2015 NCAA individual champion Bryson DeChambeau
hugging coach Jason Enloe (Tracy Wilcox/Golfweek)
BRADENTON, Fla. — Southern Methodist junior Bryson DeChambeau captured the NCAA individual title on Monday at The Concession Golf Club — his program's first NCAA Championship medalist honor.
The native of Clovis, Calif. entered the day with a one-shot lead, and held that slim advantage through an up-and-down 71 in the final round. Starting the day on 10, DeChambeau bogeyed 11 and 13, with an eagle thrown in between at 12. He finished off the back nine with a double-bogey, but fought back with a bogey-free 33 on the front.
DeChambeau credited Mustang head coach Jason Enloe with encouraging him through Monday's round. The first-year coach, who graduated from SMU in 1996, walked with DeChambeau for the entirety of his winning round.
"He helped me so much this week," DeChambeau told Golfweek. "He was with me the whole way, kept me positive, kept me confident and kept me trusting."
With the victory, DeChambeau jumped to No. 4 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings. (Full rankings results below)
Though DeChambeau finished the 72-hole tournament eight-under, the rest of his Mustangs team struggled, with none of the four other players finishing inside of the top-60. Out of the 15 teams that advanced to Monday's final round, SMU placed 14th, beating out only San Diego State, whose team total of 306 was the worst of the day.
Meanwhile, eight happy teams are heading to the match play portion of the event, beginning Tuesday at The Concession. Illinois ousted Vanderbilt for the top-seed, shooting six-under on the final day for a three-over total. Thomas Detry, the first-round individual leader, tied for third and paced the Fighting Illini to the team medalist honor.
Illinois will be matched up with UCLA in Tuesday morning's quarterfinal match, while Vanderbilt will square off with SEC rival LSU. The Georgia Bulldogs will face tournament-host South Florida in the 3-6 matchup, and rounding out the eight advancing teams are Texas and USC.
Illinois, LSU, and UCLA are the only teams to have made match play in 2014, while Texas secured final-eight spot in 2012 and 2013.
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.
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