Merkel Emerges as National US Match Play Champion
Newly minted professional golfer Tyler Merkel from Fort Myers, Florida, captured the 3rd annual United States Match Play Championship in strong fashion, as he defeated third-seeded Nyasha Mauchaza 2 & 1 in the championship match played at Indian Hills Golf Course in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Merkel, whose swing coach is USGTF Master Teaching Professional Michael Wolf, defeated a field of 18 finalists winning four matches on his road to victory. Merkel, who qualified as the #9 seed after stroke play qualifying, defeated #8 seed Frank Lostaglio, topseeded Dominic Foti, and 13thseeded Michael O’Connor, who scored major upsets before being eliminated in the semi-finals, prior to the final match.
The championship match featured Mauchaza picking up a 2-up lead through the first four holes but Merkel fought back strongly, winning five of the next 10 holes to take a 3-up lead with four holes to play. After a halve on #16, Mauchaza stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole to one foot for a conceded birdie. Merkel, needing a 12-foot putt to win match, calmly rolled it in to claim victory and the $10,000 1st-place check.
Mauchaza, who is originally from the country of Zimbabwe, now makes his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He will be playing on the 2015 Web.com Tour, and his runner-up finish earned him $1,000.
Merkel, originally from Evansville, Indiana, graduated from Ball State University in 2014 and turned pro shortly thereafter. Wolf, a longtime USGTF member, has been Merkel’s only swing coach since he started playing in the 8th grade.
