(NOTE: Below are notes and quotes from each day of the 2023 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 (QUARTERFINAL & SEMIFINAL, TUESDAY MAY 30, 2023) NOTES AND QUOTES:FLORIDA DEFEATS GEORGIA TECH TO WIN FIFTH NATIONAL TITLE, FIRST SINCE 2001
FLORIDA QUOTES:
Florida senior Fred Biondi:
On what It means after being crowned the individual champion and winning the team title:
“It means more than anything individually. Bringing this home for not just us but for the whole gator nation. Everyone back home supporting, literally everyone was watching today and it’s so special. It means way more. I promise you when I first got to school I would work as hard as I could and try to bring a ring or two and we did it. So it’s not just me, it’s every single person here, everyone on the staff, everybody. I also want to congratulate Georgia Tech too, because they fought pretty hard and they’re a great team with a bunch of great guys, but its awesome.”
Florida Head Coach J.C. Deacon:
On when he knew his team was going to be special:
“Probably three years ago to be honest. We’ve always had the talent but these guys just had to grow up and they’ve committed to that in the last three years. We took a step last year and got a little better and then they made the ultimate sacrifice to work harder than any team in the country and grow up.”
On if his team grew up yesterday to influence today:
“We were dead yesterday and these guys just don’t quit, they’re tough son of a guns and man I’m so proud to be their coach.”
On what the fifth national title means for the program:
“When I got this job it was a huge responsibility to all of our great alumni, so many people Buddy Alexander who poured so much into making this place great and that was a big responsibly for me, and for us to be able to give back and contribute to the great athletic program that we fully built and Scott’s continuing right now. It’s just incredible, I’m so pumped.”
WAKE FOREST QUOTES:
Georgia Tech Head Coach Bruce Heppler
On what the turning point was today:
“It looked like it kind of flipped on 17 and 18, the matches were tight all the way through the end and they made some birdies on 17 and that was really the difference. They are a great team, salute to them, they played well, just a little short again.”
On how important his players are to him:
“They’re like your kids, they come and go but at the end of the day your always a part of what your doing. I’ve heard some of comments I guess, but it’s nice to be liked but their commitment, this group we had here was something I’ve never had. They love each other and work from 6 in the morning to 10 o’clock every night like everyone else. Just a little bit short but there’s not another group of students-athletes in college and I know that for sure and they do a lot of good stuff and keep coming back again.”
TOURNAMENT NOTE:
Bartley Forrester of Georgia Tech went 3-0 in all of his Matches this week.
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Yixin Lin (UF) defeats Christo Lamprecht (GTech) 4&3 (Florida leads 1-0)
John DuBois (UF) defeats Connor Howe (GTech) 1UP (Florida Leads 2-0)
Bartley Forrester (GTech) defeats Matthew Kress (UF) 20 holes (Florida leads 2-1)
Fred Biondi (UF) defeats Hiroshi Tai (GTech) 1UP (FLORDA WINS 3-1)
WHAT'S AT STAKE:
–Florida's fifth national title, first in the match-play format
– Georgia Tech's first national title in golf, four runner-up finishes.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
(2) FLORIDA vs. (5) GEORGIA TECH beginning at 1:35 P.M. MST
THE GROUPINGS:
| PAIRING | TEE TIME | FLORIDA | GEORGIA TECH |
| 1 | 1:35 | Yixin Lin | Christo Lamprecht |
| 2 | 1:45 | Matthew Kress | Bartley Forrester |
| 3 | 1:55 | John DuBois | Connor Howe |
| 4 | 2:05 | Fred Biondi | Hiroshi Tai |
| 5 | 2:15 | Ricky Castillo | Ross Steelman |
MATCH PLAY NOTES:
–Florida's John DuBois, Ricky Castillo went undefeated on Tuesday in match-play, going 2-0.
–Georgia Tech's Ross Steelman and Bartley Forrester went undefeated in match play, going 2-0.
–An ACC School is seeking to become the first national champion in the sport since Clemson won the title in 2003.
–It would be the first time an ACC School has made it to the national championship match since the format began in 2009.
GEORGIA TECH QUOTES:
Georgia Tech’s Head Coach Bruce Heppler:
On being in control today and handling the emotions today:
“You just have to trust their work. They’ve put in the time and gotten their deal. You need them to ask them to trust themselves and you just have to do the same thing.”
On putting Ross Steelman last in the lineup:
“We had a little visit before we went to ACC’s and told him that the team voted him as our anchor. Unlike the Ryder Cup where there’s all those matches and all the momentum, there’s just the five of him and so he was like ‘what?’ and I told him they’re glad you’re here and you’re the guy and he anchored there (at ACC’s) and did the same thing again. He just has a focus and I know he’s disappointed what happened before but I wouldn’t trust anybody more to win a match than him.”
Georgia’s Tech’s Senior Ross Steelman:
On how his confidence was boosted after being put in the anchor spot:
“It’s huge for confidence, just knowing that my coach and teammates have confidence in me to go close it out if it comes down to it is awesome, it’s whenever a little bit of nerves creep in, it’s a nice reassuring factor to think about, ‘hey my guys wanted me on this spot’ so I just went out and did it.”
On the positive attitude carrying over 24-hours after not being able to win the individual title:
“Absolutely, when you look at it. I played great for 70-holes, and I just messed up the last three. If it was the first three of the tournaments and I finished the way that I started it would’ve been awesome. So it happens, I went most of the tournament without having a rough stretch and out here it’s bound to happen at some point. It’s not hard to get over, we’re playing a game and just trying to have fun which this is awesome being here in this setting and getting to talk to you and being on TV. It’s a lot of fun.
FLORIDA QUOTES:
Florida senior Ricky Castillo
On what’s going through his mind throughout the playoff:
“All I’m thinking about is giving myself a chance to win the hole. Me and Brett (Roberts) went back and forth the whole day. It was a really tough match. Neither of us had our best stuff, but I think the both of us grinded it out really well today and just fought hard and I ended up getting the win. But it was a really good match and what a great competitor he is.”
On how winning the SEC helped prepare for match play to get into the National Championship:
“I think it helped us out a lot to stay tough and keep fighting. At one point it didn’t look really good for us and then I think a couple of my teammates brought us back and then I knew I needed to flip my match and win it so I’m kind of all over the place right now.”
Florida Head Coach J.C Deacon:
On what today proved about his team:
“An hour ago we were just dead. It was over. I honestly saw no way of winning it but if our program’s hands are in anyone’s hands I want it to be in Ricky’s and when he showed up on campus, this whole thing turned around and I couldn’t be more happy that he made that putt for everyone.
NORTH CAROLINA QUOTES:
North Carolina Head Coach Andrew DiBitetto after NCAA semifinal match vs. Georgia Tech
May 30, 2023
“I’m incredibly proud of our guys because they play the game the right way. They have so much grit, so much heart, they never gave up. Even going back to the quarterfinal match this morning,
with three, four holes to go, it didn't look like it was going to go our way. They just hung in there and kept hitting shots and kept marching along and executing. All of a sudden we come out on top and then the same thing happens in the semifinal. It looked like that match might end pretty early. David Ford starts to flip it on the back nine and ends up winning his match. Peter Fountain was three down with six holes to play and gets it all the way to 18.
