(NOTE: Below are notes and quotes from each day of the 2022 NCAA Men's Golf Championships. Items will be added daily with the most recent day listed at the top. It will be updated during each of the six days of the championship).
NCAA MEN'S GOLF MATCH PLAY QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS (TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND
“It’s so hard to do. Every match is so tough. These are great teams and our guys have played amazing. You see what Mason did both matches, what Preston did, Cameron was starting to take control of his match, and Puig, we rode Puig pretty hard at lunch. He's hadn’t won a match for us yet and it was time. It was pretty cool that he won that big match in the middle."
“The first two days were really hard. We were kind of up against it. We weren't in that bad of shape, but it felt like it. So for them to dig deep those last few days, it was trending in the right direction. Today, I think we played the best we've played all week, played really, really well. There was a lot more birdies, the course was a little more soft. There’s so much pressure on them all the time, and maybe that's it, maybe they're just used to it, it's just another day, block out all the stuff going on around here and just hit the shot that you got to hit right now. But they've been executing really well.”
“Armen and I talk about it all the time, if it's just 10 kids playing the local country clubs and no one knows or cares then there's really no point to this. This is a massive Sun Devil golf family. That they get some joy and pleasure and satisfaction and meaning out of following our guys and seeing what they do, hopefully that's the case. Hopefully everyone's inspired by the way these guys are competing and the kind of team they are and what we're doing. It's just awesome to represent the entire community and see so many of them out here, but not just them, the volunteers and the staff and our athletic department staff and the sponsors, there's just so many people that go into putting us in this position, and it's awesome to make them all proud.
“We were in the semifinals last year, and that was good. Going to the finals is a big deal, but we really want to have a good day tomorrow. We're not satisfied and I know whoever we're playing against is gonna say the same thing, but that's really true.”
On today’s match play
“Today for me, I was with Cam (Cameron Sisk) all day and the group in front was a little behind, so it was like playing out there with a group of friends. All of the action was happening up ahead. I might have less gray hair after this afternoon than before. I’m just happy those guys have had it inside of them to hit the big shots in big moments and to never give up. Mason Andersen, to come back the way he did in both matches was incredible. It was a pretty exciting finish today.”
On Mason Andersen's performance
“I committed to myself that I wasn’t going to worry about any other matches, I was going to stay with Cam and we were going to do what we have planned and not be bouncing back mentally and emotionally. But Cam had just hit a good shot on 13 and I knew 10 green was close by. I wasn’t going to say anything, I was just going to be close by and watch from a distance. To see the emotion when he made that putt was really cool and there were a lot of people there watching. I’m just so happy for Mason Anderson. What an amazing day he had as a senior. He was pretty down after stroke play, I thought maybe too down after having a great year. To have a day like he had today, he’ll forever be a part of Sun Devil lore for the day he had.”
On going with Cameron rather than bouncing around
“Our biggest thing this week and even regionals is to do anything and everything we can to lower the pressure on our guys. I think sometimes when we bounce around and we’re too hyper, it sends a message that they need us. It ups the heartrate a little bit on their part. We are just trying to keep as calm as possible. It’s emotional enough to watch one person, when you’re watching five, it’s an emotional wreck for coaches. We have just been staying with our guy, trusting our player. Maybe the secret is to stay away from them.”
On the two wins from Preston Summerhays
“For Preston to rally like he did, that is so hard to do when all of the momentum is gone and you hit shots in that moment. Thrilled for him, he beat two great players today.”
ARIZONA STATE'S PRESTON SUMMERHAYS
“Once you get to college, that's basically all you work for. Obviously you have big tournaments throughout the season, but it all leads up to this. We've put ourselves in a position to where we can go out and win the whole thing, which is what we try to do every year. It's a great opportunity that we have tomorrow.”
“This is a big event, biggest college golf event. But at the end of the day, it's just golf. I've played in big events, I've played on big stages, I think it's going to be the same.”
“I never panicked. I think it's really easy to be 5 up and basically have the match closed out, but to then be all square with two to play, most people would panic, but I stayed really calm. I knew my game was there and I knew I was able to hit good shots coming down the stretch. I just stayed calm and I just knew that my game would be there when I needed it most."
TEXAS HEAD COACH JOHN FIELDS
On having a chance to play for a National Championship
“It has been a long road. You can ask any of our guys, it has been a long road. Since COVID in 2020 when the World stopped. That was a tumultuous time for everybody. It was tough on these guys. They were getting ready to play in a National Championship and all of the sudden it was gone. Last year, even tougher. We got here and weren’t ready to play. We were exhausted. I wanted out guys to maximize what they could do. They did, I rolled the dice, and it didn’t happen for us.”
“This year, we refocused, and then the difficulties with the Coody’s in January, February, and March and it started in December. It just made us all more appreciative about what we do. The other kids on our team got to play and see what they could do. In the meantime, those guys were working on so much. They came back with a vengeance and added to the energy that Travis (Vick), Mason (Nome), and Cole (Hammer) have. Now we are here.”
TEXAS' TRAVIS VICK
On the key to his good start
“Arizona golf in the afternoon is way different than the mornings. I knew it was going to be a good test today. Reid (Davenport) is obviously a great player. I hit it well today. The putter started to cooperate. It hasn’t really cooperated all week. I am glad it finally started to cooperate today.”
On how playing team sports growing up helped prepare him for this setting
“Yeah, it definitely helps a lot to play those other sports. It gives you a competitive edge and allows you to be able to handle pressure differently because you face all sorts of different circumstances. Playing multiple sports has definitely benefited my competitive edge.”
On what he has learned about himself this week
“I have learned that the “valley” effects a lot of shots. Arizona golf is a little bit different than Texas golf, so it takes a little getting used to. I am still trying to figure it out, but the “valley” has a lot of effect when it comes to golf.”
TEXAS' PIERCESON COODY
On his semifinal victory
“It was a grind. Cole Sherwood is a great player and I just couldn’t get any momentum. A lot of pars and a few birdies at the turn. Luckily, I just kept going with some missed shots and capitalized when I needed to. It is just crazy to end on 16 against a great player. Just happy to get the win.”
On if he thought he would be in this spot after the injury
“No, it would have been really hard to imagine. We came earlier in the year when I was still injured just to see the course, and I could barely hit a drive 265-270 yards in the air. I was just watching other guys playing from the sidelines. To come back here, healthy, it is really special and hard to believe.”
On the matchup with Arizona State
“They are a great team and they have had a great season. They are going to have a lot of fans, but we have a good group of guys out here and I think we can get it done.”
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“I’m just so proud of our guys and how hard they fought. When they were down they found a way to get back. We didn’t win today but it was close and sometimes the score doesn’t do it justice. I can’t say enough about this team. It’s a unique, special group that I’ve been so thankful to be a part of. This group’s never been defending national champs before and we were able to tackle all that and absorb some of the stuff that we had going on. To be able to come in and make such a good run here -- to make match play alone is an accomplishment, and then to win the first match, we played great today. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this whole thing with these guys and it’s something we’ll never forget.”
NCAA MEN'S GOLF FOURTH ROUND (MONDAY, MAY 30, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“A great week by the guys so far, tying for first in stroke play. I’m just very pleased and very proud of the guys for their poise, their composure, their patience. Obviously, it's a really tough test out there. You could see it by the scores once again today. They were really high scores in very difficult conditions. Just proud of the guys for what we've accomplished to this point, but we're not done. It feels like the tournament is just getting started for us and we have a lot of things we want to accomplish this week and the fun starts tomorrow.”
