CARLSBAD, Calif. — Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun bought up-and-down for birdie from a again bunker on the twenty first gap Tuesday to beat Adam Wallin of Ohio State and ship the Tigers into the championship match in opposition to Florida State, with each groups searching for their first title in NCAA males’s golf.
The Seminoles reached their first championship match by beating Georgia Tech in one other semifinal determined in additional holes when Tyler Weaver outlasted Kale Fontenot in 19 holes.
Koivun denied Wallin a second outstanding comeback at La Costa. Wallin got here from 2 down with two holes left to beat former NCAA champion Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt in 19 holes within the quarterfinals earlier Tuesday.
Koivun was 2 up with two to play when Wallin hit his strategy to six ft for a conceded birdie on the seventeenth, and Koivun took bogey on the par-5 18th gap with Wallin in tight for birdie to pressure additional holes.
Each gamers made pars on the sixteenth and seventeenth, and Wallin’s pitch from gentle tough on the 18th went simply lengthy into the collar. He missed his birdie try, and Koivun blasted out to 4 ft for the winner.
“We’re taking part in for a lot right here. I don’t wish to let anybody down,” Koivun stated. “Coming down the stretch, I made some hiccups. I used to be positively feeling the nerves.”
It was the fourth match to go 21 holes for the reason that NCAA went to match play in 2009.
British Newbie champion Christo Lamprecht, the top-ranked beginner on this planet rating, was again within the lineup for Georgia Tech after lacking three days with a again damage, and he had management of his match in opposition to Luke Clanton of Florida State.
After which it went all moist. Lamprecht was 2 up with 5 holes to play when he took bogey on the 14th to lose the outlet and went into the water on the fifteenth and made double bogey. Then, his hole wedge to the par-3 sixteenth got here up quick and rolled again into the water.
Clanton all of a sudden had a 1-up lead, and he closed out him out on the seventeenth when Lambrecht went over the inexperienced into deep tough and misplaced a fourth straight gap with a bogey.
The Seminoles superior when Weaver held on to win. He missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th for win over Fontenot. They went down the primary, and Fontenot three-putted from lengthy vary to offer Weaver the win and ship Florida State into the championship match Wednesday.
“These guys did their job,” Florida State coach Trey Jones stated. “For Luke to return again in opposition to Christo reveals loads about Luke Clanton. We’re going to get our alternative now.”
The tight semifinal matches adopted a morning at La Costa when the highest 4 seeds had been all eradicated.
Illinois turned the newest No. 1 seed to get eradicated. For the reason that NCAA switched to match play, Oklahoma State in 2018 is the one high seed to win.
The Illini, who superior out of stroke play with a 16-shot margin over Vanderbilt, had been knocked out within the quarterfinals by Georgia Tech.
Vanderbilt additionally bought bumped in stunning trend when Sargent, the No. 2 participant on this planet beginner rating, misplaced a 2-up lead when he bogeyed the seventeenth and 18th, and Wallin beat him on the primary additional gap.
