Detroit's Byrne captures Ontario Men's Match Play Championship

June 8, 2007

Port Carling, Ontario - Detroit golfer David Byrne capped off a tremendous week of golf Friday by winning the 2007 Ontario Men's Match Play Championship at The Lake Joseph Club.

The 2007 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and individual medalist at the conference tournament, Byrne bested third-seeded Christopher Ross, a sophomore at Eastern Michigan, by a 4&2 margin in Friday's 36-hole final match.

Seeded 60th in the 64-man field following a one-day qualifier, Byrne had to win five matches against higher-seeded opponents - three of them in the Top 10 - just to get the championship match against Ross, who won the title in 2004.

It was nearly an All-Titan final as incoming freshman Jeff Clarridge won four straight matches to reach the semi-finals before falling 1-up to Ross.

Two other Titans - two-time Horizon League Player of the Year Mark Sommerfeld and incoming freshman Britt Pronk - also qualified for the Ontario Match Play, but each bowed out in the first round.

The Ontario Match Play kicked off a busy summer of tournament golf for members of the Titan squad, who won the 2007 Horizon League Championship and advanced to the NCAA West Regional. Alex Watkins has qualified for the Michigan Open for a second straight year. That tournament begins on Monday at Grand Traverse Resort.

Byrne, Clarridge, Pronk, Sommerfeld and 2007 senior Kyler Murphy have all qualified to play in the Ontario Men's Amateur, July 10-13 at Sutton Creek Golf & Country Club in Essex. Byrne is the reigning Sutton Creek men's club champion.

Story provided by Detroit Office of Sports Information