“We've been building and building and I feel like for whatever reason nationally nobody talks about us. I don't fully know why. But we love our guys. We're a really talented group. The guys work hard. They love the game. They love competition. They're mentally tough. I wouldn't say we're here until we lift the big trophy, but we're right where we want to be right now.
(DiBitetto on Ryan Burnett)
“He’s been resilient. Things didn't go his way in the fall, even a little bit last year. To start the year he wasn't even in the lineup, but give him a lot of credit for his work ethic. We talked a lot about getting in the dirt and digging your way out of something. And Ryan’s worked really hard this year, really, really hard. A lot of early mornings at the facility. That's what coaches love to see, and we love to see guys get rewarded for the hard work when it pays off. I’m super proud and excited for him. One of the coolest things was I listened to him get interviewed the other day on Golf Channel, and they asked him about the individual national championship and his response was basically, ‘yes, that'd be cool. But we came here to win a team championship.’ So it's awesome to see him have success but also know exactly where his mind is.”
NORTH CAROLINA'S RYAN BURNETT
“Last summer I had a shoulder injury and was struggling to get my game back both mentally and physically. In the fall I was probably in one of the lower places in my golf career. I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back to where I was my sophomore year. I was searching for things. I've worked really hard especially this semester and I feel this is kind of the payoff for that. I'm just playing really well this week and had a nice finish.
"I played really solid the whole week. I was able to stay patient, which is really important out here. Just kind of stuck to my game plan all four days. And when I got close I got a little nervous, but I didn't let myself get too rattled, took some deep breaths and stayed with it. It's obviously a great honor to be in a playoff for the national championship and I wish it came out a little different. But that's golf and I gave it my all so it was a good week.”
TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH GREG SANDS
“Our goal all season has been to win a national championship. You have to keep advancing in this format to do that and we’re taking an important step. Now we go head-to-head with other teams and we’ll need to play our best golf. Match play has been some of the most exciting days of my career and I’m looking forward to what our guys can do tomorrow. It’s going to be fun no matter what, but our guys are here to win. We know we’ll have to play well but we’re excited about the opportunity. We talked about sticking to the process before our round. One of our mental approaches is to be unbreakable. We just needed to keep playing and I thought we did a good job of coming out focused with a good start.”
NOTES
OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH RYAN HYBL
"When you look back on today, you will see we put together a nice team round led by Patrick Welch with a 7-under par 63. I was with him (Welch) most of the day. It was a fantastic round of golf. I am super proud of him leading the charge today."
"Chris (Gotterup) had another nice round. Stephen Campbell, we threw him in there, and had a nice 2-over par round. Overall, not a bad day."
"We have two golf tournaments here - stroke play then match play. We have an opportunity to win the stroke play portion. We can’t wait to come out and see our guys execute tomorrow."
"The winds are going to blow a little bit tomorrow afternoon. It will make it nice, tough, and challenging. We have that opportunity. We can then move into match play, knock-on wood, if things go well. Tomorrow, our first job is to try and go in to win the stroke play."
***
"We (Oklahoma) got two national champions Walter Emery and the great Jimmy Vickers. One of the greatest story tellers of all time. To have another Oklahoma guy potentially be able to hoist that national championship trophy as an individual would be truly special. It is a hard one to get."
"Our guys will be into it tomorrow. Hopefully, they won’t get focused on what is going on there individually with the tournament. We need to take it a shot at a time. You must do that here at Grayhawk otherwise you can get behind the eight ball."
"Looking for great execution tomorrow and a big-time attitude from our guys understanding what the job is tomorrow."
OKLAHOMA'S CHRIS GOTTERUP
"Today was an interesting day definitely a roller coaster. Got off to a good start. I then let a couple go through my own mistakes on 10,11 and 12. I got a couple back then let one go on 18."
"Other than that, it was good day. Anytime you can get under par here at Grayhawk is a good score."
OKLAHOMA'S PATRICK WELSH
"Playing in the morning yesterday I felt helped. I was more familiar with what would happen today with the conditions. I hit it well and made a lot of putts. I wanted to avoid making mistakes and play solid golf. I wasn’t thinking about a score."
"It is tough to win a tournament no matter what type of event. You need to stay focused and take it one shot at a time. You can’t think ahead and must stay in the moment. Honestly, you try to distract yourself from what is going on. It keeps you free. It is tough to do especially in a tournament like this. I am excited for it."
TEXAS HEAD COACH JOHN FIELDS
“I’m really proud of our guys today. They were tough down the stretch. Grayhawk is a heck of a test that is right on the edge in terms of setup. Tomorrow will be no different. We will bring our best with experience and energy.”
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVIL HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND
“I’m so excited, it’s great to host, but there is still a massive amount of pressure on each of those guys and they feel it. Last year we got to win, we got to finish first and it was cute for about three minutes because it doesn’t matter, it’s a qualifier and now we get to go play, maybe, the same team we played last year.”
“My mom used to say I don’t smile enough when we win something and I’m smiling a lot right now because we’re playing matchplay again and we got a shot at a National Championship.”
“This course is perfect for Cameron (Sisk). He’s controlling his distances and controlling his ball. Nobody is better at controlling the golf ball than Cameron. He is a tough competitor and he makes a lot of pars. He finished 8th last year and he knew he was a guy who could play really well here. He was incredible.”
“It was emotional being out there with him, the passion that he played with and the intensity is incredible and I’m proud of Cameron. I will always remember this tournament.”
“Our guys are really equally matched and we’re a tough team to match up against. We love playing golf, so as many holes as we can play tomorrow, the better. We’re made for this, we’re ready.”
“It was a true championship atmosphere out there and it makes me happy to have Sun Devil fans who care so much. Our players feel that and I feel that and it’s just a big deal. We are apart of something much bigger than ourselves. For our players to feel the energy and people that care makes them play a little harder and makes them feel important and hopefully Sun Devil nation is proud today, we’re going into matchplay knowing that we got a chance. Cameron, Mason and James are three great seniors and the fabric of our team.”
SUN DEVIL SENIOR CAMERON SISK
“I knew I would play pretty good, a couple people didn’t play so well and that helped me out a bit. I showed a lot of grit. It’s awesome to see my name amongst the best. This course is all about minimizing the stakes. Being able to move the ball off the tee and into the green over and over again without losing patience is a big reason why I played so well this week.”
OKLAHOMA STATE HEAD COACH ALAN BRATTON
"We got three rounds in the books. I like where we are sitting. We are in great position heading into the final round. We closed the gap a little bit. Moved up from third to second. I love the way we play this golf course. We proved it last year that Grayhawk is a good golf course for us."
"We still made too many big numbers. We need to clean that up. We are still playing the course aggressively. I like the way we are playing from the tee. We hit more drivers than other teams which is a strength of ours."
"We will continue to climb. We will have to re-adjust tomorrow going in the afternoon where it is a different golf course. The ball goes forever. We will recalibrate and get ready. We have the same pairing with OU and Vanderbilt. Hopefully, we can play well enough to earn the number one seed."
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“We've kind of shown it all year, the talent and depth we have. It's one of the reasons we've had so much success is we have five guys that can play great golf and have a chance to win every single time we tee off. We're not relying on one guy or two guys. Our ‘number five guy’ (Peter Fountain) was a first-team All-American last year. Ryan Burnett, a senior who's in the fourth slot, has won college golf tournaments and he's in the top five, so we have talent, we have toughness and we have depth all the way through our roster.”