“But credit to a really good Georgia Tech team. Especially Ross Steelman coming down the stretch. I didn't see it, but I heard he made a clutch 12 footer on 16 and a 20 footer on 17. A big tip of the cap to them. They're an incredible team.
Q: You won five team titles this year, some of the biggest tournaments in the country, and won stroke play and a match here. How hard is it to win a national championship?
“It’s very hard. First, it’s all the best teams in the country on a very demanding golf course. And just the week itself. It's a really long week with a lot of wakeup calls between 3:30 and 4:15 a.m. to start playing at six in the morning. Some nights you get back to the hotel at eight o'clock at night and you got to do it all over again. So, it certainly feels like a marathon. But again, that shows how proud I am of the fight and the heart and the grit that our guys continue to show.”
Q: Dylan Menante won 14 of the 28 holes he played today and only lost three. How well did he play today?
“I don't know what else to say about him other than he’s an absolute beast. Especially in match play. He's a tremendous player, super talented, but he just has it inside him. When we get to match play, he just gets to a whole different level.”
Q: What does it say about David Ford that he was able to rally twice today from multiple holes down to win two points?
“David is another super-talented player but more than that he has tremendous heart. An incredibly scrappy player who just never ever gives up. No matter what is thrown his way– whether it's the golf course or the opponent. He just continues to kind of be-bop down the fairway and do his thing. He scratches and claws for every shot.”
(2) FLORIDA vs. (6) FLORIDA STATE:
Jack Bigham (FSU) defeats Yuxin Lin (UF) 6&5 (FSU leads 1-0)
Frederik Kjettrup (FSU) defeats Matthew Kress (UF) 3&1 (FSU leads 2-0)
Fred Biondi (UF) defeats Cole Anderson (FSU) 1UP (FSU leads 2-1)
John DuBois (UF) defeats Luke Clanton (FSU) 1UP (Match TIED 2-2)
Ricky Castillo (UF) defeats Brett Roberts (FSU) 21 Holes (FLORIDA WINS MATCH 3-2)
(1) UNC vs. (5) GEORGIA TECH
Dylan Menante (UNC) defeats Christo Lamprecht (GTech) 6&5 (UNC Leads 1-0)
Bartley Forrester (GTech) defeats Ryan Burnett (UNC) 4&2 (Match Tied 1-1)
Connor Howe (GTech) defeats Austin Greaser (UNC) 4&2 (Gtech wins 2-1)
David Ford (UNC) defeats Hiroshi Tai (GTech) 1UP (Match Tied 2-2)
Ross Steelman (GTech) defeats Peter Fountain (UNC) 1UP (GTECH WINS MATCH 3-2)
SEMIFINAL MATCHES:
(2) FLORIDA vs. (6) FLORIDA STATE
(1) UNC vs. (5) GEORGIA TECH
–Three ACC teams will compete in the Semifinals this afternoon.
–UNC was able to get their first victory in match play at Grayhawk.
UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto after defeating Arizona State, 3-1, in NCAA Quarterfinals
“We’ve got amazing players. They are really good kids. They fight. They have huge hearts. They have huge courage. I’m just proud of them and fortunate to be their coach.
On being the favorite now after advancing to the quarterfinal:
No, not at all. Every team here is absolutely amazing. College golf is in the best place that it's ever been. It's so deep. It's so talented with amazing players, amazing coaches on every single team that's left. I just know whoever we play is going to be a very difficult match.
We're going to keep doing our thing. We are in a great spot with our thought process. Our attention is on the golf course.
(any feeling of getting the monkey off your back by advancing past the quarterfinal?)
Just happy for our guys. They always battle, they always play crazy hard and it's nice to get rewarded.
Our first two guys (Dylan Menante and Ryan Burnett) were amazing. Ryan has two incredible golf shots on 18 to get it done. And then all of a sudden you look back and we're down in all three matches. Two of them we were down two (David Ford and Peter Fountain). And they just keep going. They put their head down. They keep going. They keep fighting. They have tons of courage.
(how would you describe David Ford?)
He's just he's so composed. He plays the game with so much passion and joy. And he just like ‘be-bops’ along. He never, ever, ever gets rattled. He just keeps taking steps forward.”
QUARTERFINALS
MATCH PLAY RESULTS:
(2) FLORIDA vs. (7) VIRGINIA
Bryan Lee (UVA) defeats Fred Biondi (UF) (6&5) (UVA up 1-0)
Ricky Castillo (UF) defeats Ben James (UVA) (4&3) (Match tied 1-1)
John DuBois (UF) defeats Pietro Bovari (UVA) (3&2) (UF up 2-1)
Deven Patel (UVA) defeats Matthew Kress (UF) (1UP) (Match tied 2-2)
Yuxin Lin (UF) defeats George Duangmanee (UVA) (2UP) (FLORIDA ADVANCES TO SEMIFINAL)
(3) ILLINOIS vs. (6) FLORIDA STATE
Cole Anderson (FSU) defeats Matthis Besard (ILL) 1UP (FSU up 1-0)
Tommy Kuhl (ILL) defeats Jack Bigham (FSU) 3&2 (Match tied 1-1)
Adrien Dumont de Chassart (ILL) defeats Frederik Kjettrup (FSU) 3&2 (Illinois up 2-1)
Brett Roberts (FSU) defeats Piercen Hunt (ILL) (3&2) (Match tied 2-2)
Luke Clanton (FSU) defeats Jackson Buchanan (ILL) 1UP (FSU ADVANCES TO SEMIFINAL)
(1) UNC vs. (8) ASU
Dylan Menante (UNC) defeats Luke Potter (ASU) 5&3 (UNC leads 1-0)
Ryan Burnett (UNC) defeats Ryggs Johnston (ASU) 1UP (UNC Leads 2-0)
Josele Ballester (ASU) defeats Austin Greaser (UNC) 2UP (UNC Leads 2-1)
David Ford (UNC) defeats Michael Mjaaseth (ASU) 1UP (UNC WINS MATCH 3-1)
(4) PEPPERDINE vs. (5) GEORGIA TECH
Sam Choi (PEPP) defeats Connor Howe (GTECH) 2&1 (Pepperdine leads 1-0)
Derek Hitchner (PEPP) defeats Christo Lamprecht 4&3 (Pepperdine leads 2-0)
Bartley Forrester (GTech) defeats Luke Gifford (PEPP) 2&1 (Pepperdine leads 2-1)
Ross Steelman (GTech) defeats William Mouw (PEPP) 5&4 (Match Tied 2-2)
Hiroshi Tai (GTech) defeats Roberto Nieves (PEPP) 1UP (GEORGIA TECH WINS MATCH 3-2)
MATCH PLAY RECORDS AT GRAYHAWK:
Pepperdine: 4-1 (Won title in 2021, Semifinals in 2022, lost to ASU)
Arizona State: 3-2 (Runner-up in 2022, Semifinalists in 2021 to Pepperdine)
North Carolina: 0-2 (Lost to ASU in 2021, Lost to Pepperdine in 2022, Both in quarterfinals)
Illinois: 0-1 (Lost to Oklahoma in 2021 Quarterfinals)
Florida State: 0-1 (Lost to Pepperdine in 2021 Quarterfinals)
NCAA MEN'S GOLF FOURTH ROUND (MONDAY, MAY 29, 2023) NOTES AND QUOTES:
MATCH PLAY MATCHUPS:
(2) Florida vs. (7) Virginia (6:20 – Tee on 1)
6:20 – 1 Matthew Kress vs. Deven Patel
6:30 – 1 John DuBois vs. Pietro Bovari
6:40 – 1 Yuxin Lin vs. George Duangmanee
6:50 – 1 Fred Biondi vs. Bryan Lee
7:00 – 1 Ricky Castillo vs. Ben James
(1) North Carolina vs. (8) Arizona State) (7:10 – Tee on 1)
7:10 – 1 Dylan Menante vs. Luke Potter
7:20 – 1 Ryan Burnett vs. Ryggs Johnston
7:30 – 1 Austin Greaser vs. Josele Ballester
7:40 – 1 David Ford vs. Michael Mjaaseth
7:50 – 1 Peter Fountain vs. Preston Summerhays
(3) Illinois vs. (6) Florida State (6:20 – Tee on 10)
6:20 – 10 Matthis Besard vs. Cole Anderson
6:30 – 10 Tommy Kuhl vs. Jack Bigham
6:40 – 10 Adrien Dumont de Chassart vs. Frederik Kjettrup
6:50 – 10 Jackson Buchanan vs. Luke Clanton
7:00 – 10 Piercen Hunt vs. Brett Roberts
(4) Pepperdine vs. (5) Georgia Tech (7:10 – Tee on 10)
7:10 - 10 Sam Choi vs. Connor Howe
7:20 – 10 Derek Hitchner vs. Christo Lamprecht
7:30 – 10 Luke Gifford vs. Bartley Forrester
7:40 – 10 Roberto Nieves vs. Hiroshi Tai
7:50 – 10 William Mouw vs. Ross Steelman
TOURNAMENT NOTES:
–Florida's Fred Biondi tournament score of 7-under, 273 is tied for the lowest score by an individual in Arizona State's three year-stint of hosting at Grayhawk.
