Ohio State advanced to the NCAA men’s golf semifinals before its quest for a national championship ended with a loss to the No. 1-ranked team in the country.
The Buckeyes pulled off an upset victory in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, defeating No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, 3-1, to advance to the semifinals.
Ohio State’s Jackson Chandler (3&2 over Jackson Van Paris), Neal Shipley (4&2 over Matthew Riedel) and Adam Wallin (19 holes over Gordon Sargent) each won their respective matches to propel the Buckeyes past the Commodores, who were ranked as the No. 2 team in the country entering the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State knocks off Vanderbilt!
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 28, 2024
They move on to the semifinals after this 19 hole match.@OhioStateMGOLF | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/6cGOgOrPvV
Ohio State’s Tyler Sabo, whose match with William Moll was tied through 18 holes but unfinished after Wallin clinched victory over Sargent, delivered the highlight of the day for the Buckeyes when he hit a hole-in-one on the eighth hole on Omni La Costa’s North Course.
ACE ALERT!
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 28, 2024
Ohio State's Tyler Sabo with a hole-in-one on the 8th hole at Omni La Costa!@OhioStateMGOLF | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/dQJQGD3yaB
Ohio State came close in its quest for another upset against Auburn, which was the No. 6 seed in match play based on its performance in the stroke play portion of the tournament, but fell just short as Auburn’s Jackson Koivun defeated Wallin in a match that took 21 holes to decide.
Sabo and Maxwell Moldovan were victorious in their semifinal matches to put two points on the board for Ohio State, but the three Buckeyes who were victorious against Vanderbilt – Chandler, Shipley and Wallin – dropped their respective matches in Ohio State’s 3-2 defeat.
Despite the loss, the Buckeyes’ run to the semifinals was good for their best team finish at the NCAA championship since 1997, when they finished fourth in 72 holes of stroke play. The NCAA men’s golf championship switched back to its current match play in 2009.