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“I think we’re starting to really get a feel for how the course is playing. It was great to have all five guys in it today, and Dylan’s low round of 4-under was huge for us. He got out early and never let off the gas. But everyone played well. It was a great team effort today and I like where all five of their games are going into tomorrow. The guys are prepared and know what’s coming.”
ARIZONA STATE'S PRESTON SUMMERHAYS
On what was working for him today
“Today I got out of the gates hot, I birdied three out of my first four. Was just about hitting clean shots in the green. I’ve been rolling it well all week and putts haven’t really fallen and they started to fall on that front nine and it went on from there.”
On leaning on the upperclassmen for advice
“Coming into the event, I felt that if we were prepared well, we were going to play good. Those upperclassmen played here last year and they know what the course is like and tournament conditions. We’ve played a decent amount, but it’s nothing like the tournament conditions we have right now. Picking their brains on some holes, especially with how they’re playing this week specifically was a big deal leading into this event.”
OREGON HEAD COACH CASEY MARTIN
"It's obviously a great accomplishment because these are the best teams. We're gonna have to play mistake-free tomorrow to advance, but it will be fun to give it a shot. Yeah, we're excited."
"You've got to take these little baby steps and learn that you can compete, and feel comfortable on a course like this. It's really tough, tough conditions. And so every time you play in stuff like this, you grow and you build that 'grit muscle.' And so hopefully that will help us in the future."
STANFORD HEAD COACH CONRAD RAY
On today’s third round
"I think the story of our day was too many ‘others’. We’ve done a good job up to this point of not making doubles and triples, but we just had too many on front nine, and from some pretty reasonable spots too. That’s the frustrating part. I think the guys will look back on this round when the dust settles and wish they had a few of those shots back."
On the reason for the slow start
"I think it was a little bit of everything. We all felt pretty good going into the round today. Sometimes you get worried about the hard shots when in reality it boils down to the easy shots and every shot matters the same. We just have to use this as motivation to keep working hard. We played with a really talented Texas Tech team, the wind was up, and you watch them play the golf course compared to us — we need to get better. Flighting the ball into the wind and controlling where we leave it is such a key thing when it’s tough. Disappointed that the outcome is the way it is, but there’s a lot to be happy about too."
On the season
"You come here wanting to win, but if you take a step back, to be in the top 30 teams in the country it’s a positive. I’m happy for our guys, they balance both worlds in school and golf and represent Stanford really well, so there’s a lot to be proud of for sure."
NCAA MEN'S GOLF SECOND ROUND (SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH RYAN HYBL
"It was nice to play a golf course that was yielding some birdies. We didn't start out super phenomenal, outside of Chris (Gotterup), but we really got some fire power going around the turn. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen, we made quite a few birdies. Patrick Welch and Drew Goodman got the after burners going with some birdies right in the middle of the round. I am excited about where our guys are at. Logan McAlister and Chris on the back end to go four-under, that is a big time round."
OKLAHOMA STATE'S AMAN GUPTA
On how he was able to turn it around after a rough start
“Hit it in the junk on No. 4 and made bogey, three-putted No. 5 and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m 5 over on the leaderboard right now, I better start doing something. It was just one of those things where as long as I trusted what I was doing and didn’t try to overthink it and just didn’t get too caught up in where I stood that it was gonna be a pretty good day, and it was really good.”
“I made a bad swing off No. 4 tee and then just a bad putt on No. 5 so I didn’t really hit any terrible shots. The course is hard and only takes one bad shot to get out of position. I knew I wasn't playing bad so I just knew if I just kept doing what I was doing and just kept trusting it that it was gonna end up being a good day."
On his confidence going forward
“Definitely gives me a good feeling going forward. It's a four day tournament and we were talking about it after the round yesterday, I was five back at the end of the day and I was like, it just takes one good round to get yourself back into it. I'm glad I could accomplish that and it definitely gives me some confidence knowing that I can take low out here, for sure."
On if being on the course allows him to gain knowledge
“It definitely helps. The ball just goes so far out here. We're hitting 8 irons 200 yards so just trusting that, as long as I hit it solid it's gonna get there, I think last year really helped coming into this year just knowing that if you just hit it solid it's gonna be the right distance."
VANDERBILT HEAD COACH SCOTT LIMBAUGH (FULL VANDERBILT RECAP HERE)
“I’m really pleased with how we finished today. It seemed like we got off to a good start then lost some momentum halfway through the round and kind of locked back in for a strong finish.
“Harrison (Ott) really did a great job hanging in there, getting himself putts and playing a solid round. Cole (Sherwood) and Gordon (Sargent) were both really good today and continue to play at a really high level. Cole holed some big putts to keep momentum and Gordon is doing a great job staying patient and trusting his plan. Reid (Davenport) and William (Moll) didn’t have their best stuff today, but they fought hard with what they had and we know they will be right there for us moving forward.”
“This is a long tournament and I think it’s so important to be fully present in each moment. There is no reward for focusing on the finish line. You can’t allow your mind to fast forward because you cannot skip steps. Sunday is another great opportunity to build more trust and try to take another step forward. I think we can be better in some areas and we need to have high standards for ourselves, have fun and play Vandy golf. We don’t have to try to be more than that because we know it works. We need to be excited to go try and take another step.”
OLE MISS HEAD COACH CHRIS MALLOY
“The tough part about days like today, or more specifically the morning wave versus the afternoon wave, is that the wind picks up and the course just plays a lot harder in the afternoon. You can see that by the scores."
"For Suber to go out there and shoot 65 really gave us that shot in the arm that we needed. Again, as I told the guys, if we can just go back and clean up some silly mistakes on some of these big numbers then we’ll be just fine, and we’ll continue to cruise right along. The name of the game is to get better as the week goes along and to stay in contention.”
OLE MISS' JACKSON SUBER
“I had a good day today and that’s because I just kept the same game plan as yesterday and it just worked out a little better for me today. Don’t need to change anything or reinvent the wheel, I just need to keep trusting that. Some holes it’s going to be there, some it’s not. It’ll all work out in the end.”
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“Our guys really turned it around there. Under par on our back side was extremely impressive. It was really neat to hear all the cheers with the putts being made there at the end, and hearing all the people out here supporting us. It was a very good day. It played tough again, I thought. It was breezy, even on our front nine. But the guys hung in there and adjusted well ... I don’t think I’ve seen a putting round like Derek (Hitchner, who shot a 3-under 67) had today. It was insane. He just did a great job. Didn’t have his best from tee to green, but the putter was hot. He had a nice finish to a great day.”
GEORGIA'S TRENT PHILLIPS
On his hole in one on 13
”It was pretty electric. It was a full 6-iron, I hit hard, it looked good all the way, and it went in. I could see it go in and then I saw all the people going crazy. It was a great feeling."
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“A very solid round this morning. Obviously we played in the afternoon yesterday (when) out here in the desert things get really firm. So the good news is this morning it was a little bit softer conditions and we needed to take advantage of it. Our guys did a really nice job at 1 over par, which by the end of the day is going to look like a really good score.”
STANFORD HEAD COACH CONRAD RAY
Thoughts on Saturday’s round
"Our guys were in a pretty good frame of mind. We had a good warmup. We had a slow front nine though. There were a couple severe hole locations that we didn’t do well with. Got off to a little bit of a slow start. A few of the guys had one or two swings that they’d like back and got them in trouble to make a double. All in all a better day, but we still haven’t played our best round yet."