–Arizona State, North Carolina, and Pepperdine are the only three schools to advance to match-play in the three year stint at Grayhawk.
–Arizona State and Stanford competed in a team-playoff after being tied at 12-over through four rounds. After tying through the first five holes, both teams played a second round of the team-playoff where Preston Summerhay's knocked in a birdie on the 14th hole to advance the Sun Devils to the quarterfinals.
FLORIDA NOTE:
–The first player to shoot under par in all four rounds at the last three National Championships at Grayhawk GC.
–First international player since 2012 to win the Individual National Championship since Thomas Pieters (Illinois)
NORTH CAROLINA NOTE:
• Carolina shot 7-under-par 273 today, which equaled the best round of the day by Florida State. It was the second day in a row UNC shot its lowest round ever in an NCAA Championship (275 yesterday in the third round, 278 twice before).
• Carolina’s four-day total of 1,114 broke the UNC record for lowest 72-hole total in an NCAA Championship by 20 strokes (1,134 at Grayhawk in 2022). The 6-under-par team finish is the second-best by UNC in an NCAA Championship (-9 in 2000).
• Austin Greaser made a hole-in-one today on the par-3 fifth hole. He hit 8 iron from 184 yards. He is the first Tar Heel to make a hole-in-one since Greaser made one with an 8 iron at Olympia Fields in September 2021.
• Greaser’s 66 equaled the second-lowest round by a Tar Heel in NCAA Championship play and is the lowest since Max Harris shot 66 in the second round in 2000.
• Menante shot 68-70-67-70 to finish tied for fourth place with a 5-under 275 total. It is the second-straight year a Tar Heel finished in the top five at the NCAA Championship.
• Menante’s 275 is the second-lowest total by a Tar Heel in an NCAA Championship (Inman shot 271 in 1984). His 5-under-par total equals the third-best in school history in an NCAA Championship behind Inman’s 17 under and Brad Hyler (-7 in 2000). Harris also was 5 under in 2000.
• It is the second consecutive NCAA Championship the Tar Heels earned at least a share of the top spot in the team standings through four rounds of stroke play. Last season, Carolina tied for first with Oklahoma and Vanderbilt at 14 over par (UNC was 20 strokes better in 2023).
• UNC is the first team to finish first in stroke play since Oklahoma State in 2018 and 2019.
• The Tar Heels advance to match play for the third straight season. Pepperdine and Arizona State are the only other teams to advance to match in each of the last three seasons.
• Carolina is assured of at least its third-consecutive top-five finish at the NCAA Championship. Last season marked the first time UNC men’s golf had accomplished that in consecutive seasons.
• UNC is one of only four programs to finish in the top 20 in the six NCAA Championships with Arizona State, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt
• Carolina played Arizona State at Grayhawk in 2021 in the quarterfinals. The Sun Devils were the top seed and UNC was the eighth seed in match play that season. ASU won 3.5-1.5.
2021 NCAA Quarterfinals (match play)
Arizona State 3.5, UNC 1.5
Peter Fountain (UNC) def. David Puig (ASU) 2&1
Chun An Yu (ASU) def. Austin Hitt (UNC) 2&1
Ryggs Johnston (ASU) def. Ryan Burnett (UNC) 4&3
Mason Andersen (ASU) def. Ryan Gerard (UNC) 4&3
Austin Greaser (UNC) tied Cameron Sisk (ASU)
NORTH CAROLINA QUOTES:
NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH Andrew DiBitetto:
On his teams performance today and being the No. 1 seed:
“I’m just really proud of our guys, most proud of the process they've gone through that has created the success so far this week and all season. Grayhawk is a very difficult, demanding golf course. Our guys have done a really nice job just trying to be smart and keep it as simple as possible. They've also done a good job of staying composed. When you play here there are going to be some bad bounces, and there's going to be some shots that when they are in the air, you think they're really good, and just maybe they don't end up where you think they were going to end up. So again, our guys have done a really nice job staying composed. And they've also done an amazing job of staying patient to be 20 strokes better than a year ago and earn a top seed again.
“We love our guys for a lot of reasons. But this is certainly one of them – no matter what they do, wherever they are on the leaderboard, they're always hungry, they always want more, they want to keep working. They just want to be the absolute best versions of themselves. It's probably fair to say that we just had a successful four rounds and we finished atop the leaderboard. But our guys are still hungry. They went right to the range and they're still there working, and we have a lot more work to do this week.
On moving onto match-play:
I don't know that we necessarily learned anything (from match play the last two seasons). I know that we love our guys in stroke play and we love our guys in match play. One thing we can look back to is the Stephens Cup at Seminole in the fall. That comes to mind because it was a world-class golf course and our guys did an amazing job with their process, their strategy and their execution against a really good Florida State team. That was another tournament we played really well in stroke play and then the format changed to match play. They kept their process and their minds the same and ended up being successful in match play as well. And that's what we hope to do the next few days here.”
WAKE FOREST NOTES:
–Georgia Tech has advanced to match play for the fifth time since the advent of the format, and for the first time since 2014 in Hutchinson, Kan. The Yellow Jackets 1-4 all-time in match play at the NCAA Championship, reaching the semifinals in 2013 and losing in the quarterfinals in the other three opportunities.
–Tech is 3-1-1 in match play in 2022-23, including two wins in the ACC Championship, and has a 28-16-1 record in all match play since 2000.
