Aug. 10, 2008
VERO BEACH, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Senior David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne) of the UCF men's golf team defeated Carlos Velez in the final match to win the Florida State Amateur Match Play Championship on Sunday at the Quail Valley Golf Club. Action in the 64-player event, which is sponsored by the Florida State Golf Association, began Thursday.
Johnson secured the title on the 17th hole, beating Velez, 2 and 1. He concluded the match by sinking a 25-foot birdie putt.
In July, Johnson finished third at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Colorado. Earlier in the summer, he tied for third at the state amateur championship.
"It feels great to win," said Johnson. "I've been waiting for this win. I played well all week. My ball striking was really good and my putter caught up in the end."
Johnson won five matches to advance to Sunday's final. He earned the seventh seed at the tournament after posting a 67 in the seeding round. In the first round, Johnson defeated 2005 champion Kelly Gosse, 4 and 3. After advancing to the round of 16, he topped two-time state public links champion Kevin Aylwin, 3 and 2.
In semifinal play, Johnson won 1 up against Chris Piumelli. On Sunday morning, Johnson beat third seed Thomas Murray, the highest remaining seed in the field, 4 and 3.
Johnson competed in all 12 of the Knights' events in 2007-08. He helped UCF earn a trip to the NCAA West Regional. The Brevard Community College transfer garnered Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors and also earned a spot on the league's all-conference first team.
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