On playing the par 5s better today but continuing to struggle on the par 3s
"I think sometimes you get an 8 or 9 iron in your hand and you’re kind of trained to look at the flag. But we just have to be really disciplined on the par 3s and lag putt. It’s very difficult to get it around most of the hole locations, so you just have to know that you need to take 15, 20 or 30 feet on those holes and two putt. If you can do that, you’ll be okay. I feel like our guys haven’t played their best yet. We have one step at a time and it would be great to sneak into that Top 15 and see what happens tomorrow."
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND
OREGON HEAD COACH CASEY MARTIN
"This was a very tough day just to make par, let alone birdie. So, we didn't play well. But we have a really clutch player in Owen (Avrit). We were talking the last few holes and I was like, 'You've gotta birdie a couple of these.' And he did."
"It appears to be 10 shots. So yeah, it's significant. When the wind picks up on this championship course, it's just really difficult. So hopefully we can get a few holes in without too much wind and make some birdies tomorrow."
NCAA MEN'S GOLF FIRST ROUND (FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
VANDERBILT COACH SCOTT LIMBAUGH (VANDERBILT FULL DAY ONE RECAP HERE)
“Really good first day. Excited about the way the guys played. I thought it was important to have everybody in it – and everybody was in it. Super-proud of William (Moll) for going out and setting the pace for the day. We had one score worse than bogey out here on this golf course. I think that shows a lot of toughness in my book. Proud of the way Reid (Davenport) and Cole Sherwood) hung in there to finish and Gordon (Sargent) just looked solid all day. Just got to keep our eyes looking forward. Need to be ready to go first thing in the morning, having all five guys in it and having fun. There’s nothing like being on a team and just got to embrace it and have fun with it.”
- - -
NORTH CAROLINA COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“We played overall pretty solidly. It is not easy out there. Especially in the afternoon the greens were very firm and the hole locations were difficult. The wind didn't blow crazy hard but there's enough wind to make you think. It's just difficult. You had the best teams in the country on the golf course this afternoon. We were 8 over which is maybe the third best in the afternoon, but I’m just proud of the guys for their grit, their toughness and their patience hanging in there.”
- - -
CLICK HERE FOR OKLAHOMA RECAP WITH QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RYAN HYBL
- - -
AUBURN COACH JAY MOSELEY
"Today was a great, tough test. The greens are baked out and it's getting tougher as the hours go by. It's certainly going to separate the field, and that's what we want. We've got to be at our best if we want a chance to play for the championship. (Brendan) Valdes played great," Clinard said. "He's such a talented kid and great athlete. Chris (Williams) has done such a nice job with him, walking with him and coaching him up. Brendan's certainly playing some of the best golf of his career, and I think the sky is the limit."
"If we want to be successful tomorrow, we've got to stay in the present and accept what the course gives us," Clinard said. "We've got to understand that it's going to be tough but still be ready to battle. Understanding the value of a par is important. Bogeys aren't going to kill us, so we've just got to keep rolling and plugging along."
- - -
FLORIDA STATE NOTE
Cole Anderson from Florida State shot a 71 today. That’s his lowest of four rounds played in the NCAA Championship.
- - -
OHIO STATE COACH JAY MOSELEY
“We learned a lot about the golf course today. It's obviously presented everybody with some challenge with the conditions and the way they've set this place up but just like we talked about last night, every hole out here is fair. There's some that are certainly challenging. You don't get very many birdie opportunities because it's really challenging to get your approach shots close to some of these holes, But most every hole, if you if you hit some quality shots, you can walk out of there with pars and we just didn't make enough good solid shots today.”
“We’re going to prepare for a totally different golf course tomorrow because this course really changes from the morning to the afternoon when it dries out. It gets really firm and fast so our tee shots are probably going to go anywhere from 30 to 50 yards further, we're probably going to have to hit some different clubs off the tee. The greens will certainly be firmer and faster as we go throughout the week and we'll be ready for that challenge.”
- - -
OREGON HEAD COACH CASEY MARTIN
"I thought the guys played well. This golf course is extremely difficult and I was encouraged. It wasn't perfect; we had kind of a gut-punch there on 18. But you know what? You're not gonna avoid this golf course — that happens out here. The guys battled, and we're all right. They're comfortable. Yeah, they were comfortable. I was encouraged. I mean, yeah, like I said, it wasn't perfect. You kind of want a few holes back. Now we've just gotta go rest, get hydrated and get ready to battle the 105 (-degree heat) tomorrow."
- - -
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH JAY REEHORN (CARSON BARRY PLAYING AS INDIVIDUAL)
“The way this course is setup, if you are off by just a couple of yards in any direction from your target you pay the price, and it’s showing in the scores for the entire field. Carson (Barry) hit a couple of shots that barely missed his target to start the round, which left him in spots not able to save par. Tomorrow afternoon is going to be very difficult. The course is already very firm. Twenty-four hours from now, it will be even firmer and the wind is supposed to kick up. The key for Carson will be to stay patient and understand a shot that ends up 20-to-30 feet from the hole is really good.”
UTAH HEAD COACH GARRETT CLEGG
"We played really well for the most of the day. The course is exceptionally difficult and the margin for error is so razor thin that any slightly offline shot can cause a double bogey and we made our share of them today. Tomorrow we need to be ready for an absolute battle because playing in the afternoon is a huge challenge. The greens are rock hard and the course is incredibly hard. We have a great opportunity tomorrow and I'm excited to see how we respond."
NCAA MEN'S GOLF MATCH PLAY QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS (TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND
“It’s so hard to do. Every match is so tough. These are great teams and our guys have played amazing. You see what Mason did both matches, what Preston did, Cameron was starting to take control of his match, and Puig, we rode Puig pretty hard at lunch. He's hadn’t won a match for us yet and it was time. It was pretty cool that he won that big match in the middle."
“The first two days were really hard. We were kind of up against it. We weren't in that bad of shape, but it felt like it. So for them to dig deep those last few days, it was trending in the right direction. Today, I think we played the best we've played all week, played really, really well. There was a lot more birdies, the course was a little more soft. There’s so much pressure on them all the time, and maybe that's it, maybe they're just used to it, it's just another day, block out all the stuff going on around here and just hit the shot that you got to hit right now. But they've been executing really well.”
“Armen and I talk about it all the time, if it's just 10 kids playing the local country clubs and no one knows or cares then there's really no point to this. This is a massive Sun Devil golf family. That they get some joy and pleasure and satisfaction and meaning out of following our guys and seeing what they do, hopefully that's the case. Hopefully everyone's inspired by the way these guys are competing and the kind of team they are and what we're doing. It's just awesome to represent the entire community and see so many of them out here, but not just them, the volunteers and the staff and our athletic department staff and the sponsors, there's just so many people that go into putting us in this position, and it's awesome to make them all proud.
“We were in the semifinals last year, and that was good. Going to the finals is a big deal, but we really want to have a good day tomorrow. We're not satisfied and I know whoever we're playing against is gonna say the same thing, but that's really true.”
On today’s match play
“Today for me, I was with Cam (Cameron Sisk) all day and the group in front was a little behind, so it was like playing out there with a group of friends. All of the action was happening up ahead. I might have less gray hair after this afternoon than before. I’m just happy those guys have had it inside of them to hit the big shots in big moments and to never give up. Mason Andersen, to come back the way he did in both matches was incredible. It was a pretty exciting finish today.”
On Mason Andersen's performance
“I committed to myself that I wasn’t going to worry about any other matches, I was going to stay with Cam and we were going to do what we have planned and not be bouncing back mentally and emotionally. But Cam had just hit a good shot on 13 and I knew 10 green was close by. I wasn’t going to say anything, I was just going to be close by and watch from a distance. To see the emotion when he made that putt was really cool and there were a lot of people there watching. I’m just so happy for Mason Anderson. What an amazing day he had as a senior. He was pretty down after stroke play, I thought maybe too down after having a great year. To have a day like he had today, he’ll forever be a part of Sun Devil lore for the day he had.”
