Pete Webster had to scratch and claw his way into the match play portion of the Chattanooga TPC, so he wasn’t expecting a primo draw. And he didn’t get one.

Webster needed to make a 10-foot bogey putt on the 18^th hole at Council Fire in Thursday’s stroke play qualifier to shoot 78 and get into a playoff for the final two match play spots. It was so dark by the time he finished he had to return Friday afternoon along with Matt Mathis and John Lambert for the playoff. After Webster advanced to claim the No. 15 seed, he found out he would have to play Josh Nelms, the 2006 Tennessee State Match Play champion.

That seemed like an insurmountable task, but Webster, who won the Red Bud earlier this season, was up for it. The Dalton Country Club member attributes his solid season to some putting instruction he’s been getting from Dalton head professional Russ Austin.

After this tournament, Austin might start charging double. Webster’s putter saved him in stroke play, and it proved the difference against Nelms. Trailing 1-down on the 14^th hole, Webster squared the match with an eight-foot birdie putt. And with the match all square on the 18^th, Webster drained a 12-footer for birdie to claim a 1-up victory.

“When I hit that putt, I knew I’d struck it solid and I thought it was going to go in,” Webster said. “Russ teaches the [Sea Island professional] Mike Shannon system, and it’s been great for me. I’ve putted so much better this year.”

Shannon’s system will be put to the test on Saturday, for Webster’s win got him another crack at a 2006 Tennessee Golf Association state champion. Thomas Smith, the former UTC golfer who won the state amateur at Black Creek with a record 19-under score, has also been putting pretty well this summer, having taken lessons from Shannon himself. Smith drained a boatload of putts to come from behind on the back nine and win the amateur, and his putter came to the rescue again on Friday in his 2 and 1 victory over David McKenna.

With McKenna in the hole with a par at the par-4 16th, Smith was faced with a 20-foot downhill putt to halve the hole. Smith was 1-up at the time, but if he’d let the feisty McKenna back in the match with a bogey, anything could happen on Council Fire’s last two holes, a tough par 3 and the closing par-5 18^th. The 18^th in particular has helped determine the outcome of many a tournament.

Smith drew on two mentors as he settled over that 20 footer at 16. Besides Shannon, the other is sports psychologist Charles Plott.

“Charles has taught me to give my best effort on a putt, and if it goes in, it goes in,” Smith said.

Calling on that sage advice, Smith calmly drained that par putt and went on to win with a conceded birdie at No. 17. Just like in the state amateur, Smith’s putter had saved the day.

“I can’t tell you how much [Shannon] has helped me with my putting,” said Smith, who still has the rest of this year toward a degree in management. After a defense of his state amateur next August, he plans on taking a crack at pro golf.

There were other interesting matches on Friday. Mathis was able to outlast top seed Matt Robertson in 20 holes, which meant the tournament’s top two seeds were taken down on the first day.

No. 3 seed Tripp Harris, a sophomore on coach Mark Guhne’s UTC team, was the only player among the top four qualifiers to advance, but he didn’t have an easy task. His opponent was Josh Coley, who has Chattanooga amateur player-of-the-year honors locked up—unless Harris wins the TPC.

Harris knew he was in for a battle when he birdied the first two holes and was still one down after three. Coley, a birdie-making machine, opened with three straight birdies. But by the par-3 7^th, which he birdied, Harris squared the match. A par at the par-3 12^th gave Harris a 2-up lead, and he hung on the rest of the way.

The win gives Harris a mathematical chance to overtake Coley and become player of the year. He’ll earn 75 points for winning the TPC, and he started the tournament with 167 points for the season to Coley’s 201. Coley earned another 15 for making match play in the TPC, giving Harris an even bigger target to shoot for.

Friday’s Scores

No. 16 Matt Mathis def. No. 1 Matt Robertson, 1-up (20 holes)

No. 9 Tom Baird def. No. 8 Larry McGill, 4 and 3

No. 13 Pat Corey def. No. 4 Derek Rende, 2-up

No. 5 David Burris def. No. 12 Richard Keene, 3 and 2

No. 15 Pete Webster def. No. 2 Josh Nelms, 1-up

No. 10 Thomas Smith def. No. 7 David McKenna, 2 and 1

No. 3 Tripp Harris def. No. 14 Josh Coley, 2 and 1

No. 11 Chris Schmidt def. No. 6 Jay Potter, 3 and 2

Saturday’s Pairings

2:00 p.m.

Mathis vs. Baird

2:10 p.m.

Corey vs. Burris

2:20 p.m.

Webster vs. Smith

2:30 p.m.

Harris vs. Schmidt