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
Ohio State’s two-score advantage comes after it suffered three consecutive losses to Michigan. For all its negatives, the streak has led to several first-round talents, including TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and Denzel Burke, returning for another season with the Buckeyes.
While Ohio State reloaded its roster (and made some star-studded additions in Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, Seth McLaughlin and Caleb Downs) this offseason, Michigan rebuilt its roster after a program-record 13 players to the NFL draft, including seven selected in the top 100 picks in 2024. That rebuilding has occurred with new head coach Sherrone Moore, who replaced Jim Harbaugh following his… well-timed departure… from the Los Angeles Charger.