On going with Cameron rather than bouncing around
“Our biggest thing this week and even regionals is to do anything and everything we can to lower the pressure on our guys. I think sometimes when we bounce around and we’re too hyper, it sends a message that they need us. It ups the heartrate a little bit on their part. We are just trying to keep as calm as possible. It’s emotional enough to watch one person, when you’re watching five, it’s an emotional wreck for coaches. We have just been staying with our guy, trusting our player. Maybe the secret is to stay away from them.”
On the two wins from Preston Summerhays
“For Preston to rally like he did, that is so hard to do when all of the momentum is gone and you hit shots in that moment. Thrilled for him, he beat two great players today.”
ARIZONA STATE'S PRESTON SUMMERHAYS
“Once you get to college, that's basically all you work for. Obviously you have big tournaments throughout the season, but it all leads up to this. We've put ourselves in a position to where we can go out and win the whole thing, which is what we try to do every year. It's a great opportunity that we have tomorrow.”
“This is a big event, biggest college golf event. But at the end of the day, it's just golf. I've played in big events, I've played on big stages, I think it's going to be the same.”
“I never panicked. I think it's really easy to be 5 up and basically have the match closed out, but to then be all square with two to play, most people would panic, but I stayed really calm. I knew my game was there and I knew I was able to hit good shots coming down the stretch. I just stayed calm and I just knew that my game would be there when I needed it most."
TEXAS HEAD COACH JOHN FIELDS
On having a chance to play for a National Championship
“It has been a long road. You can ask any of our guys, it has been a long road. Since COVID in 2020 when the World stopped. That was a tumultuous time for everybody. It was tough on these guys. They were getting ready to play in a National Championship and all of the sudden it was gone. Last year, even tougher. We got here and weren’t ready to play. We were exhausted. I wanted out guys to maximize what they could do. They did, I rolled the dice, and it didn’t happen for us.”
“This year, we refocused, and then the difficulties with the Coody’s in January, February, and March and it started in December. It just made us all more appreciative about what we do. The other kids on our team got to play and see what they could do. In the meantime, those guys were working on so much. They came back with a vengeance and added to the energy that Travis (Vick), Mason (Nome), and Cole (Hammer) have. Now we are here.”
TEXAS' TRAVIS VICK
On the key to his good start
“Arizona golf in the afternoon is way different than the mornings. I knew it was going to be a good test today. Reid (Davenport) is obviously a great player. I hit it well today. The putter started to cooperate. It hasn’t really cooperated all week. I am glad it finally started to cooperate today.”
On how playing team sports growing up helped prepare him for this setting
“Yeah, it definitely helps a lot to play those other sports. It gives you a competitive edge and allows you to be able to handle pressure differently because you face all sorts of different circumstances. Playing multiple sports has definitely benefited my competitive edge.”
On what he has learned about himself this week
“I have learned that the “valley” effects a lot of shots. Arizona golf is a little bit different than Texas golf, so it takes a little getting used to. I am still trying to figure it out, but the “valley” has a lot of effect when it comes to golf.”
TEXAS' PIERCESON COODY
On his semifinal victory
“It was a grind. Cole Sherwood is a great player and I just couldn’t get any momentum. A lot of pars and a few birdies at the turn. Luckily, I just kept going with some missed shots and capitalized when I needed to. It is just crazy to end on 16 against a great player. Just happy to get the win.”
On if he thought he would be in this spot after the injury
“No, it would have been really hard to imagine. We came earlier in the year when I was still injured just to see the course, and I could barely hit a drive 265-270 yards in the air. I was just watching other guys playing from the sidelines. To come back here, healthy, it is really special and hard to believe.”
On the matchup with Arizona State
“They are a great team and they have had a great season. They are going to have a lot of fans, but we have a good group of guys out here and I think we can get it done.”
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“I’m just so proud of our guys and how hard they fought. When they were down they found a way to get back. We didn’t win today but it was close and sometimes the score doesn’t do it justice. I can’t say enough about this team. It’s a unique, special group that I’ve been so thankful to be a part of. This group’s never been defending national champs before and we were able to tackle all that and absorb some of the stuff that we had going on. To be able to come in and make such a good run here -- to make match play alone is an accomplishment, and then to win the first match, we played great today. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this whole thing with these guys and it’s something we’ll never forget.”
NCAA MEN'S GOLF FOURTH ROUND (MONDAY, MAY 30, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“A great week by the guys so far, tying for first in stroke play. I’m just very pleased and very proud of the guys for their poise, their composure, their patience. Obviously, it's a really tough test out there. You could see it by the scores once again today. They were really high scores in very difficult conditions. Just proud of the guys for what we've accomplished to this point, but we're not done. It feels like the tournament is just getting started for us and we have a lot of things we want to accomplish this week and the fun starts tomorrow.”
“We've been building and building and I feel like for whatever reason nationally nobody talks about us. I don't fully know why. But we love our guys. We're a really talented group. The guys work hard. They love the game. They love competition. They're mentally tough. I wouldn't say we're here until we lift the big trophy, but we're right where we want to be right now.
(DiBitetto on Ryan Burnett)
“He’s been resilient. Things didn't go his way in the fall, even a little bit last year. To start the year he wasn't even in the lineup, but give him a lot of credit for his work ethic. We talked a lot about getting in the dirt and digging your way out of something. And Ryan’s worked really hard this year, really, really hard. A lot of early mornings at the facility. That's what coaches love to see, and we love to see guys get rewarded for the hard work when it pays off. I’m super proud and excited for him. One of the coolest things was I listened to him get interviewed the other day on Golf Channel, and they asked him about the individual national championship and his response was basically, ‘yes, that'd be cool. But we came here to win a team championship.’ So it's awesome to see him have success but also know exactly where his mind is.”
NORTH CAROLINA'S RYAN BURNETT
“Last summer I had a shoulder injury and was struggling to get my game back both mentally and physically. In the fall I was probably in one of the lower places in my golf career. I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back to where I was my sophomore year. I was searching for things. I've worked really hard especially this semester and I feel this is kind of the payoff for that. I'm just playing really well this week and had a nice finish.
"I played really solid the whole week. I was able to stay patient, which is really important out here. Just kind of stuck to my game plan all four days. And when I got close I got a little nervous, but I didn't let myself get too rattled, took some deep breaths and stayed with it. It's obviously a great honor to be in a playoff for the national championship and I wish it came out a little different. But that's golf and I gave it my all so it was a good week.”
TEXAS TECH HEAD COACH GREG SANDS
“Our goal all season has been to win a national championship. You have to keep advancing in this format to do that and we’re taking an important step. Now we go head-to-head with other teams and we’ll need to play our best golf. Match play has been some of the most exciting days of my career and I’m looking forward to what our guys can do tomorrow. It’s going to be fun no matter what, but our guys are here to win. We know we’ll have to play well but we’re excited about the opportunity. We talked about sticking to the process before our round. One of our mental approaches is to be unbreakable. We just needed to keep playing and I thought we did a good job of coming out focused with a good start.”
NOTES
- Carolina’s tie for first is its best ever in stroke play at the NCAA Championship. Previous was second in 1953 and second in 1991.
- Senior Ryan Burnett’s tie for first is the best finish by a Tar Heel since John Inman won the title in 1984. Harvie Ward also won the individual national championship in 1949.
