Matt Dobyns News & More

GOLF Golfer

7yMatt Dobyns completed the PGA Professional National Championship and the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Courses in Seaside, Calif. in 13-under-par 68-68-69-70=275, eight strokes clear of the field.

Dobyns is the PGA head pro at Fresh Meadow Country Club in Lake Success, N.Y. In addition to 13 birdies this week, he converted two eagles, both in the last five holes of his third round, the first of which was a hole-in-one. Today’s victory not only secures Dobyns the first of 20 berths into this year’s PGA Championship, it exempts him into six PGA TOUR events in 2013. The remaining 19 qualifiers into the field at Kiawah Island in August are as follows: 283--Kelly Mitchum; Rod Perry ... 284--Mike Small ... 285--Paul Scaletta ... 286--Jeff Coston ... 287--Frank Bensel; Marty Jertson; Mitch Lowe; Bill Murchison; Corey Prugh ... 288--Bob Sowards ... 289--Darrell Kestner; Alan Morin ... 290--Danny Balin; Mark Brown; Brian Cairns; Brian Gaffney; Doug Wade ... 291--Michael Frye (survived an 8-for-1 playoff with a par on the third extra hole).

Matt Dobyns

GOLF Golfer

7yAlthough it came unexpectedly, Matt Dobyns collected his second victory at the PGA Professional National Championship today.

Eventual runner-up Ben Polland double-bogeyed the par-4 18th hole to finish one stroke adrift of Dobyns’ 3-under-par 72-69-68-70=279 at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Dobyns’ first title in this event in 2012. Polland doesn’t come away empty-handed, though. The top 20 are exempt into the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits on Aug. 13-16. The other qualifiers are: 282--Alan Morin; Grant Sturgeon ... 283--Omar Uresti; Brian Cairns; Sean Dougherty; Brett Jones; Austin Peters ... 284--Bob Sowards; Charles Frost; Ryan Helminen; Ryan Kennedy; Johan Kok; Adam Rainaud ... 285--Jeff Olson; Brent Snyder; Daniel Venezio; Steven Young ... 286--Brian Gaffney (survived 5-for-1 playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole). For winning, Dobyns gets six somewhat restricted PGA TOUR exemptions in 2015-16.

Matt Dobyns

GOLF Golfer

7yAustin, Texas, native Matt Dobyns shot rounds of 69-74 at the Shell Houston Open and at 1-under 143 made the cut on the number, playing the weekend for the first time on the PGA TOUR in his 10th career start.

The 38-year-old is a two-time PGA Professional National champion, including winning the 2015 edition by one at the Philadelphia Cricket Club back in July. As such, he can make six starts this season on TOUR and is exempt into the PGA Championship, where he’ll be making his third appearance. The University of Texas product has played three events already in 2015-16, missing the cut at the Sanderson Farms, the Northern Trust, and the Puerto Rico Open. Thru two rounds at the GC of Houston, he’s carded six birdies against five bogeys and opened his second appearance (MC/2013) in bogey-free 3-under 69.