Mike Brown Wins His Second North Carolina Match-Play Championship
Durham, N.C. - 4 November 2001 - It was deja vu all over again in the championship round of the 2001 North Carolina Match Play held in Durham. Mike Brown won his only other title in High Point back in 1996 when he defeated Robert Johnson in the final round. In 2001, he duplicated that feat by winning 1-up in the only match against him on Sunday.
Mike Brown, 2001 N.C. Match-Play Champion
Brown becomes the only two-time champion of the North Carolina Match Play Championship. Brown went through six grueling matches to covet the title. In his opening round match, he eliminated Gary Moore, then defeated Gary Hester. In the winner's bracket quarterfinal, he held off Gary English, and then defeated the 1998 Match Play Champion Bill Kirby in the semifinal before he had a date with the 2001 South Carolina State and Match Play Champion Greg Ward. In that match, Brown won that encounter, setting himself up for a second opportunity at the final round.
Johnson received a first round bye by virtue of getting it at the Carolina's Open earlier this year. Johnson had no difficulty getting by Tony Varnadore and top seeded Greg Newport. Johnson faced off Gilbert Sharpe, winner of the 2001 Richard Buchan Memorial on this course back in April, and defeated him in the quarterfinal, then lost to Ward in the semifinal.
Johnson then dropped to the loser's bracket where he had to win three times to get to the final against Brown. The task was not easy as his first opponent was defending champion Ray Guthrie. Johnson would get by Guthrie, then had to fend off Sharpe and Ward for the second time, this time winning those matches in succession to get to the final against Brown. These two would be meeting for the first time since the 1996 championship round in High Point.
In the Match Play Championship, it is a double-elimination format. So, Johnson would have to win twice against Brown to claim the crown, while Brown only had to win once. With the lead of 1-up heading into the final hole of play, Brown missed hole 18, and Johnson barely missed it behind him in an effort to extend the match. Brown would wind up with his second win of the championship and became the first player in North Carolina history to win two Match Play titles.
The North Carolina Match Play was incepted in 1994 in Greensboro on the old Battleground Avenue facility. Newport was the first ever winner. Among those who followed were Todd Barfield (1995), Rick Baird (1997), Bill Kirby (1998), Andy Coradini (1999), and Ray Guthrie (2000). The field this year consisted of 24 competitors who earned their spots through various NCPPA tournaments throughout the season, plus two spots available on points at the end of the year. The first eight spots received byes into the second round. A total of 12 players received cash prizes of at least $75. With his win, Brown received $350, while Johnson settled for second at $250. Ward was third and collected $200, while Sharpe was fourth and won $175 for his efforts. This concludes the 2001 North Carolina PPA season.
Scores provided by Rick Rybaczek and story by Opie Roberts.
2001 North Carolina Match-Play Championship
(Durham, N.C. - 4 November 2001)