–Tech has finished among the top eight 17 times in 33 prior NCAA Championship appearances.
–Georgia Tech carded six individual subpar rounds this week. Tech players posted just two subpar rounds in two previous NCAA Championships at Grayhawk.
VIRGINIA NOTES:
–It marks the first time since the NCAA switched to a match play format in 2009 to decide the team champion that UVA has advanced this far in the tournament. The Cavaliers’ previous best finish was 10th in 2017.
–Virginia shot 3-under 277 during Monday’s final round, its best 18-hole score during the four rounds of stroke play.
–UVA’s 3-under team score was the third best among the 15 teams competing during the fourth round.
–Ben James’ finish is the second-best showing by a Cavalier at the NCAAs, matching current PGATour professional Denny McCarthy’s 2014 performance. UVA’s Dixon Brooke won the individual title in 1940.
–It marked the 11th time in 13 tournaments this season James has posted a top-five finish. James was the top freshman finisher in stroke play while classmate Bryan Lee tied for the third best performance by a freshman.
–James was one of just three players to shoot under par in the final three rounds … also Fred Biondi (Florida) and Jackson Buchanan (Illinois)
VIRGINIA QUOTES:
Quotes from Head Coach Bowen Sargent
“Holy cow did those guys battle down the homestretch. It’s pretty cool. It is definitely pretty cool.’
“We did a lot of work and put in a lot of preparation and we felt we knew this place pretty well before we even got here. Ben James, Brian Lee and Deven all played here during their junior golf careers so I think we knew what we were getting into. With the preparation the team put in, I don't think we saw many surprises out there this week. We just needed to play consistent golf to advance and we did.”
On freshmen Ben James and Bryan Lee
“We’ve felt this was how both of those guys were capable of playing this year,” Sargent said. “Ben has performed like this all season and we feel like Brian is of the same ilk. He’s played at this level his whole life. Unfortunately, due to injuries, we were not able to see as much of him this year as we would have liked. But we knew he had the ability and that was the kid we recruited. There’s no doubt we have the two best freshmen in the country. That’s very exciting for our program.”
VANDERBILT QUOTES:
VANDERBILT HEAD COACH LIMBAUGH:
On the final round of stroke play Monday:
“Obviously we’re all hurting right now, we wanted more. We wanted to play all week, that’s what we came here to do. I’m certainly proud of a lot of things. Hole 18 was definitely a difference maker for us today, we had a lot of momentum and just hit some uncharacteristic shots there.”
On the Commodores’ performance at this year’s NCAA Championships:
“When you look at postseason golf your big guns have to fire. We’ve got five really good players who did big things for us all year long. Unfortunately, we were just a little bit off this week and that’s just how it is. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s called sports. I also think we didn’t do a great enough job adjusting, I felt like the course played a little different this year. That’s certainly partly my fault.”
On Vanderbilt’s season and moving forward:
“I’m thankful for the people we had show up, I appreciate Reid Davenport and his family. I appreciate Gator Todd and what he gave us for six years in helping us continue to climb the mountain. That’s really where my mind is. Endings are hard. We just have to keep trying to get better, support our kids, love on them and care for them. When you remove the emotion from it and look back, these boys fight and represent what we want to represent.
“We just weren’t good enough this week. When you play sports and compete and put it all out there and don’t get what you want, that disappointment hurts and it’s going to hurt for a while. I’m responsible for this, we’re all responsible for it because it’s our program, but we have to keep growing forward and getting better.”
ILLINOIS NOTES:
- Illinois advances to match play at the NCAA Championship for the eighth time since the format was adopted in 2009. Illinois' eight match play appearances rank second nationally, one behind Oklahoma State.
- All eight of Illinois' match play appearances have come under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Mike Small, now in his 23rd season at Illinois. Small now moves one ahead of Texas' John Fields for the most match play appearances as a head coach.
- Illinois enters match play looking for the program's first NCAA team championship. Their best finish was a runner-up win 2013 at Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga. However, the Illini have produced two individual national champions under Small's tutelage (Scott Langley, 2010; Thomas Pieters, 2012), tied for the most nationally in the Mike Small era at Illinois (since 2001).
- In addition to Illinois' second-place finish (behind Alabama) in 2013, the Illini played in the quarterfinals in 2011, 2014 and 2021, and made three-consecutive semifinal appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
- Out of the 36 programs that have participated in match play since 2009 (not including those advancing for the first time today), Illinois enters Tuesday's quarterfinal ranked third nationally in total matches played. The Illini will tee off Tuesday morning in their 13th NCAA match play round. Only Oklahoma State (18) and Texas (15) have played more total matches at the NCAA Championship.
TOURNAMENT NOTES:
–Ohio State defeated Texas Tech in the 5-hole cumulative playoff Monday morning, going 1-under compared to Texas Tech's even par.
–Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira of Arkansas and Dylan McDermott of Colorado both advanced in the individual playoff by parring the 18th hole.
NCAA MEN'S GOLF THIRD ROUND (SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023) NOTES AND QUOTES:
| YEAR | THIRD ROUND SCORING AVERAGE | Teams That Shot Under Par or Even |
| 2023 | 72.26 | 7 |
| 2022 | 73.55 | 6 |
| 2021 | 73.24 | 5 |
–OHIO STATE AND TEXAS TECH WILL PLAY IN A PLAYOFF TO GET INTO THE TOP-15 AFTER FINISHING 25-OVER AT 8 A.M. MONDAY. Each player on each corresponding team will play holes 14-18 and the cumulative team score will determine the top-15.
–Seven teams have shot under-par in the third round which makes it the most amount of teams that have stayed under the 280 (E) mark on the day.
-- Illinois 273-276–549 (-11) was the lowest scores in consecutive rounds at the National Championship since Oklahoma shot a 274-274–548 (-12) in the second and third rounds in 2021.
–Chattanooga's Garrett Engle birdied the 18th hole today, which he is the only golfer to do so in Sunday's third round. The Par-4, 503 yard, 18th was by far the most challenging hole on the course today.
ILLINOIS NOTES:
––Illinois is the only program in the three-year run of the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk to enter the fourth round of stroke play with three golfers inside the top 10. Fifth-year seniors Adrien Dumont de Chassart (T3rd; -4) and Tommy Kuhl (T8th; -2) and sophomore Jackson Buchanan (7th; -3) all enter Monday’s stroke play finale in the hunt for Illinois’ third individual national championship of the Mike Small era.
––Since the 2000-01 season, only Illinois (Scott Langley, 2010; Thomas Pieters, 2012) and Oklahoma State (Matthew Wolff, 2019; Jonathan Moore, 2006) have produced multiple individual NCAA champions. Seventeen other programs boast one individual champion during that span, including Georgia Tech (Troy Matteson, 2002), Stanford (Cameron Wilson, 2014), and Florida (Nick Gilliam, 2001), who all have players inside the top 10 heading into tomorrow’s stroke play finale.
ILLINOIS QUOTES:
Illinois head coach Mike Small
On the Illini's third round team performance...