- Freshman David Ford tied for fifth place at 1-over 281, one stroke out of the four-way tie for first. This is the first time ever UNC had two players in the top five and ties.
- Ford was the second-highest finisher among freshmen in the 2022 NCAA Championship. Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent tied for first.
- Carolina advanced to match play for the second consecutive NCAA Championship. Last year UNC was eighth in stroke play (25-over 1145) and lost to No. 1 seed Arizona State, 3-1-1, in the quarterfinals. That gave UNC a tie for fifth place last season.
- Carolina is assured of at least a top-five finish again. This is the first time has ever finished in the top five in consecutive seasons. UNC was seventh in 1990 and second in 1991, fifth in 1978 and tied sixth in 1979, and tied for eighth, sixth and seventh in 1949, 1950 and 1951, respectively.
- Carolina is one of five schools (with Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt) to finish in the top in each of the last five NCAA Championships.
OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH RYAN HYBL
"When you look back on today, you will see we put together a nice team round led by Patrick Welch with a 7-under par 63. I was with him (Welch) most of the day. It was a fantastic round of golf. I am super proud of him leading the charge today."
"Chris (Gotterup) had another nice round. Stephen Campbell, we threw him in there, and had a nice 2-over par round. Overall, not a bad day."
"We have two golf tournaments here - stroke play then match play. We have an opportunity to win the stroke play portion. We can’t wait to come out and see our guys execute tomorrow."
"The winds are going to blow a little bit tomorrow afternoon. It will make it nice, tough, and challenging. We have that opportunity. We can then move into match play, knock-on wood, if things go well. Tomorrow, our first job is to try and go in to win the stroke play."
***
"We (Oklahoma) got two national champions Walter Emery and the great Jimmy Vickers. One of the greatest story tellers of all time. To have another Oklahoma guy potentially be able to hoist that national championship trophy as an individual would be truly special. It is a hard one to get."
"Our guys will be into it tomorrow. Hopefully, they won’t get focused on what is going on there individually with the tournament. We need to take it a shot at a time. You must do that here at Grayhawk otherwise you can get behind the eight ball."
"Looking for great execution tomorrow and a big-time attitude from our guys understanding what the job is tomorrow."
OKLAHOMA'S CHRIS GOTTERUP
"Today was an interesting day definitely a roller coaster. Got off to a good start. I then let a couple go through my own mistakes on 10,11 and 12. I got a couple back then let one go on 18."
"Other than that, it was good day. Anytime you can get under par here at Grayhawk is a good score."
OKLAHOMA'S PATRICK WELSH
"Playing in the morning yesterday I felt helped. I was more familiar with what would happen today with the conditions. I hit it well and made a lot of putts. I wanted to avoid making mistakes and play solid golf. I wasn’t thinking about a score."
"It is tough to win a tournament no matter what type of event. You need to stay focused and take it one shot at a time. You can’t think ahead and must stay in the moment. Honestly, you try to distract yourself from what is going on. It keeps you free. It is tough to do especially in a tournament like this. I am excited for it."
TEXAS HEAD COACH JOHN FIELDS
“I’m really proud of our guys today. They were tough down the stretch. Grayhawk is a heck of a test that is right on the edge in terms of setup. Tomorrow will be no different. We will bring our best with experience and energy.”
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVIL HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND
“I’m so excited, it’s great to host, but there is still a massive amount of pressure on each of those guys and they feel it. Last year we got to win, we got to finish first and it was cute for about three minutes because it doesn’t matter, it’s a qualifier and now we get to go play, maybe, the same team we played last year.”
“My mom used to say I don’t smile enough when we win something and I’m smiling a lot right now because we’re playing matchplay again and we got a shot at a National Championship.”
“This course is perfect for Cameron (Sisk). He’s controlling his distances and controlling his ball. Nobody is better at controlling the golf ball than Cameron. He is a tough competitor and he makes a lot of pars. He finished 8th last year and he knew he was a guy who could play really well here. He was incredible.”
“It was emotional being out there with him, the passion that he played with and the intensity is incredible and I’m proud of Cameron. I will always remember this tournament.”
“Our guys are really equally matched and we’re a tough team to match up against. We love playing golf, so as many holes as we can play tomorrow, the better. We’re made for this, we’re ready.”
“It was a true championship atmosphere out there and it makes me happy to have Sun Devil fans who care so much. Our players feel that and I feel that and it’s just a big deal. We are apart of something much bigger than ourselves. For our players to feel the energy and people that care makes them play a little harder and makes them feel important and hopefully Sun Devil nation is proud today, we’re going into matchplay knowing that we got a chance. Cameron, Mason and James are three great seniors and the fabric of our team.”
SUN DEVIL SENIOR CAMERON SISK
“I knew I would play pretty good, a couple people didn’t play so well and that helped me out a bit. I showed a lot of grit. It’s awesome to see my name amongst the best. This course is all about minimizing the stakes. Being able to move the ball off the tee and into the green over and over again without losing patience is a big reason why I played so well this week.”
OKLAHOMA STATE HEAD COACH ALAN BRATTON
"We got three rounds in the books. I like where we are sitting. We are in great position heading into the final round. We closed the gap a little bit. Moved up from third to second. I love the way we play this golf course. We proved it last year that Grayhawk is a good golf course for us."
"We still made too many big numbers. We need to clean that up. We are still playing the course aggressively. I like the way we are playing from the tee. We hit more drivers than other teams which is a strength of ours."
"We will continue to climb. We will have to re-adjust tomorrow going in the afternoon where it is a different golf course. The ball goes forever. We will recalibrate and get ready. We have the same pairing with OU and Vanderbilt. Hopefully, we can play well enough to earn the number one seed."
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“We've kind of shown it all year, the talent and depth we have. It's one of the reasons we've had so much success is we have five guys that can play great golf and have a chance to win every single time we tee off. We're not relying on one guy or two guys. Our ‘number five guy’ (Peter Fountain) was a first-team All-American last year. Ryan Burnett, a senior who's in the fourth slot, has won college golf tournaments and he's in the top five, so we have talent, we have toughness and we have depth all the way through our roster.”
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“I think we’re starting to really get a feel for how the course is playing. It was great to have all five guys in it today, and Dylan’s low round of 4-under was huge for us. He got out early and never let off the gas. But everyone played well. It was a great team effort today and I like where all five of their games are going into tomorrow. The guys are prepared and know what’s coming.”
ARIZONA STATE'S PRESTON SUMMERHAYS
On what was working for him today
“Today I got out of the gates hot, I birdied three out of my first four. Was just about hitting clean shots in the green. I’ve been rolling it well all week and putts haven’t really fallen and they started to fall on that front nine and it went on from there.”
On leaning on the upperclassmen for advice
“Coming into the event, I felt that if we were prepared well, we were going to play good. Those upperclassmen played here last year and they know what the course is like and tournament conditions. We’ve played a decent amount, but it’s nothing like the tournament conditions we have right now. Picking their brains on some holes, especially with how they’re playing this week specifically was a big deal leading into this event.”
OREGON HEAD COACH CASEY MARTIN
"It's obviously a great accomplishment because these are the best teams. We're gonna have to play mistake-free tomorrow to advance, but it will be fun to give it a shot. Yeah, we're excited."
"You've got to take these little baby steps and learn that you can compete, and feel comfortable on a course like this. It's really tough, tough conditions. And so every time you play in stuff like this, you grow and you build that 'grit muscle.' And so hopefully that will help us in the future."
