| CLEVELAND GOLF / CLUB CAR
NTPGA MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Presented by Ashworth and KMG Marketing
Four Seasons Resort and Club - Irving, Texas
Monday, November 10 – Wednesday, November 12, 2008
JOHNS CLAIMS THE CLEVELAND GOLF / CLUB CAR NTPGA MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
IRVINGS, Texas – The final match of the Cleveland Golf / Club Car NTPGA Match Play Championship featured the #23 seed Jamie Elliott, the director of instruction at Bridlewood Golf Club in Flower Mound, playing the #8 seed Travis Johns, assistant golf professional at Preston Trail Golf Club in Dallas.
The final match of the championship through the first seven holes was all square. Each player was only able to gain a 1 up advantage before letting it slip away. The turning point in the match came on the par four eighth hole where Johns pitched in for a birdie from the left greenside rough to win the hole. Johns went on to win the next two holes stretching his lead to 3 up through ten holes. Elliott made his move by making birdie on the par four eleventh hole to cut Johns’ lead to only 2 up. Hole #12 was halved with each player making par on the difficult uphill par four. The par three thirteen hole became pivotal as Elliott was not able to get up and down after missing the green hole high to the left. Johns went on to make par on the thirteenth pushing his lead back to 3 up and never looked back. He nearly missed an opportunity to win the match on hole #15 but instead went into hole #16 only needing to halve the hole to win the match. Elliott had an opportunity on the par five sixteenth hole to keep the match going but left his birdie putt hanging on the edge of the hole. Johns’ par on the sixteenth was good enough to halve the hole and win the match 3 & 2 over Elliott.
This is Johns’ second Northern Texas PGA major championship title, with his other victory coming in the 2005 NTPGA Assistants’ Championship.
The Cleveland Golf / Club Car NTPGA Match Play Championship was contested on November 10-12 at Four Seasons Resort and Club (TPC) in Irving, Texas, a 7,166 yard, par 70 layout. The top 32 players on the final 2008 Cleveland Golf / Club Car NTPGA Player of the Year Points Challenge were invited to compete in the season-ending major championship. Johns took home $4,000.00 of the $34,400.00 purse for his victory.
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