"I thought it was a solid day. Yesterday, we had a little bit of a different edge to us coming out because we wanted to come back after an indifferent first round, with a little more assertiveness - a little more aggressiveness. Today, we came out with a good, solid look. Sometimes, you can lack a little after an effort like yesterday, and our guys didn't do that. They came out, played their game, and stood steadfast and played solid golf. The emotions were different at the beginning of the round, but the result was still the same. Very solid golf. I'm proud of the way they played."
On sophomore Jackson Buchanan who is tied for sixth entering Monday's final stroke play round...
"He's getting better. He's a cerebral, very smart young man. He combines a lot of athleticism with a lot of competitiveness, and that's a good recipe. Kid's get better at this time in life - 18-22 - in anything they do, this is when they start getting good at things. The one's that are good, really show that, and that' what he's doing."
On taking advantage of favorable conditions in the morning…
"That's why they put us out at 'dark-thirty'. That's the advantage. That's how we're rewarded. You can see it today; all the teams in the morning played pretty solid today. The course is drying out a little bit late in the round, but the humidity stayed in the ground a little longer than normal this morning. It's just an advantage. Now we've got to get some rest and tomorrow our tee time will be later, so we'll see a different golf course tomorrow."
On fifth-year senior Tommy Kuhl's strong finish to Round 3, including back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17...
"That was strong, and it was important. We had a couple bogeys in there too and he held those guys up. He could have birdied the last hole too. Tommy's pretty good He's really talented. When he has a clear head, and goes out and trusts himself, he's as good as anybody."
Illinois sophomore Jackson Buchanan
On his Round 3 performance…
“It was interesting. I came out very hot – I was 3-under through 7 – so I was feeling good. The heat got to me on the back nine. I gave a few shots away, but that’s golf. It was overall a good day.”
On how the course changes as the day goes on…
“it’s almost a different golf course. We played in the afternoon in the first round and it was way tougher than when you tee off at 6:30 in the morning. You just have to prepare for it, understand that it happens, and keep playing your game.”
On the experience of playing in his first NCAA Championship…
“It’s been phenomenal, obviously. Our team is doing great. I’m doing great. The hospitality is awesome. The people are great. This is as good as it gets, right here.”
On the mentality that the Illinois team needs to have moving forward this week…
“Just keep doing what we’re doing. I know that sounds cliché – everybody says it – but that’s what you have to do in this sport. If you overthink, it won’t go well for you, and if you under-think, it won’t go well. That’s why it’s such a great sport. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing and play Illini golf.”
Illinois fifth-year senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart
On his Round 3 performance…
“It was a grind today. I didn’t hit the ball as good as I did the first two days. I hit a couple of loose shots off the tee, which made it a little harder, but I was able to make one par and a bogey. It was just playing a little harder, at least it did for me. I don’t think the pins were that much harder, but if you’re just not in play and on the right side of the hole, it’s a little harder.”
On what he needs to do to remain in the hunt for the individual title tomorrow…
“There are a few things that I’m going to address on the range. My tee shot, mainly. If I just keep playing my game, being on the right side of the hole, and doing a better job of getting up-and-down when I miss the green – I didn’t do a very good job at it today. That’s something that I’m going to have to focus on tomorrow.”
On how he feels about the team’s chances….
We’re looking good. We’re a few shots ahead of Pepperdine. Most of us are playing very well this week, so that’s good. We’re just going to keep going tomorrow and see where that goes.”
GEORGIA TECH NOTES:
-- Ross Steelman has been under par in all three rounds this week, and three Tech players broke par in Sunday’s round (Connor Howe 66, Steelman 68 and Hiroshi Tai 69). Tech players posted just two subpar rounds in two previous NCAA Championships at Grayhawk.
-- Georgia Tech looks to advance to match play for the fifth time since the advent of the format, and for the first time since 2014.
-- Georgia Tech has finished among the top-eight 16 times in 32 prior NCAA Championship appearances.
GEORGIA TECH QUOTES
Georgia Tech Senior Ross Steelman
On reeling off three straight birdies after a bogey-6 at 11:
“Anytime you can correct a mistake on the next hole is an added little confidence boost. And I think bouncing back from bogeys reflect on attitude. My attitude was really good out there today. Nice and calm, great pairing with (Cole) Sherwood and Luke Gifford. It was just fun, having a good time in the desert.
On the dynamic of the pairing with Sherwood and Gifford:
“It’s awesome. The mojo was high in the group today. We’re all pretty good friends. I enjoy playing with Cole more than anyone else in college golf. It was a lot of fun, and we gained a lot of stroke in attitude out there today.”
On Tech’s 4-under round and position heading to Monday’s final round:
“Obviously we just want to keep paying well, get in that top eight and make match play. From there, it’s just go out and play more golf. You’ve just got to play against who you’re standing in front of. Individually, I just want to play as boring a round as possible. A lot of fairways and a lot of greens. Pars are going to be my friend. I just want to go out and have fun again. It’s going to be my last round of medal play in college golf, so just have fun with it.”
VANDERBILT QUOTES:
VANDERBILT HEAD COACH SCOTT LIMBAUGH:
On the team’s performance in the third round:
“I really thought our guys showed a lot of grit today. This is the survive and advance time of year and we advanced again today. The course was a little softer this morning, which obviously showed in the scoring. William showed a lot of resilience and just continues to battle with whatever game he has. Reid and Cole were both solid today and both were close to playing really good rounds. This was a really big round for our team. We have to continue to fight for momentum and then fight to keep it.”
On the final round of stroke play:
“We have a great opportunity tomorrow, one we have to be excited for. Our guys are tough, they’ve shown that time and time again. We have to be fully committed to what we are doing and go play Vandy golf. That means you have to block all the outside stuff and do what you have to do to focus on the right things. This is a team day tomorrow and that’s the fiber of what we do. It has to be done together and we have to fight for each other. I look forward to our fans being there and supporting our guys with everything they’ve got.”
PEPPERDINE NOTE:
–Pepperdine's round of 11-under, 269 is the lowest in the three-years the NCAA Championship has been held at Grayhawk, surpassing the mark set by the waves in 2021 with a 9-under, 271.
–Pepperdine improved its score by 18 strokes from the previous day, the second-largest day-to-day improvement since Florida State’s 20-stroke improvement in 2021.
PEPPERDINE QUOTES:
Pepperdine Head Coach Michael Beard
"We knew the scores this morning could be low. We looked at the hole locations and felt under par was a possibility. The greens were a little bit softer and not as much wind. We were able to be a little more aggressive and the guys played great. It is always nice coming off a good round. Each day is different. It will be in the afternoon tomorrow. We expect it will play a little more difficult. The greens will be firmer and faster. It is a four round stroke play event. This was one round. We need to go do our job
tomorrow and hope to be in the top eight."
FLORIDA NOTES:
–The Gators tie its Grayhawk best score with its second straight round of 278 (-2)–Florida advances to the final round of stroke play for the fifth time in program history and third under head coach J.C. Deacon
–Florida makes the fourth round of stroke play in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history
FLORIDA QUOTES:
–Florida Head Coach J.C. Deacon…
Q: Can you just assess how the guys have played this course so far?
"The last two days we have played really well. Anything in the red from a team on days like this in these conditions is great. We didn't have to count on over-par around again today."
Q: Fred Biondi with a great round today as well as you assess just his performance so far in this championship?
