David Nocar used his home-course knowledge in rolling past two opponents as match play began yesterday in the 81st Maryland State Amateur at rain-soaked Chartwell Country Club in Severna Park.
Nocar, winner of 10 of the last 14 club championships, dispatched Greg Carlin, 4 and 3, and Drew Forrester, 6 and 5, while shooting around par for the two rounds and reaching this morning's quarterfinals.
Among those joining him were defending champion Kirk Lombardi, Phil Fairbanks, and a pair of 18-year-olds, Ira Cohen and Joe Scheffres, each in the event's match play for the first time.
Before the first round, a nine-for-six playoff sorted out the final places in the draw, and of the survivors, two are in the quarterfinals - Cohen, and 1997 finalist Vance Welch. The other one in today's round of eight is Andrew Williams, who was not seriously challenged in two matches.
Among the other qualifiers, Matt Tengwall immediately made his presence known, as he knocked out Mark Cusic, who had shared the low qualifying score Thursday, then took Evan Hileman to the 18th green before losing 1-down. The other low qualifier also went out in the first round, as Welch revived his knack for beating past champions.
In 1977, he upset two of them, Lombardi and Chuck Freedman, and this time it was 2000 winner Pat Tallent, 1 up.
Lombardi, who won in 1988 in addition to last year, missed only three greens in the 30 holes he needed to eliminate Todd Pratt, 3 and 2, and Kevin Vollmer, 5 and 4. Fairbanks was 1 under par for the day in stopping Sheedy and Dan Hoffman.
Hileman was even with par in defeating Nick Angelo, then let most of a 4-up margin get away against Tengwall, before holing a 6-foot par putt at the last hole to win 1 up.
NOTES: Rick Sovero and Derek Ausherman shot matching 69s in the morning, with Sovero winning at the first extra hole. ... Cohen, a recent Pikesville High School graduate headed for Vanderbilt, went 22 holes to outlast Tim Moylan with a birdie at the fourth extra hole, then turned 5 up on his way to a 6-and-4 win over Sovero. ... Welch was 1-under par in beating Tallent, who had 16 pars and no birdies, and even in getting by Matt Finger, 2-up.
Playoff qualifiers: Drew Forrester, Ira Cohen, Ray Sheedy, Vance Welch, Matt Tengwall, Todd Pratt. Losers: James Jew, Kevin McDonnell, Jacob Schutz.
First round: Kirk Lombardi d. Pratt, 3 and 2; Kevin Vollmer won over Ben Brundred III, by def.; Robert Lenkey d. Larry Storck, 3 and 2; Joe Scheffres d. Tim Elliott, 3 and 2; Phil Fairbanks d. Sheedy, 3 and 2; Dan Hoffman d. Bob Przybylski, 2 and 1; Forrester d. Billy Wingerd, 19 holes; David Nocar d. Greg Carlin, 4 and 3.
Tengwall d. Mark Cusic, 20 holes; Evan Hileman d. Nick Angelo, 4 and 2; Bill Rice d. Mike Petronis, 3 and 1; Andrew Williams d. Scott Bowers, 4 and 2; Welch d. Pat Tallent, 1 up; Matt Finger d. Drew DeVan, 3 and 2; Cohen d. Tim Moylan, 22 holes; Rick Sovero d. Derek Ausherman, 19 holes.
Second round: Lombardi d. Vollmer, 5 and 4; Scheffres d. Lenkey, 3 and 2; Fairbanks d. Hoffman, 3 and 2; Nocar d. Forrester, 6 and 5; Hileman d. Tengwall, 1 up; Williams d. Rice 5 and 3; Welch d. Finger, 2 up; Cohen d. Sovero, 6 and 4.