Oliver Simonsen of The Honors Course and Ben Rebne of Council Fire each won two matches Wednesday in the Tennessee Match Play golf tournament and will meet this morning for a spot in the afternoon final. The other semifinal pits Gallatin's Michael Barnard against Nashville's Warren Cheney.
Simonsen plays for UTC, Rebne for Dalton State, and each is the son of his course's head professional.
"Me and Ollie, we've been playing golf together since middle school or even elementary school," Rebne said in a Tennessee Golf Association release. "We became friends pretty fast once we met and started hanging out. It's going to be a fun matchup. There should be a lot of yelling and screaming."
Simonsen backed that up.
"Ben was one of my first friends when I came to Chattanooga. I can promise there will be lots of yelling. And it will be fun!"
Rebne rallied past McMinnville's Bracton Womack and then Cayman Ratliff on Wednesday. Simonsen came from four holes down, two with two holes to go, to edge Cookeville's Lee Maxwell on the 19th, and then jumped to a 5-up lead in nine holes over top seed Tim Jackson, who conceded.
Barnard, who's set to start playing for Middle Tennessee State, according to the TGA release, edged Furman player Garrison Hogan 2 and 1 and beat Brentwood's Nolan Ray 4 and 3. Cheney went extras in both of his matches, clipping Union University's Jordan Botwinick in 19 holes and Knoxville's Jack Smith in 20.
Smith, a former Tennessee Volunteer, defeated current Vol and former Baylor School standout Chase Roswall, the 2017 champion, 2 and 1 in the round of 16.