Bonnie White Wins the 2003 APA World Match Play Championship (Lubbock, TX

Bonnie White Wins the
2003 APA World Match Play Championship

28-29 July 2003 - Lubbock, TX - Bonnie White is a charter member of the APA playing in the 1960's and early 1970's. She won the New York State Ladies Putting Championship six consecutive years (1968 - 1973) but retired from the competitive game in 1974 when she became engaged to her husband, James White. She joined the APA ranks again for the 2003 season and after nearly thirty years away from the competitive game, won the 2003 APA World Match Play Championship in Lubbock, TX.

Bonnie White
2003 APA World Match Play Champion

A field of 33 amateurs (up from 28 amateurs in 2002) were in Lubbock, TX to vie for the prestigious title. An opening match between Gary Glasscock of Humble, TX and Robert Nelson of Denver, CO pared the field to 32 players. For any of the remaining players, it would take winning five consecutive matches to win the 2003 APA World Match Play Championship title.

Only one player from the 2002 APA World Match Play Championship quarter-finals was able to make it to the quarter-finals in the 2003 APA World Match Play Championship. Bill Hammons of Indianapolis, IN who finished in a tie for second in the 2002 APA National Championship and lost in the semi-finals of the 2002 APA World Match Play Championship to Todd Trent won his first two matches over Jimmy Van Buskirk of Midwest City, OK and Jeff Carr of Orangeburg, S.C. but lost in the quarter-finals to Steven Clark of Aurora, CO. Steven Clark's next match was against Bonnie White who had defeated Gary Glasscock of Humble, TX, Oniel Mercure of Denver, CO and Robert Martin of Ft. Worth, TX to reach the semi-finals. White's winning streak against players from west of the Mississippi River continued as she defeated Steven Clark to reach the final match out of the top bracket.

In the bottom bracket, Seth Smith of Lubbock, TX was moving through his matches. Smith defeated Walter Kolb of Arlington, VA, Josh Garrison of Morganton, IN and Jack Ramsey of Cypress, TX to reach the semi-final match. Smith would face James Taylor of Lubbock, TX who he had faced before in the 2003 Texas Open played on the Lubbock, TX course in June. Smith won the amateur division of the 2003 Texas Open on his home course by six strokes and again showed his mastery of the Lubbock, TX course defeating James Taylor to reach the final match against White. Bonnie White's fortunes against players from the west continued as she defeated Seth Smith in the finals to earn her first PPA National Tour title.