STANFORD HEAD COACH CONRAD RAY
On today’s third round
"I think the story of our day was too many ‘others’. We’ve done a good job up to this point of not making doubles and triples, but we just had too many on front nine, and from some pretty reasonable spots too. That’s the frustrating part. I think the guys will look back on this round when the dust settles and wish they had a few of those shots back."
On the reason for the slow start
"I think it was a little bit of everything. We all felt pretty good going into the round today. Sometimes you get worried about the hard shots when in reality it boils down to the easy shots and every shot matters the same. We just have to use this as motivation to keep working hard. We played with a really talented Texas Tech team, the wind was up, and you watch them play the golf course compared to us — we need to get better. Flighting the ball into the wind and controlling where we leave it is such a key thing when it’s tough. Disappointed that the outcome is the way it is, but there’s a lot to be happy about too."
On the season
"You come here wanting to win, but if you take a step back, to be in the top 30 teams in the country it’s a positive. I’m happy for our guys, they balance both worlds in school and golf and represent Stanford really well, so there’s a lot to be proud of for sure."
- Oklahoma's Patrick Welch posted the low round of this year's championship when he shot a 7-under 63 on Sunday. The last golfer to achieve this during the NCAA Championships was Arizona State's Ryggs Johnston who shot 63 during last year's second round also at Grayhawk Golf Club.
NCAA MEN'S GOLF SECOND ROUND (SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH RYAN HYBL
"It was nice to play a golf course that was yielding some birdies. We didn't start out super phenomenal, outside of Chris (Gotterup), but we really got some fire power going around the turn. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen, we made quite a few birdies. Patrick Welch and Drew Goodman got the after burners going with some birdies right in the middle of the round. I am excited about where our guys are at. Logan McAlister and Chris on the back end to go four-under, that is a big time round."
OKLAHOMA STATE'S AMAN GUPTA
On how he was able to turn it around after a rough start
“Hit it in the junk on No. 4 and made bogey, three-putted No. 5 and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m 5 over on the leaderboard right now, I better start doing something. It was just one of those things where as long as I trusted what I was doing and didn’t try to overthink it and just didn’t get too caught up in where I stood that it was gonna be a pretty good day, and it was really good.”
“I made a bad swing off No. 4 tee and then just a bad putt on No. 5 so I didn’t really hit any terrible shots. The course is hard and only takes one bad shot to get out of position. I knew I wasn't playing bad so I just knew if I just kept doing what I was doing and just kept trusting it that it was gonna end up being a good day."
On his confidence going forward
“Definitely gives me a good feeling going forward. It's a four day tournament and we were talking about it after the round yesterday, I was five back at the end of the day and I was like, it just takes one good round to get yourself back into it. I'm glad I could accomplish that and it definitely gives me some confidence knowing that I can take low out here, for sure."
On if being on the course allows him to gain knowledge
“It definitely helps. The ball just goes so far out here. We're hitting 8 irons 200 yards so just trusting that, as long as I hit it solid it's gonna get there, I think last year really helped coming into this year just knowing that if you just hit it solid it's gonna be the right distance."
VANDERBILT HEAD COACH SCOTT LIMBAUGH (FULL VANDERBILT RECAP HERE)
“I’m really pleased with how we finished today. It seemed like we got off to a good start then lost some momentum halfway through the round and kind of locked back in for a strong finish.
“Harrison (Ott) really did a great job hanging in there, getting himself putts and playing a solid round. Cole (Sherwood) and Gordon (Sargent) were both really good today and continue to play at a really high level. Cole holed some big putts to keep momentum and Gordon is doing a great job staying patient and trusting his plan. Reid (Davenport) and William (Moll) didn’t have their best stuff today, but they fought hard with what they had and we know they will be right there for us moving forward.”
“This is a long tournament and I think it’s so important to be fully present in each moment. There is no reward for focusing on the finish line. You can’t allow your mind to fast forward because you cannot skip steps. Sunday is another great opportunity to build more trust and try to take another step forward. I think we can be better in some areas and we need to have high standards for ourselves, have fun and play Vandy golf. We don’t have to try to be more than that because we know it works. We need to be excited to go try and take another step.”
OLE MISS HEAD COACH CHRIS MALLOY
“The tough part about days like today, or more specifically the morning wave versus the afternoon wave, is that the wind picks up and the course just plays a lot harder in the afternoon. You can see that by the scores."
"For Suber to go out there and shoot 65 really gave us that shot in the arm that we needed. Again, as I told the guys, if we can just go back and clean up some silly mistakes on some of these big numbers then we’ll be just fine, and we’ll continue to cruise right along. The name of the game is to get better as the week goes along and to stay in contention.”
OLE MISS' JACKSON SUBER
“I had a good day today and that’s because I just kept the same game plan as yesterday and it just worked out a little better for me today. Don’t need to change anything or reinvent the wheel, I just need to keep trusting that. Some holes it’s going to be there, some it’s not. It’ll all work out in the end.”
PEPPERDINE HEAD COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“Our guys really turned it around there. Under par on our back side was extremely impressive. It was really neat to hear all the cheers with the putts being made there at the end, and hearing all the people out here supporting us. It was a very good day. It played tough again, I thought. It was breezy, even on our front nine. But the guys hung in there and adjusted well ... I don’t think I’ve seen a putting round like Derek (Hitchner, who shot a 3-under 67) had today. It was insane. He just did a great job. Didn’t have his best from tee to green, but the putter was hot. He had a nice finish to a great day.”
GEORGIA'S TRENT PHILLIPS
On his hole in one on 13
”It was pretty electric. It was a full 6-iron, I hit hard, it looked good all the way, and it went in. I could see it go in and then I saw all the people going crazy. It was a great feeling."
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“A very solid round this morning. Obviously we played in the afternoon yesterday (when) out here in the desert things get really firm. So the good news is this morning it was a little bit softer conditions and we needed to take advantage of it. Our guys did a really nice job at 1 over par, which by the end of the day is going to look like a really good score.”
STANFORD HEAD COACH CONRAD RAY
Thoughts on Saturday’s round
"Our guys were in a pretty good frame of mind. We had a good warmup. We had a slow front nine though. There were a couple severe hole locations that we didn’t do well with. Got off to a little bit of a slow start. A few of the guys had one or two swings that they’d like back and got them in trouble to make a double. All in all a better day, but we still haven’t played our best round yet."
On playing the par 5s better today but continuing to struggle on the par 3s
"I think sometimes you get an 8 or 9 iron in your hand and you’re kind of trained to look at the flag. But we just have to be really disciplined on the par 3s and lag putt. It’s very difficult to get it around most of the hole locations, so you just have to know that you need to take 15, 20 or 30 feet on those holes and two putt. If you can do that, you’ll be okay. I feel like our guys haven’t played their best yet. We have one step at a time and it would be great to sneak into that Top 15 and see what happens tomorrow."
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND
?? ?? LISTEN: @MattThurmond ?? spoke after Round 2?? @NCAA Men’s Golf Championship @GrayhawkGolf pic.twitter.com/1OtbKb1jfe
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 28, 2022
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 28, 2022
OREGON HEAD COACH CASEY MARTIN
"This was a very tough day just to make par, let alone birdie. So, we didn't play well. But we have a really clutch player in Owen (Avrit). We were talking the last few holes and I was like, 'You've gotta birdie a couple of these.' And he did."
"It appears to be 10 shots. So yeah, it's significant. When the wind picks up on this championship course, it's just really difficult. So hopefully we can get a few holes in without too much wind and make some birdies tomorrow."
