FRIEDENSBURG - Randy Kurzinsky is the undisputed king of amateur golf in Schuylkill County.
The 24-year-old Barnesville native and LaSalle University senior laid claim to that unofficial title Sunday after winning the 2013 Schuylkill County Amateur Golf Match-Play Championship with a 1-up finals victory over Orwigsburg's Steve Rice at Hidden Valley Golf Course.
Kurzinsky added the match-play crown to the three straight Schuylkill County Medal (stroke) Play Championships that he's won. He will defend that title Labor Day weekend at Hidden Valley.
Playing in only his second county match-play tournament, Kurzinsky won four matches over two days in the July heat and humidity to capture the title Sunday afternoon. He overcame what was probably his biggest hurdle before the finals in Sunday morning's semifinal round when he defeated defending match-play champion Ryan Laudeman of Orwigsburg 5 & 4.
Laudeman said he played good golf Sunday morning, shooting what he guessed would have been a 2- or 3-under-par round in stroke play. Kurzinsky just played better, he said, shooting what both men said would have been a round of 5- or 6-under.
Rice, a 23-year-old accountant and former Blue Mountain standout, reached the final with 3 & 1 win over county tournament veteran Brent Jones of Orwigsburg.
The finals match was closely contested the entire way, with neither golfer having more than a two-hole advantage.
Kurzinsky was 1-up when the two reached the par-5, 525-yard 15th hole. Rice hit his second shot to the left into some trees and had to punch out his third shot still short of the green, while Kurzinsky was putting for birdie. Kurzinsky parred and Rice bogeyed to put Kurzinsky up two with three holes to play.
Both parred the 16th, but Rice tightened up the match on the 442-yard, par-4 17th hole when he put a gorgeous second shot about two feet from the pin. This time it was Kurzinsky's drive that had been errant to the left, requiring him to punch his second shot to the fringe of the green. Kurzinsky conceded Rice's putt, and when Kurzinsky failed to sink his chip shot, his lead was down to one with one hole to play.
On the 411-yard, par-4 18th, Kurzinsky went right and Rice left off the tee and both had some tree problems.
Kurzinsky hit what he described as a "punch cut 5-iron" to about 20 feet. Rice's own punch shot from dangerously close to a maple tree root was a good one, but left him on the front edge of the green.
Rice two-putted for par. When Kurzinsky did the same, the match was over and Kurzinsky was the champion.
"Today was a lot better than yesterday," Kurzinsky said. "I scored better today and made a few putts at opportune times, both in the morning and early in the round in the afternoon. It ended up working out."
Rice defeated two former champions, Mike Muncy and Sean Misstishin, to reach the semifinals against Jones, where Rice said he "made a lot of pars and didn't get in a lot of trouble."
Against Kurzinsky, he fell behind by two holes early, but climbed back to even. The difference, Rice said, was "I just missed a few putts in what was a very even match back and forth."
In other results, Joe Drasdis III of Pottsville, a 17-year-old senior at Pottsville Area High School, captured the A Flight title with a par on the 16th hole for a 3 & 2 victory over 16-year-old Blue Mountain junior Lyle Luckenbill of Cressona. It was the second time Drasdis had played the county match-play tournament.
The B Flight title went to 25-year-old Justin Snyder of Schuylkill Haven, who scored a 1-up victory over 30-year-old Mark Knock of Auburn in a match that went 19 holes. Snyder came back from two holes down with two to play before winning on the first playoff hole.
Schuylkill Haven's John Worthy, 43, in his third county match-play tourney, defeated Haven's John Koch, who plays college golf at Lycoming, 2 & 1 to take the C Flight title.
Match-play scores
Schuylkill County Amateur Golf Match-Play Championship At Hidden Valley Golf Course
Championship Flight Saturday's matches
First Round
Ryan Laudeman def. Larry Luckenbill Jr., 2 & 1
Jim Rattigan def. Tyler Marcotte, 2 & 1
Randy Kurzinsky def. Andy Svrcek, 4 & 2
Tyler Cook def. Mike Kacelowicz, 1-up
Brent Jones def. James Bromwell, 4 & 3
Kevin Richards def. Chris Hartman, 2 & 1
Sean Misstishin def. Luke Morgan, 2 & 1
Steve Rice def. Mike Muncy, 1-up
Quarterfinals
Laudeman def. Rattigan, 1-up, 20th hole
Kurzinsky def. Cook, 4 & 3
Jones def. Richards, 3 & 2
Rice def. Misstishin, 1-up
Sunday's matches
Semifinals
Kurzinsky def. Laudeman, 5 & 4
Rice def. Jones, 3 & 1
Championship
Kurzinsky def. Rice, 1-up
A Flight
Saturday's matches
First Round
Bailey Roos def. Paul Roberts, 2 & 1
Fred Krute def. Jordan Stabinsky, 4 & 3
Chris Schlitzer def. Tim Carroll, 2 & 1
Joe Drasdis III def. Scott Kacelowicz, 3 & 1
Lyle Luckenbill def. Shane Stein, 3 & 2
Chris Decker def. Tim Swain, 3 & 2
Mikey Moyer def. Joe Welsh, 2 & 1
Justin Troutman def. Clair Rummel, 1-up
Quarterfinals
Roos def. Krute, 3 & 1
Drasdis III def. Schlitzer, 5 & 4
Luckenbill def. Decker, 1-up, 19th hole
Troutman def. Moyer, 6 & 5 (WD)
Sunday's matches Semifinals
Drasdis III def. Roos, 2 & 1
Luckenbill def. Troutman, forfeit
Championship
Drasdis III def. Luckenbill, 3 & 2
B Flight
Saturday's matches
Quarterfinals
Larry Luckenbill Sr. def. Matt Moll, WD
Mark Knock def. Mitch Carl, 1-up
Randy Davis def. Gary Metza, 3 & 2
Justin Snyder def. Pat Dougherty, WD
Sunday's matches
Semifinals
Knock def. Luckenbill Sr., 2-up
Snyder def. Davis, 3 & 2
Championship
Snyder def. Knock, 1-up, 19th hole
C Flight
Saturday's matches Quarterfinals
Dan Woznisky Jr. def. Jonathan Evans, 8 & 7
John Koch def. Dave Beam, 5 & 4
John Worthy def. Eric Stock, 8 & 7
Ken Carl def. Chris Fisher, 2 & 1
Sunday's matches Semifinals
Koch def. Woznisky Jr., 1-up
Worthy def. Carl, 7 & 5
Championship
Worthy def. Koch, 2 & 1
Schuylkill County Match-Play Champions
2013 - Randy Kurzinsky
2012 - Ryan Laudeman
2011 - Chris Schultz
2010 - Jim Rattigan
2009 - Jim Rattigan
2008 - Jeff Metza
2007 - Jeff Metza
2006 - Sean Misstishin
2005 - Jim Rattigan
2004 - Jeff Paul
2003 - Jeff Paul
2002 - Brendt Geiger
2001 - Brendt Geiger
2000 - Jim Rattigan
1999 - Mike Muncy
1998 - Brian Richards
1997 - Jim Bohrman
1996 - Jim Bohrman
1995 - Jim Bohrman
1994 - Bob Costanzo
1993 - Phil Pishock
1992 - Brian Paul