Medalist Hill, NS.

Friday’s Match Play (Round of 32)

7:30 a.m. — No. 1 Hickman vs. No. 32 Thompson; 7:39 — No. 16 Couture vs. No. 17 Howard; 7:48 — No. 8 Abbott vs. No. 25 Wiederkehr; 7:57 — No. 9 Waldrip vs. No. 24 Cantry; 8:06 — No. 4 Albert vs. No. 29 Nelson; 8:15 — No. 13 Hodge vs. No. 20 Sanna; 8:24 — No. 5 Maurer vs. No. 28 Roenigk; 8:33 — No. 12 Lehmann vs. No. 21 Bills; 8:42 — No. 2 White vs. No. 31 Joseph; 8:51 — No. 15 Wheeler vs. No. 18 Terry; 9 — No. 7 Headen vs. No. 26 MacKay; 9:09 — No. 10 Brittain vs. No. 23 Pritchard; 9:18 — No. 3 Atkinson vs. No. 30 Ezmerlian; 9:27 — No. 14 Harwell vs. No. 19 Sams; 9:36 — No. 6 Morrison vs. No. 27 Kraul; 9:45 — No. 11 McNamara vs. No. 22 Spencer.

TWITTER: @PhilHicksETFS