By By Marty Stamper
EMG sports assistant
Eight teams are still in the hunt for the 2002 Bill Davis Memorial Fourth of July Golf Tournament title at Northwood Country Club.
With the tournament returning to a four-day format this year, Friday's round saw match-play competition begin, following Thursday's stroke-play qualifying round.
In the championship flight, Judge Little and Doyle Bryan claimed a 6-and-4 win over Robert Sanford and Tony Polizzi.
"We played good," Little said. "Doyle had four birdies and I had three birdies. We were seven-under and Robert and Tony did not play like they're capable of.
"We had a good day. We didn't make any bogeys, which was good. We ended birdieing 11, 12, 13, and 14 to end the match."
Little and Bryan will face 2000 champions Joel Nelson and Jay Bowen in today's quarterfinals.
"They'll be a stiff challenge for us," Little said. "They're both real steady players. I think we'll have to play about like we did today to get a victory."
Nelson and Bowen advanced by beating David Rosenbaum and Josh Martin.
In other first-round matches in the championship flight, Buddy Davis and Andy Mayatt defeated Dan Singley and Winston Powell; Dan Angero and Jimmy Carle defeated Chuck Rea and Ben McLeod; Johnny Lang and Clay Long beat Rob Bullock and Tommy Little; Billy McWilliams and Willie Frazier knocked off Steve Stewart and Earl Aycock; Jack Combest and Steve Nelson defeated 2001 co-champions Kelly Swain and Scott Morgan; and J.T. Williamson and Austin Bowen beat Tim Hogan and Sammy Broadhead.
Other quarterfinal pairings today have Davis and Mayatt taking on Angero and Carle, Lang and Long will play McWilliams and Frazier, and Combest and Nelson will face Williamson and Bowen.
The championship flight will tee off at 1:30 p.m. A new champion is assured as the other 2001 co-champions Joey Mabry and Colton Tisdale are playing in the first flight this year.