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Three years ago, Pittston Area graduate Brandon Matthews had a decision to make: Go down south and work on his game all year round, or stay close to home and polish his game inside the Commonwealth.
There was some deliberation, but in the end it came down to the university and Temple golf coach Brian Quinn.
Now, after an impressive first two years on Temple’s men’s golf team, Matthews continues to add to his trophy case. The Dupont native carded a 10-under 206 to win the Furman Intercollegiate on March 29 by three strokes over a strong field of 114 golfers. The tournament was held at Furman University Golf Course in Greenville, South Carolina.
The win was Matthews’ second of the season and his sixth in his career.
After starting the tournament three over in his first four holes, Matthews caught fire and went 13-under the rest of the way to take the win.
“I got off to a rough start,” Matthews said. “I really played solid the rest of the tournament. I didn’t really leave myself to many difficult up and downs.”
Matthews, who said his lag putting was great all week, classified this tournament as one of the best-ranked in the country. He said the conference championships have a lot of talented golfers, but this takes the cake.
Matthews shot an even-par 72 and was tied for 20th after the first day. His 6-under 66 moved him to third place after the second round. In the final round, Matthews carded a 4-under 68 to take the title.
Following Matthews’ win, Temple coach Brian Quinn said, “This is one of the biggest individual wins in Temple Golf history.”
His appreciation for Matthews is apparent, as well.
“It’s a privilege to be his coach and to hang out with him,” Quinn said. “I love that boy like he’s one of my own. He’s a wonderful kid most importantly. I think he’s going to do things in golf we haven’t seen done.”
Overall, Temple finished tied for fourth place in the 18-team field at Furman. Georgia State won the tournament.
Matthews, who has put a lot of pressure on himself in the past, said this weekend was completely stress free. Much of that, he said, had to do with his ability to make life on the golf course easier for himself.
“I wasn’t grinding as much as I usually am,” he said. “I left myself with a lot of easy par putts. It was stress-free.”
Quinn said Matthews’ swing has evolved each season since coming out of Pittston Area. But it wasn’t until this past December that something really clicked.
Being a student in the northeast, Matthews doesn’t benefit from the weather in southern states. When he showed up at the Dixie Amateur Championship in December, which is held in Florida, he wasn’t playing as much golf as he does in the summer months. But, again, something clicked.
Matthews won the championship by five strokes.
“Since his freshman year he has evolved tremendously,” Quinn said. “Something clicked at the beginning of December. From tee to green his swing is the best he’s ever had.”
Matthews was the 2010 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAA golf champion as a junior at Pittston Area. He won four Tryba Tournaments, two Pre-District Tournaments, one District 2 Championship, one PIAA East Regional Championship and one PIAA Championship.
Following graduation, he didn’t know if he wanted to go south for golf, or stay close to home. The coaches at Temple made that decision easy for him. After some discussion, Matthews and his family decided on Temple.
“We decided it doesn’t matter what you do in those four years,” he said. “It matters where you are after those four years. Temple was the best fit for me.”
Matthews and his coach set a goal for this season: three wins. That would get him back on track to a goal he set prior to starting his career at Temple. In two events so far for Temple, Matthews has the win at Furman and a second place finish at the Middleburg Bank Intercollegiate.
The Owls have three more regular season tournaments left, then the conference championships. His sights are set high.
“This is the best shape my golf game has been in coming off the winter season,” Matthews said. “If I could get two more wins I’ll be really pleased.”
Matthews’ accolades go beyond what he’s been able to accomplish at Temple. In June 2013, Matthews was on the cusp of qualifying for the U.S. Open. He ended as an alternate. He was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Amateur Championships just two months later.
Matthews tied for 38th at last year’s NCAA Regional Championships.
The plan is to play golf professionally some day, Matthews said. That dream is becoming more of a reality as his career at Temple continues to rise.
“I’m very lucky,” he said. “Some of the places I’m able to go is amazing. We get to do this as a team and it’s a privilege.”
Matthews is the son of Ted and Donna Matthews, Dupont.