HOLLY SPRINGS — In testing his chops against a new and soon-to-be familiar level of competition, Nick Mathews walked off the course at The Club at 12 Oaks in Holly Springs with a savory taste of the championship stage.
Mathews, the recent Eastern Alamance graduate, claimed the North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship earlier this month by defeating East Carolina golfer Tim Bunten, closing the show on the 17th hole and in turn opening the door on the next steps of his career with confidence.
Set to begin classes Monday at North Carolina State, where he will be a member of the Wolfpack’s men’s golf team, the Carolinas Golf Association tournament victory provided Mathews with proof of progress.
“Anytime you get it done, and frankly anytime you play well coming down the stretch, it’s always momentum and that momentum keeps you working hard,” Mathews said. “It’s something you call back on in times of pressure. I think it’s just validation that I’m doing the right stuff and it's just a matter of continuing to work hard, and continuing to focus on what I need to do.”
Mebane’s Mathews was in control throughout the day and jumped ahead four-up after a successful 2-under-par stretch of holes Nos. 3-7. Bunten of Concord shot 3-over in that stretch.
“I just did a great job staying focused, staying calm and just trusting my game plan and fortunately it worked out,” Mathews said. “Going into No. 17 I had a one-up lead and I just knew I needed to stay calm and keep doing what I was doing.”
Bunten closed the gap to one stroke after No. 16. Mathews parred the 17th hole and Bunten made bogey to give the former Eastern Alamance standout his first major victory of the summer.
Mathews shot a 2-over-par 146 in 36-hole stroke-play qualifying to position himself in a tie for 12th when the field was cut to 32 golfers entering match play.
From there, Mathews rattled off match-play victories again Brandon Mader of Greenville (5 and 4) in the Round of 32, Austin Bonfiglio of Holly Springs (2 and 1) in the Round of 16, Walker Cress of Concord (2 up) in the quarterfinals and Alex Nianouris of Raleigh (5 and 4) in the semifinals to punch his ticket to the championship final against Bunten.
In five tournament matches, Mathews needed all 18 holes to secure a victory only once. That came against Cress, a James Madison player who tied for third in the N.C. Amateur Championship at North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh. Bunten also finished third in that event and was the winner of the Carolinian Amateur at Keith Hills Club in Buies Creek.
Emily Mathews, Nick’s sister, won the Dogwood State Junior Girls’ Championship last month at Ironwood Golf & Country Club in Greenville. She finished as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 3-A state runner-up in 2019 as an Eastern Alamance freshman.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Nick Mathews from chasing a state championship in his senior season at Eastern Alamance. In both his sophomore and junior seasons, Mathews finished tied for 11th at the Class 3-A state event.
He was named the 2019 North Carolina Junior Player of the Year by the Tarheel Youth Golf Association and Carolinas Golf Association for his accomplishments in amateur and junior golf events. Both Nick and Emily were named to the TYGA all-state first team for 2019.
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