VARGAS SILENCES THE DOUBTERS… AGAIN
Wins 10th Edition of the MGM Match Play Invitational
LOS FELIZ – A slew of formidable opponents (including 3-time defending champion Armen Grigorian), a spilled cup of coffee, and a traffic ticket on his way to the course were not enough to derail Doug Vargas from winning the season’s first Major. But it was what Vargas does best – proving his critics wrong – that had him collecting his 2nd win of the season. Feeling disrespected at being a 9 seed, Vargas who had never before been lower than a 3, said of his win, “It’s extremely gratifying to know that when someone thinks you’re less than, and you know you’re more than, you just pull it out and prove to everyone that it’s just either a bad golf day or circumstances [that] kept me down. But I’m still the same guy, I’m still the same golfer.” The win was Vargas’s 2nd match play title (2009) and the 4th Major of his career.
Class Act
Attempting to win his 2nd Major in a row, last year’s Tour Championship winner P-Jay Fidler made his first appearance in the Finals. It was a remarkable accomplishment for a golfer who was a career 1-7 in match play. 2-down with 3 to play Fidler would win the next 2 holes to square the match, forcing a dramatic final-hole finish. His putt for the win would, excruciatingly, lip out. Vargas would forgo any type of tie-break strategy, opting instead to go for the win. “It was an easy decision,” said Vargas of his final putt. “I looked across and I saw P-Jay there, so the way to honor him [was] to take that putt, take that risk. You have to win tournaments, you have to go for it. You can’t chump out.” Said Fidler, “He went for it and he made it, and that shows the quality guy he is. He played great golf, and if there’s someone I wanted to lose to, it would probably be Doug today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1NvUD39_OA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgueG65_BBo
1st Round
With 2 straight wins #6 Patrick Bird came into the tournament the hot golfer, but found stiff resistance in his Hooters partner #11 John Frost. The match came down to the final hole with Bird needing to win the hole to square the match and the tie break to win it. He did so to advance to the 2nd round for the 3rd straight year. 8 years removed from his last championship victory, former 2-time champion #12 Jo Clemente was unable to recapture his past glory, instead he dropped every hole to #5 Gerry Vaughan. Clemente became only the 2nd golfer in tournament history to lose 5and4. Mr. 1st Round, #7 Clint Crump took the first 4 holes in route to a 3and2 win over #10 Travois Gordón, to remain unbeaten in the first round. #4 Walter Vargas and #2 Chris Moawad handily dispatched their opponents, #13 Tim Joe (3and2) and #15 Rene Quiroz (4and2) respectively, while #9 Doug Vargas defeated #8 John Mann 3and2.
Quarterfinals
Fresh off his 1st round victory Doug Vargas jumped on #1 Armen Grigorian early, winning the first 3 holes. The 3-time defending champion entered the match cold, not only from a first round bye, but also having missed the previous two tournaments. With a swing fix from Walter Vargas (how’s that for family loyalty!) Grigorian began to come alive, but came up short losing 2and1. It was Doug Vargas’s first career win (1-3) against Grigorian. Chris Moawad, a 3and1 loser to Clint Crump, found himself out it in the quarterfinals for the 2nd straight year, while Crump made it to his 2nd straight Final Four. Gerry Vaughan earned his 5th straight Final Four appearance after his 3and1 win over Walter Vargas. Vaughan completed a spotless first two rounds, having not dropped a single hole. P-Jay Fidler advanced to his first Final Four after his 2and1 win over Patrick Bird.
Final Four: Vargas melts the “Iceman”
Following his 2011 semi-final defeat to Gerry Vaughan, Doug Vargas dubbed Vaughan the “iceman”. Vargas led 1-up thru 6 before dropping the next 3 holes. “It got in my head, how cool he was,” Vargas said at the time. Jump to 2013 and a determined Vargas defeated Vaughan 3and2 to advance to his 3rd Finals. All square after 4, Vargas would take the next 3 holes and the match. Unchartered waters and an 0-2 lifetime record against Clint Crump had little affect on P-Jay Fidler who took 4 of the first 5 holes en route to a 3and2 victory, and a trip to his first Finals.
