Michael Hitt Wins His Second Consecutive PPA North Carolina State Match Play Championship 11 September 2005 - High Point, N.C. - On a hot, sunny late summer day, a closed field of 24 qualifiers vied for the North Carolina PPA Match Play Championship on course # 2 in High Point, NC. The event featured a double elimination format, with 36-hole matches in the winners' bracket and 18-hole matches in the losers' bracket. First-round byes were awarded to the first eight players to earn spots into the event. Michael Hitt 2004 and 2005 PPA North Carolina State Match Play Champion Defending champion Michael Hitt won the second of the previous day's two events, the Wayne Hancock Memorial tournament, and in the process established a new 54-hole course scoring record of 71. Hitt continued his stellar play in the North Carolina Match Play Championship, posting a 6-0 match record for the day to earn his second consecutive title in the event. The 36-hole final match featured the winners of the previous day's two 54-hole events, as Hitt scored a 2 and 1 victory over Brad Lebo, who won the previous day's Barbara Nance Memorial tournament. Hitt defeated James White, Randal Smith, Randy Reeves, 1997 North Carolina Match Play Champion Rick Baird, and Lebo twice en route to the victory. Hitt joined Mike Brown and Ray Guthrie as the only two-time winners of the tournament and became the first player ever to defend successfully in the event. Randy Orr and Rick Rybaczek finished third and fourth, respectively. In the amateur division, a field of twelve contestants also played a double elimination format. Four first-round byes were awarded to the top four amateurs in the North Carolina PPA Tour amateur points standings. After losing to Caleb Kennedy in the fourth round, third-seeded Frankie Peters, APA winner of the previous day's Barbara Nance Memorial tournament, won the losers' bracket and subsequently defeated Kennedy twice to earn his first North Carolina Match Play Championship title. Peters dispensed of fellow-local player Kennedy 2 and 1 in the first match and then posted a convincing 6 and 5 victory in the final match of the day. The Spartanburg, SC duo of Ricky D. Schults and Chris Alley finished in third and fourth positions, respectively. The North Carolina PPA Tour would like to extend thanks to course manager Chris Grainey, host PPA professional Randy Carter, and their staff for welcoming the tour to the beautiful High Point, NC Putt-Putt facility and hosting a very successful weekend of tour events. The North Carolina PPA Tour will return to High Point, NC course # 2 in two weeks for its final event of the season, the two-day, 144-hole 2005 North Carolina PPA State Championship. Action will begin at noon on Saturday, September 24 and at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 25.

2005 PPA North Carolina Match Play Championship
(11 September 2005 - High Point, N.C.)

Winner's Bracket

	Brad Lebo
Robert Johnson	9	B. Lebo
1	Ray Guthrie
Ray Guthrie
		17	B. Lebo
	Rick Rybaczek
Tony Varnadore	10	Rybaczek
2	Tony Jackson
Tony Jackson
			21	B. Lebo
	Greg Ward
Darrell Britt	11	R. Carter
3	Randy Carter
Randy Carter
		18	R. Orr
	Bear Landin
Randy Orr	12	R. Orr
4	Randy Orr
Russell Sigmon Jr
				23	M. Hitt
	Randal Smith
James White	13	M. Hitt
5	Michael Hitt						Hitt
Michael Hitt
		19	M. Hitt
	Randy Reeves					B. Lebo
Lee Witcofski	14	R. Reeves
6	Lee Witcofski
Matt Summey
			22	M. Hitt
	Daryl Freeman
Jay Klapper	15	D. Freeman
7	Andy Coradini
Andy Coradini
		20	R. Baird
	Bill Kirby
Rick Baird	16	R. Baird
8	Rick Baird
Gary English						$250	$350

  Loser's Bracket