The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes men’s golf team couldn’t keep up with the No. 6 Auburn Tigers Tuesday night in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
Ohio State fell to the Tigers 3&2 in 21 holes as Auburn will now face the Florida State Seminoles in the championship match on Wednesday.
Maxwell Moldovan and Tyler Sabo both got 1-up wins for the Buckeyes while Neal Shipley (2&1) and Jackson Chandler (1up) lost their matchups in the best-of-five match play format.
In the final and deciding match between the two teams, Buckeyes senior Adam Wallin went up against SEC Player of the Year and freshman Jackson Koivun – who were tied after the regulation 18. After two extra holes, the two were still even, but on the par-5 18th – the third extra hole, Koivu made birdie to put Auburn in the championship round against FSU.
Earlier in the day in the quarterfinal round, the Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt 3-1-1 to advance to the semifinals, while Auburn beat No. 3 Virginia 3-1.
Maxwell Moldovan and Tyler Sabo both got 1-up wins for the Buckeyes while Neal Shipley (2&1) and Jackson Chandler (1up) lost their matchups in the best-of-five match play format.
In the final and deciding match between the two teams, Buckeyes senior Adam Wallin went up against SEC Player of the Year and freshman Jackson Koivun – who were tied after the regulation 18. After two extra holes, the two were still even, but on the par-5 18th – the third extra hole, Koivu made birdie to put Auburn in the championship round against FSU.
Earlier in the day in the quarterfinal round, the Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt 3-1-1 to advance to the semifinals, while Auburn beat No. 3 Virginia 3-1.
Chandler (3&2), Shipley (4&2) and Wallin (19 holes) all won their quarterfinal matches to help the Buckeyes advance to the semifinals.
Ohio State finished stroke play at 22-over par as a team with a total of 1174. That put it behind Auburn, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Illinois as the top eight teams advanced to match play.
Last season, another SEC team, Florida, won the title with a 3-1 win over Georgia Tech. Neither Auburn or Florida State has won an NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, meaning this year, there will be a first-time winner.
