THE MONKEY IS OFF HIS BACK
Vargas A Winner In Match Play
(Los Feliz) – The perennial tag Walter Vargas carried into the Match Play Invitational was that the tournament represented the one major missing from his impressive resume. Saturday, after 15 failed attempts, Vargas tossed that tag to the curb to claim his first ever Match Play title. 1-down with 1 to play Vargas squared the match against 2024 winner Tim Joe to force a sudden death playoff. He made a nail-biting putt to force a 2nd playoff hole where his final putt circled the rim of the cup before dropping in for the win.
CHIP SHOTS
Vargas in numbers: After 15 career starts, which included 4 losses in the Finals, and 2 stunning upsets (in 2008 as a 3 seed he lost to 14 Travis Gordon and in 2022 lost in a semi-final playoff to Eric Stolz) Walter Vargas finally checked the Match Play Invitational off his list. It is the 6th major win of his career, joining him with Moawad, D. Vargas, and T. Joe, players who have completed the career slam in majors. The win was the 23rd of his career. Career 0-2 versus his brother, he defeated defending champion Doug in the semifinals. He remains unbeaten against Joe (4-0)… 1st round excitement: Eric Stolz nearly wrote his headline, ‘Vargas Killer’ after leading defending champion Doug Vargas 2-up with 2 to play (he famously upset Walter Vargas in the 2022 semi-finals). But Vargas squared the match to force a playoff where he prevailed. Walter Vargas defeated Tour rookie and South Bay Challenge winner Dominic Gonzales in what was seen as perhaps the most intriguing first round match up. Jaw-dropping finish: Former 5-time champion Chris Moawad forced a sudden death playoff with Tim Joe after squaring the match with a clutch tee shot on 9. Joe would take the match after hole-ing out with a putt from off the green.
Final Four