"It's really steady. I think he'd probably say that he's not getting as much out of it as he wants, but these conditions are perfect for him. He hits the ball as well as anyone. He has worked really hard on his putting and I know that's showing up a little bit. He's also had some flash in some final rounds this year so I think he's still right in the mix and has a good chance to win tomorrow."
Q: You mentioned the conditions there. How have you seen them evolve as this championship has gone on?
"It was very nice plan this morning at 6:10am. The course was wet and there was no wind. We earned that. To play in those conditions that was great for probably the first 15 or 16 holes. This is a hard golf course, tons of wind and it's getting firm again. It's gonna be a really good test for us tomorrow."
Q: The program hasn't qualified for mass placements that wasn't stated in 2009. What would it mean to you guys to finally get over the hump and make it to match play?
"That's been our goal all year long. I think we felt like we've been a match play team in the last three years, just haven't got it done. I don't think it's gonna be a surprise for everyone. We got a great team and great players. This is exactly where we expect to be.'
Florida Senior Fred Biondi:
Q: How would you evaluate your performance so far this weekend?
"Overall pretty solid. I've been driving the ball pretty consistently. I've been hitting a lot of drivers on holes that as most people are hitting hybrids off the tees. So it gives me a little bit of a birdie opportunities, but I haven't made any bogeys this week. I just kind of kept it pretty fun. Yesterday was a little bit more of a grind. Today was a little bit more of lag putting. I've been very patient with my lines and my target. If the putter heats up and I keep doing this, it will be a pretty low round, but at the same time this course will beat you up if you're playing right or hitting well."
Q: What are the keys to making putts on a course like this as it dries up and just seems to play differently every day even midday?
"You're not going to have a lot of patterns. There's not a crazy amount of reachable par fours or fives that guys can try to go for it, but the green is so hard to hold. You just gotta stay patient out here and make sure you're plugging along. Putting good swings on it and not trying to get ahead of yourself. There's gonna be some looks, and hopefully you make some of them and not make too many mistakes."
Q: You're in position right now four strokes behind the leader in the individual. You're obviously here as a team, but what do you need to do as an individual to challenge Ross Steelman (Georgia Tech) tomorrow?
"Same as I've been doing today in the last couple of days. I can't get ahead of myself. I gotta stay patient and hit a lot of quality shots. Have to commit to a lot of lines that aren't close to the pin, gotta hit 20 feet right or 20 feet left depending. You just got to keep doing that and stay patient. Hit a lot of greens and put a lot of good swings on it and eventually you're gonna make some. A couple birdies out here goes a long way."
Q: I asked Coach what it would mean to him to make history at the University of Florida and make match play for the first time. What would it mean to you and your teammates to be a part of that history If you guys are able to qualify tomorrow?
"It would mean a lot for sure. Our goal is not to just make match play, we want to try to win the whole thing, but there's a lot of great teams here and we have to play well. We have to stay in the present and stay committed to what we're doing. We're not necessarily in match play yet, we still have a whole round to play and it's a tricky course. We've got to stay calm and when things are not going our way try to be patient."
NCAA MEN'S GOLF SECOND ROUND (SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2023) NOTES AND QUOTES:
| YEAR | SECOND ROUND SCORING AVERAGE | Teams That Shot Under Par or Even |
| 2023 | 73.29 | 2 |
| 2022 | 74.60 | 2 |
| 2021 | 73.70 | 6 |
ILLINOIS NOTE:
-- Illinois' second round score of 273 is the lowest in the NCAA Tournament since Pepperdine's 271 in the final round of the 2021 NCAA Championship.
–Adrien Dumont de Chassart's round of 2-under 68 is the third time he's been under-par in six career rounds at Grayhawk, and tied his performance of a 2-under 68 in the first round from Friday. He sits tied for fourth currently.
ILLINOIS QUOTES:
Illinois Head Coach Mike Small
On the Illinois’ team improved play in Round 2…
"We came out with a little bit of an edge today, came out a little more purposeful. Yesterday on our first hole, we had one guy hit the green in regulation. Today we came out on point, a little more focused, and had a little more of the Illini edge, which we need to maintain, but that was the difference. We played solid golf. We chipped and putted the ball well, had a few good saves and drove it solidly. We just played from strength today."
On taking advantage of favorable conditions due to early morning tee time…
"In waves like this, you tee off early one day and late the next - or late and then early - the first two rounds of a four-round tournament. It's always better to go late, early. It just always is. You get back out there if it's a good round. If it's a bad round you get back out there; you're not sitting around waiting. So that's what we did, and I think that had a lot to do with it, but we've earned that. That's why they give the top three seeds those tee time."
FLORIDA NOTE:
–Florida's round of 2-under, 278 was the first round by the Gators' that was under-par in 10 career rounds at Grayhawk, the mark is also their best round in three years at Grayhawk, beating out their previous record of 283 (+3) set the day prior in the 2023 first round.
–Senior Fred Biondi fired his second consecutive round under-par with a 2-under 68, which is his fourth round in the 60's in the last five rounds of golf. It's also his third career round at Grayhawk being under-par, with a career best being a 3-under 67 in 2022.
FLORIDA QUOTES:
Florida Head Coach J.C. Deacon
On the team’s first two rounds at the NCAA Championships:
“I think you look back historically at the national championship at Grayhawk and playing in the afternoons are really really difficult. And for some reason this team loves difficult circumstances, and they don’t back down. They don’t flinch, and today was certainly no exception to that. To shoot under-par, to have Ricky (Castillo) and Fred (Biondi) to shoot 68 (-2) in those conditions is great golf, mature golf, very smart golf and I’m proud of them but only half of stroke play is done and we got to go get some rest and some hydration and get back to work.”
On the message to the team going into round three:
“Luckily, the way they do the draw here we’re going to get to play in the morning tomorrow which will make it a little softer and hopefully a little less wind. We earned the right to play in better conditions tomorrow. But we have to stay patient but I think we got a chance to go low and put up a good number tomorrow morning and distance ourselves from the pack.”
GEORGIA TECH QUOTES:
GEORGIA TECH SENIOR ROSS STEELMAN:
On his performance of 1-under, 69 today:
“It was good, obviously playing in the afternoon is a lot harder than the morning out here. So being able to throw up something under-par on the board was pretty big for the individual part as well as kind of giving the team a good block to build on. So we get to play in the morning tomorrow it looks like. It was pretty boring again, a lot of fairways, kind of hit it 20-feet, roll a couple in and go from there.”
On his birdie on the 18th hole”
“I hit driver over the left bunker into the fairway, had 150 (yards) in and hit a pitching wedge, to about 18-feet and managed to throw it into the left edge. It sounds easy when you do it like that but it was a really solid drive and a really good approach shot.”
On the key to being prepared for tomorrow’s early round:
“Going and getting some food, ample amounts of coffee tomorrow morning and that’ll be key. We’ll be readied up and ready to go, nothing gets the juices flowing like the national championship.
GEORGIA TECH NOTE:
–Senior Ross Steelman's two-round total of 7-under, 133 is the lowest two-round score by an individual in the three years Arizona State has hosted the NCAA Championships.
–Steelman is bidding to become the second Yellow Jacket to win an NCAA individual championship, following Troy Matteson in 2002. Matteson captured the 2002 title at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course as a member of one of the four Yellow Jacket teams to finish runner-up at the NCAA Championship. Watts Gunn (1927) and Charlie Yates (1934) also won national collegiate titles when the championship was conducted at match play prior to the NCAA taking sponsorship.
