Las Vegas, Nev. (Aug. 21, 2016)–Edward Fryatt was one of the best golfers in the history of the UNLV Golf program and then turned professional, where he won four times internationally. He also played on the PGA Tour. Then his success dried up and he gave up the game for about a decade. Well he is back and earned his amateur status back about two years ago. Fryatt is continuing his winning ways and recently won the Nevada State Match Play in a thrilling final match against Stephen Sear. -By Brian Hurlburt with Bill Bowman.
“It was definitely a grind,” Fryatt said of the comeback on NevadaStateGolfAssociation.com. “I just tried to keep myself in position to win holes.”
Fryatt fought back from being 4-down early in the match to win 2-1 over Sear. The event ended on Aug. 17, 2016, and was played at Somersett Golf & Country Club, a par-72 layout that plays to 7,252 yards. Tom Kite designed the private course working with Roy Bechtol and Randy Russell.
In the finale, Fryatt, representing the Southern Nevada Golf Association, found himself 2-down after the first three holes of the 36-hole finale and 4-down after 12 holes. “It was definitely a grind,” Fryatt said of the comeback. “I just tried to keep myself in position to win holes.”
He birdied the 18th to head to the second 18 holes at 3-down. The momentum shifted…and kept shifting quickly. “Steve hit a couple of wayward drives that gave me some hope,” Fryatt said. “I hit some good drives and tried to put the pressure on him and started picking off a few holes. I just kept grinding and picked up the momentum.”
Fryatt got back to all-square on the 29th hole, but Sear won the next hole to go back to 1-up. “Just when I get even, he wins another hole,” Fryatt said. “It was a little frustrating but I knew I was definitely still in it.”
Fryatt rebounded and won the next hole to square the match again and took his first lead on the 32nd hole. After the two halved the next two holes, Fryatt closed it out with a par 3 on the 35th hole to win 2-and-1.
Sear, representing the Northern Nevada Golf Association, said everything that went right early in the finale, went wrong late. “It was tough to play a two-hour round in the morning and a six-hour round in the afternoon,” he said. “I just couldn’t get into rhythm. I struck the ball really well the first 18 and he didn’t hit it as well. Even though he made more putts, I got out pretty far on him.”
Click to the official Nevada State Golf Association website for the complete story.