- Golfweek photo
by Cassie Stein, Golfweek
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (May 27, 2014) – It was a match no one wanted to see this early at the NCAA Championship, but it happened – No. 2 Georgia Tech vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State.
Georgia Tech, who has advanced to match play four of the last five years, fell to Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals at Prairie Dunes Country Club on Tuesday, 4-0-1.
“You can only control what you can (control) and unfortunately that’s not the other team,” Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Heppler said.
Oklahoma State got out of the gates fast as they lead in all five matches between Nos. 10 and 11 – the starting holes for this match.
“I just felt like we were chasing them all day,” Heppler added.
It wasn’t until the back nine Georgia Tech started to make a run to get back into the match. But even then, putts that needed to drop, didn’t, especially for Yellow Jacket senior Seth Reeves.
It was the one match-up that was requested. Reeves asked Heppler if he and Oklahoma State sophomore Jordan Niebrugge could play against each other.
Why?
Reeves and Niebrugge played against each other twice over the 2013 amateur circuit at the Western Amateur and the U.S. Amateur, where the duo split their matches.
Heppler said Reeves wanted this because if it was his last time playing collegiate golf, he wanted to play against his good friend.
It didn’t help Reeves or the Yellow Jackets that Niebrugge played an absolute flawless round and finished at 5 under (unofficially) on the day. It lead to a 2-and-1 victory.
The deciding point came as Oklahoma State redshirt freshman Wyndham Clark finished off Anders Albertson, 1 up, on No. 9.
With that, Oklahoma State will make its first appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship since 2011. The Cowboys will take on stroke-play champion, Stanford.
“The reality is that only one team walks away from here completely satisfied,” Heppler said.
And for the second consecutive year it was “close, but no cigar,” Heppler said, again for the Yellow Jackets.
• • •
Final scores
Match #1: Talor Gooch (Oklahoma State) def. Richy Werenski
Match #2: Zachary Olsen (Oklahoma State) def. Bo Andrews
Match #3: Wyndham Clark (Oklahoma State def. Anders Albertson
Match #4: Ian Davis (Oklahoma State) vs. Ollie Schniederjans, All square
Match #5: Jordan Niebrugge (Oklahoma State) def. Seth Reeves
NOTE: Medal play results are shown below. To view match play results, click on the link below.
ABOUT THE
NCAA Division I Championship
The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship is the pinnacle of collegiate golf in the United States, held annually in late May or early June. The event brings together the nation's top 30 teams and six individual qualifiers, all of whom have advanced through a grueling regional qualifying process. Conference champions earn automatic regional berths, while a selection committee fills the remaining spots.
The championship begins with 72 holes of stroke play to determine the individual national champion. Following this, the top 8 teams advance to a match play bracket to compete for the team title — a format introduced in 2009 that added a dramatic head-to-head element to the final days of competition.
Some of the most decorated names in professional golf have competed in this event, including Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson. Winning the individual title now includes an added bonus: the champion receives an invitation to the following year’s Masters Tournament, provided they maintain amateur status.
The tournament dates back to 1897, originally run by the National Intercollegiate Golf Association. The NCAA began officially sponsoring the event in 1939. Over time, the championship has become not just a collegiate milestone, but also a launching pad for future PGA Tour stars.
After 72 holes of stroke play, the individual champion is crowned, and the low 8 teams advance to match play to determine the team champion.
View Complete Tournament Information