–Georgia Tech has advanced to match play four times at the NCAA Championship, most recently in 2014 at Hutchinson, Kan.
VANDERBILT QUOTES
Vanderbilt Head Coach Scott Limbaugh
On Saturday’s round:
“We knew it was an important day today with the morning tee time and we just never quite had positive momentum as a team. I didn’t think we were bad by any means, but we definitely weren’t as sharp as we need to be going forward. It was encouraging to see Matthew [Riedel] bounce back and play a good round, he did a good job making some putts to keep his round going. I am also proud of William [Moll] and how he battled after a tough start, he looked like he found some good rhythm with his swing the last 10-12 holes. Gordon [Sargent] made a few great par saves coming in that should give him some confidence going forward, which is big for us.”
On his expectations for Sunday:
“It’s important tomorrow to have all five guys in the round and playing with courage. There are no excuses this time of year because it takes what it takes. This week is a marathon and we are off to a solid start, but we know we can be better. I’m excited to watch our guys continue to battle and enjoy this moment because this is what it’s all about. I love this team, I know they appreciate the support we are getting and we need our fans excited for moving day tomorrow.”
ARIZONA STATE QUOTES:
ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH MATT THURMOND:
On the team round of one-over, 281
“I thought yesterday wasn’t as bad as it was made to sound, so we were excited to come out and prove that today. We’re going to play a good round and it’s going to sound like a comeback story when it really isn’t. I thought the course played harder today. The conditions were a lot easier. We got off to an awesome start. 6:30 (a.m.) is an early tee time. College kids don’t love teeing off that early because it’s a 4:30 a.m. wakeup. But I love how we started – would have loved to save a few for the second-nine – but it was playing tough. The pins are in really difficult spots and I think at the end of the day, you’ll see that our score was really good.”
On both freshman Luke Potter and Michael Mjaaseth
“I’m proud of the freshmen (and how they played today). They could have been a bit shellshocked from yesterday since it was such a difficult day… I’m pumped that they came back (to have a good round) today. They’re awesome players, I believed they would but they needed to do that for their own confidence and now they’re ready to roll for th rest of the week.”
On staying mentally prepared for tomorrow
“We’re going to get some shade, eat some good food, we’re going to see our physio guys, make sure they rest, get out of the sun, and mentally we did to get away from it. We’ll go do something fun by the pool or maybe go bowling. We’ll get away from it for a bit, which I think is important.
SUN DEVIL NOTE:
–The Sun Devils were the biggest gainers in round two, taking advantage of the morning wave and gaining 12 spots on the field, moving into a tie for 9th.
–Three out of the last five rounds for freshman Luke Potter have been in the 60's after recording a 1-under 69.
–Three out of the last six rounds at Grayhawk Golf Clun for senior Ryggs Johnston have been shot in the 60's after recording a 1-under 69.
VIRGINIA NOTE:
–Freshman Ben James carded a 2-under 68 to put him into 1-under for the tournament, he is currently the only freshman in the field inside the top-10
VIRGINIA QUOTES:
Virginia Head Coach Bowen Sargent
“I felt like yesterday, we played fairly well in the afternoon which put us in a good position here today. For both days we kind of did what we knew we needed to do. We hung in there yesterday and then today I felt like you could have broken par and we were certainly right there to do that. The guys are playing well top to bottom. We had all five guys kind of in it today. That’s what you need at this level. You can’t have people not be in mix. To commit to make that top eight, you’ve got to have five guys pulling on the same end of the rope.”
COLORADO NOTES
-- Sophomore Tucker Clark rebounded from an opening 80 to card a 3-under 67, the second lowest score of the second round, which jumped him 69 spots in the standings into a tie for 84th. The 13- stroke improvement was the largest in the field, as well as a Colorado best in its NCAA Finals history. In 1964, Bob Bahan opened with an 85 and shot a 75, that 10-shot improvement holding as the best for 59 years until Saturday.
-- Clark's 67 was also the third-best score in an NCAA Finals by a Buffalo, behind only a 65 by Hale Irwin in 1967 (en route to medalist honors) and a 66 by Ben Portie in 2002.
COLORADO QUOTE
Tucker Clark of his performance the last two days
“Yesterday, I think I put too much pressure on myself because I had a lot of people out there watching me. I labored out there all day, didn’t really hit great iron shots, and though I thought I had some good putts, they just didn’t go in. It was as frustrating as could be, but I knew my game wasn’t that far off. I just needed to hit better irons. Last night, I talked with my coaches and my mental coach (Howard Falco),” he said. “I was especially focused after studying today’s pin sheet, and came out really focused on every hole. I hit it to those spots where I was thinking. I knew if I hit better irons today, I would post a lower number. I’ve had a lot of confidence because I’ve been hitting the ball well the last month, so I felt the first round was an aberration.
TEXAS A&M NOTE:
– Junior Daniel Rodrigues recorded a second-round of 4-under, 66 which is his lowest round recorded at Grayhawk in five rounds and his first under-par round at the NCAA Championships. He sits currently tied for second.
NCAA MEN'S GOLF FIRST ROUND (FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023) NOTES AND QUOTES:
| YEAR | FIRST ROUND SCORING AVERAGE | Teams at Under Par or Even |
| 2023 | 73.24 | 1 |
| 2022 | 74.43 | 0 |
| 2021 | 72.98 | 5 (Low was 276 by TTU) |
FIRST ROUND NOTE:
–Georgia Tech senior Ross Steelman and Ohio State's Maxwell Moldovan were the only two golfers to shoot bogey-free rounds Friday.
(1) GEORGIA TECH NOTES:
–Ross Steelman posted only the third subpar round by a Tech golfer in 45 NCAA Championship rounds at Grayhawk, and beat the previous best of 68 in the final round of the 2022 championship by Bartley Forrester. Christo Lamprecht’s opening 69 in 2021 is the other.
–The senior from Columbia, Mo., started out with three birdies in his first four holes and then birdied three of his final six, and seldom was in danger of making bogey. His round stood up the rest of the day after Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira of Arkansas and Matthew Watkins of New Mexico each posted 66. It was the best opening round of an NCAA Championship at Grayhawk and the second-best in any round.
–For further perspective, Steelman birdied six holes Friday, three more than he recorded over 72 holes in the 2022 NCAA Championship, in which he started his opening round 6-over-par over his first six holes.
GEORGIA TECH QUOTES:
Georgia Tech Senior Ross Steelman:
On the start of his round:
“It started well. I hit a 4-iron a lot further than I thought I could on 1. I had a really good number there, and I hit a pitching wedge to about 20 feet and made a good putt to start it off. Trying to keep momentum rolling, I hit a good one into two and mad another 20-footer. After that it was a lot of boring shots, kind of to the fairways and greens. I kept remind myself that par is really good out here, anytime you can make one.
On his approach shot on 18:
“I had 222 on 18 (after hitting tee shot into the right=hand rough). It was sitting pretty well in the rough, sitting on top of some end-of-the-grain grass. I was able to catch a 5-iron clean, hit a high cut and got on top of the wind and ended up really good.
On how many drivers you hit today:
“I hit one on 3, 11, 12 and 18.”
