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Main MenuThe 2017 Southwest PGA Match Play Championship
The 2017 Southwest PGA Match Play Championship is scheduled to take place July 18-20 at Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree, Ariz. The Section’s first major of the season begins with an 18-hole individual stroke play qualifier to determine the 1-32 match play seeds, followed by first round matches in the afternoon.
Defending champion Michael Hopper, PGA Assistant Golf Professional at Lookout Mountain Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz., will attempt to win his third career Southwest PGA match play title (2011, 2016). Last year he defeated Blayne Hobbs, 52, PGA Teaching Professional at Reid/West Golf Academies (Deer Valley), 3 and 2 in the final match at Desert Forest G.C.
Hopper, 33, currently is in third place in the Southwest PGA Player of the Year points list. After finishing tied for fifth in the first Player Series event at Lone Tree G.C., Hopper won the second Player Series at Moon Valley C.C. and finished tied for third at FireRock C.C. in the most recent Series event. He trails Marty Jertson, PGA Professional and Senior Design Engineer at PING Golf, and Dennis Downs, PGA Director of Instruction at Reid/West Golf Academies (Pebble Creek). All three will be competing in the Match Play Championship with 100 points on the line for the winner.
This year’s field consists of 58 Southwest PGA Professionals, including six past champions – Chris Dompier (2010), Brandon Evans (2014), Craig Hocknull (2013), Hopper (2011, 2016), D.K. Kim (2015) and Randy Wittig (2002).
The Championship gets underway with the individual stroke play qualifier on Tuesday, July 18 at 7:30 a.m. followed by the opening round matches at 1:30 p.m. The round of 16 and quarterfinal matches are scheduled for Wednesday, July 19 at 7:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively. The semi-final and final matches are slated for Thursday, July 20 at 7:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., respectively.
Greg Norman Collection, Mizuno and the PGA Tour are sponsors of the Match Play Championship.
Event information: https://swpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/swpga17/event/swpga1756/index.htm
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