Matthew Perry defeats Steven Heyes to lift Match Play title at New Zealand Amateur Championship
Mathew Perry defeated Steven Heyes with 4 and 2 to lift the Match Play title of the New Zealand Amateur Championship at the Russley Golf Club, Christchurch. After the big guns of the amateur world, Ryan Fox and Ben Campbell, had already left the field in
the second rounds of the knock out format, Perry had a good chance to move to the top. Perry had entered the tournament as the 22nd seed after his performance in the Stroke Play format and defeated Tim Leonard and Jonathan Ratcliffe with 2 and 1,
James Betts in the quarter final with 3 and 2 and Blair Riordan in the semi final to setup his final with Steven Heyes.
“It’s up there with anything I have done in golf,” said the 24-year-old Perry. “It is nice to add my name to a list of legends of New Zealand Golf and get my name on that big trophy. It has always been one of my goals to win this event and even when there
were times when I was playing great I still fought hard and was mentally tough. That’s what got me through, my mental toughness.”
Perry was knocked out of the Match Play format in the second round last year and was skeptical about his bid for the top slot this year. His more recent performances have shown visible signs of improvement in his form and skill. He made it into the quarter-finals
of last month’s Australian Amateur and displayed impressive performances both in the Riversdale Cup and Masters of the Amateur. He was also the runners up in the Taranaki Open last year but this win at the New Zealand Amateur is his biggest win to date.
The Top 32 players from the Stroke Play format of the tournament were eligible to participate in the Match Play format. Fox and Campbell made an early exit in the second round of the tournament. Fox, the winner of the Stroke Play, was defeated by Heyes on
the 19th hole while Campbell was shown the door by Josh Munn. Perry’s name will now be mentioned among the greats of New Zealand’s Amateur circuit including Matt Jager, Danny Lee, Phil Tataurangi, Richard Lee, Frank Nobilo and Stuart Jones.
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