On preparing for this tournament:
“Kind of knowing what to expect for 12 months coming into it is huge. Obviously, last year, being my first year playing it, you come in hearing the horror stories of how hard it is, seeing it on TV and balls bounding over greens. Knowing what lies in front of you, and knowing that it’s not impossible … obviously guys shoot good scores out here, then just trying to take it one shot at a time and being disciplined. Each shot is a small victory, and just try to do it over and over.”
On keeping the momentum tomorrow:
“We’ve got six guys who can play well any day, which is important in college golf. You can only be as good as the last score that you’re counting each day. We’ve got five guys that are all playing well and confident.”
(T2) ARKANSAS NOTES
-- The team score of 281 ties for the third-best single round by the Razorbacks at the NCAA Championships trailing a 271 in 2013 and a pair of 279’s. Fernandez de Oliveira’s 66 is the third-best by a Razorback at nationals behind Nicolas Echavarria’s 64 in round two of 2013 and John Daly’s 65 in round three of 1986. Gibson’s 67 ties for fourth-best in school history at NCAA’s with Tyson Reeder (round two of 2018) and Sebastian Cappelen (round two of 2013).
-- As for Arkansas’ third year playing the same Grayhawk course, the 281 is the program’s best by four strokes, shooting a 285 in round four of the 2021 Championships, and the scores by Fernandez de Oliveira and Gibson are the top two scores by Razorbacks in the three years at Grayhawk.
ARKANSAS QUOTES
Arkansas Head Coach Brad McMakin
“To have two guys shoot a combined 7-under, on this golf course, was truly remarkable. Obviously, we would have liked to avoid some of the bigger numbers, but that is going to happen out here. You are going to hit a ball in the desert, but you have to just find a way how to minimize your mistakes. I think, this being our third year out here, we know how to do that. Overall, I thought our team played really well.”
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
“I got off to a really good start and that gave me a lot of confidence that I was able to take with me on through the round. I had a bad bogey after a good tee shot on number seven but I got a really good break on nine and was able to make a long putt to save par. I chipped in on 13 which gave me a little bump in my spirits for the last few holes. Then I got another big break on 17 that led to a really good bogey. I then closed my round with the best shot of the day for finish with bogey.
“Playing in the desert, you have to stay patient and keep a level-headed. You can get really good breaks or you may have to take an unplayable (penalty). You just have to keep cool and figure out what shot you are going to play next.”
Wil Gibson
“I knew I was going to have to stay patient today based off my experience from last year. I had a few times where the round could have gotten away from me but I was able to work through those situations. Overall, I was very happy with how I played and how I was able to fight through on a tough course like this.”
(T4) TEXAS TECH QUOTES
Texas Tech Head Coach Greg Sands
"I was really proud of our three newcomers who have never played at Grayhawk before [Comegys, Snyders and Wall], because when you haven't played here before and you get thrown into the afternoon round, there are things you have to adjust to. The ball really flies out here and it's hard to tell which way the wind is blowing at times. I thought those guys did great, which was a major key to the round today. Obviously, Ludvig played solid golf, and then Calum [Scott] did not quite have his best stuff, but I know he'll bounce back tomorrow."
(T4) VANDERBILT QUOTES
Vanderbilt Head Coach Scott Limbaugh
On the team's first round:
“We knew it was important to get off to a good start, I’m proud of how we battled. That’s important in any tournament but especially in this one, it’s a marathon and we’re trying to play the long game. I thought we showed a lot of toughness and discipline staying with our plan throughout the day, the guys hung in there.”
On Cole Sherwood's performance:
“Cole Sherwood has been trying to make it happen, and it finally happened today. That was big for him and obviously huge for our team. I didn’t get to see a ton of it, but it looked to me like he stuck with his plan and got some putts to drop. He’s been trying to force good golf, and it looked like today he allowed great golf to happen."
(7) FLORIDA NOTES
-- The Gators finished with a round of 283 (+3), a 17-shot improvement from its round one of last year. Also the score was two shots better than its previous low, which was a 285 in round two last season.
(8) FLORIDA STATE NOTES
-- The Seminoles’ 4-over 284 opening round on Friday was their lowest at Grayhawk since carding a 6-under 274 on May 30, 2021.
-- Junior Brett Roberts’ 1-under 69 is his second career round in the 60s in NCAA Championship play. As a freshman in 2021, he shot a 68 in the third round of stroke play at Grayhawk.
-- Freshman Luke Clanton’s 2-over 72 on Friday snaps his impressive run of nine consecutive rounds at par or lower entering the NCAA Championships.
-- Friday marked Cole Anderson’s team-leading ninth career round played at Grayhawk. He played an extra round last year after advancing as an individual of a non-advancing team.
(T17) DUKE NOTES
-- In NCAA championship play, Duke has now played on a par-70 course three times. Its 10-over, 290, on Friday is the second-best first-round performance, trailing only the 8-over, 288, the Blue Devils shot in the first round of the 2005 championship.
-- As a team, Duke made 58 pars on Friday – tied for fifth most of any team in the field.
DUKE QUOTES
Duke Head Coach Jamie Green
“I feel like we’re a strong team and we have some firepower. But we’ve had our valleys and our hills this year. We definitely had some not-so-great tournaments. So, we’ve had some things to learn from. Other teams have been consistently very good. And quite frankly, we’re right there. That’s the one thing I tried to send to [the team]. We don’t have many days when nobody has a ‘good’ day. So, knowing that that one’s in the books, that should be a positive. It’s been a little while for [assistant coach] Bob [Heintz] and me, but for our players, they don’t know anything different. These are guys, even though this is a new college experience for them, they’ve all played in national championships – US Juniors, US Amateurs. And those tournaments are like this. So, it’s not completely foreign to them. And so that’s a good thing. Because I think that’ll help the next couple of days.” – Green on the players’ approach to their first NCAA championship appearance."
Duke Sophomore Kelly Chinn
“Today was decent. I hit the ball really solid and definitely had a chance to get under par if some putts fell. As a team, we all know that we can get a really good round out here – it’s a tough test but we’re ready and excited to get going tomorrow.”
COLORADO NOTES
-- Sophomore Dylan McDermott, led the Buffaloes Friday with a 1-over 71; that has him tied for 31st. After a slow start with two bogeys in his first four holes (Nos. 11 and 13), he birdied No. 14 before reeling off eight straight pars. After scoring his last bogey of the round on No. 5, he parred the next two holes before birdying the 188-yard, par-3 8th hole to get back to just 1-over. He was of just a few players designated in the No. 1 position to lead their teams in the opening round, as only 10 of the 30 did so. And including the six individuals who qualified here, the stroke average for the 36 was well above par at 72.9 (72.2 for the 30 team representatives).
-- Freshman Hunter Swanson carded a 2-over 72, which has him tied for 47th; he had a team-high four birdies opposite four bogeys and a double, mixed in with nine pars. He birdied Nos. 13 and 14 that got him to 1-under at that point, the latest a CU player would be under par in the round. Swanson joined the team in time for dinner Wednesday after he advanced into the round of eight (quarterfinals) of the USGA Four Ball Championship in South Carolina; he had five competitive rounds from last Saturday through Tuesday (his partner was Colorado Mines freshman Maxwell Lange)