NCAA MEN'S GOLF FIRST ROUND (FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022) NOTES AND QUOTES
VANDERBILT COACH SCOTT LIMBAUGH (VANDERBILT FULL DAY ONE RECAP HERE)
“Really good first day. Excited about the way the guys played. I thought it was important to have everybody in it – and everybody was in it. Super-proud of William (Moll) for going out and setting the pace for the day. We had one score worse than bogey out here on this golf course. I think that shows a lot of toughness in my book. Proud of the way Reid (Davenport) and Cole Sherwood) hung in there to finish and Gordon (Sargent) just looked solid all day. Just got to keep our eyes looking forward. Need to be ready to go first thing in the morning, having all five guys in it and having fun. There’s nothing like being on a team and just got to embrace it and have fun with it.”
- - -
NORTH CAROLINA COACH ANDREW DIBITETTO
“We played overall pretty solidly. It is not easy out there. Especially in the afternoon the greens were very firm and the hole locations were difficult. The wind didn't blow crazy hard but there's enough wind to make you think. It's just difficult. You had the best teams in the country on the golf course this afternoon. We were 8 over which is maybe the third best in the afternoon, but I’m just proud of the guys for their grit, their toughness and their patience hanging in there.”
- - -
CLICK HERE FOR OKLAHOMA RECAP WITH QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH RYAN HYBL
- - -
AUBURN COACH JAY MOSELEY
"Today was a great, tough test. The greens are baked out and it's getting tougher as the hours go by. It's certainly going to separate the field, and that's what we want. We've got to be at our best if we want a chance to play for the championship. (Brendan) Valdes played great," Clinard said. "He's such a talented kid and great athlete. Chris (Williams) has done such a nice job with him, walking with him and coaching him up. Brendan's certainly playing some of the best golf of his career, and I think the sky is the limit."
"If we want to be successful tomorrow, we've got to stay in the present and accept what the course gives us," Clinard said. "We've got to understand that it's going to be tough but still be ready to battle. Understanding the value of a par is important. Bogeys aren't going to kill us, so we've just got to keep rolling and plugging along."
- - -
PEPPERDINE COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start but we’re not that far out of it. It’s a long week. There were some tough shots where we didn’t quite leave ourselves in the best places around the greens and unfortunately it’s hard to make pars in those spots. But the guys hung in there and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow morning. We’re not too far out of it and it’s only the first round.”
- - -
TEXAS A&M COACH BRIAN KORTAN
“We just didn’t step up and play like we are capable of playing. The golf course was hard and you can see that in the scores. They didn’t give you anything out there. We had to work hard for it. We were out of position all day and when the golf course is firm and the greens were as fast as they were, you can’t play from out of position and that’s what we were doing all day. When you do that, you’re going to get punched in the mouth, and we took a couple blows to the mouth today.”
“I’ve got some guys that have played a lot of golf. They are pretty smart and will reevaluate and have a better idea of how to attack this course. For the most part, it’s execution. They know they have to execute at a high level. They will tell you they didn’t today. We made four birdies. By looking at the scores, you can tell this place really took its toll on the field today. We will rest up and come out fighting tomorrow. If we keep the ball in position, we can shoot a good score.”
- - -
TEXAS TECH COACH GREG SANDS
“The golf course played tough and we didn’t quite have the scores to be where we wanted to be after the first round. We have the morning wave tomorrow and need to take advantage of better conditions. I think if we play like we’re capable of and use what we learned about the course today that I will shake out the way we need to. Our team just has to keep moving forward. I've told the guys to keep grinding all season and they’ve done a great job with that. I expect the same in the morning.”
PEPPERDINE COACH MICHAEL BEARD
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start but we’re not that far out of it. It’s a long week. There were some tough shots where we didn’t quite leave ourselves in the best places around the greens and unfortunately it’s hard to make pars in those spots. But the guys hung in there and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow morning. We’re not too far out of it and it’s only the first round.”
- - -
TEXAS A&M COACH BRIAN KORTAN
“We just didn’t step up and play like we are capable of playing. The golf course was hard and you can see that in the scores. They didn’t give you anything out there. We had to work hard for it. We were out of position all day and when the golf course is firm and the greens were as fast as they were, you can’t play from out of position and that’s what we were doing all day. When you do that, you’re going to get punched in the mouth, and we took a couple blows to the mouth today.”
“I’ve got some guys that have played a lot of golf. They are pretty smart and will reevaluate and have a better idea of how to attack this course. For the most part, it’s execution. They know they have to execute at a high level. They will tell you they didn’t today. We made four birdies. By looking at the scores, you can tell this place really took its toll on the field today. We will rest up and come out fighting tomorrow. If we keep the ball in position, we can shoot a good score.”
- - -
TEXAS TECH COACH GREG SANDS
“The golf course played tough and we didn’t quite have the scores to be where we wanted to be after the first round. We have the morning wave tomorrow and need to take advantage of better conditions. I think if we play like we’re capable of and use what we learned about the course today that I will shake out the way we need to. Our team just has to keep moving forward. I've told the guys to keep grinding all season and they’ve done a great job with that. I expect the same in the morning.”
- - -
FLORIDA STATE NOTE
Cole Anderson from Florida State shot a 71 today. That’s his lowest of four rounds played in the NCAA Championship.
- - -
OHIO STATE COACH JAY MOSELEY
“We learned a lot about the golf course today. It's obviously presented everybody with some challenge with the conditions and the way they've set this place up but just like we talked about last night, every hole out here is fair. There's some that are certainly challenging. You don't get very many birdie opportunities because it's really challenging to get your approach shots close to some of these holes, But most every hole, if you if you hit some quality shots, you can walk out of there with pars and we just didn't make enough good solid shots today.”
“We’re going to prepare for a totally different golf course tomorrow because this course really changes from the morning to the afternoon when it dries out. It gets really firm and fast so our tee shots are probably going to go anywhere from 30 to 50 yards further, we're probably going to have to hit some different clubs off the tee. The greens will certainly be firmer and faster as we go throughout the week and we'll be ready for that challenge.”
- - -
OREGON HEAD COACH CASEY MARTIN
"I thought the guys played well. This golf course is extremely difficult and I was encouraged. It wasn't perfect; we had kind of a gut-punch there on 18. But you know what? You're not gonna avoid this golf course — that happens out here. The guys battled, and we're all right. They're comfortable. Yeah, they were comfortable. I was encouraged. I mean, yeah, like I said, it wasn't perfect. You kind of want a few holes back. Now we've just gotta go rest, get hydrated and get ready to battle the 105 (-degree heat) tomorrow."
- - -
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH JAY REEHORN (CARSON BARRY PLAYING AS INDIVIDUAL)
“The way this course is setup, if you are off by just a couple of yards in any direction from your target you pay the price, and it’s showing in the scores for the entire field. Carson (Barry) hit a couple of shots that barely missed his target to start the round, which left him in spots not able to save par. Tomorrow afternoon is going to be very difficult. The course is already very firm. Twenty-four hours from now, it will be even firmer and the wind is supposed to kick up. The key for Carson will be to stay patient and understand a shot that ends up 20-to-30 feet from the hole is really good.”
UTAH HEAD COACH GARRETT CLEGG
"We played really well for the most of the day. The course is exceptionally difficult and the margin for error is so razor thin that any slightly offline shot can cause a double bogey and we made our share of them today. Tomorrow we need to be ready for an absolute battle because playing in the afternoon is a huge challenge. The greens are rock hard and the course is incredibly hard. We have a great opportunity tomorrow and I'm excited to see how we respond."