James leads the way as Virginia earns spot in NCAA Championship's Final Match against Oklahoma State

 

   It was easy to overlook Virginia going into quarterfinal/semifinal day of the NCAA Championship Tuesday at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

   The Cavaliers were the lowest-ranked team among the eight teams that reached the match-play bracket at No. 10 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, and were seeded seventh following 72 holes of stroke play.

   But a little closer inspection would reveal that Virginia had survived a similar match-play gauntlet to capture the first Atlantic Coast Conference in program history a month ago at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky.

   The Cavaliers had managed to get through some wild weather to finish in second place in the Reno Regional.

   It was the third straight year Virginia had earned a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship, the Cavaliers falling in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion Florida two years ago at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. and again in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion Auburn a year ago at La Costa.

   So, be surprised if you want, but it was Virginia knocking off second-seeded and top-ranked Auburn, 3-2, in the morning quarterfinals and then rolling past Southeastern Conference champion Florida, 4-1, in the afternoon semifinals.

   As a result, it will be Virginia taking on Big 12 champion Oklahoma State, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fourth in the match-play bracket, in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match, mostly in prime time on the Golf Channel here on the East Coast, Wednesday.

   A long, long day at La Costa Tuesday didn’t end until, with darkness descending on Carlsbad, Oklahoma State’s Eric Lee, a sophomore from Fullerton, Calif. and No. 54 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), buried a five-foot par putt to pull out a victory on the 19^th hole of his match with Mississippi’s Cohen Trolio, a junior from West Point, Miss., that gave the Cowboys a 3-2 victory.

   It will be the fourth time Oklahoma State has reached the Final Match since the match-play layer was added to the NCAA Championship. The Cowboys of Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and Zach Bauchou rolled to the national title on their home course, Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., in 2018.

   It was the 11^th national championship for a proud Oklahoma State program.

   Virginia will be trying to win the program’s first national title when the Cavaliers square off against Oklahoma State Wednesday.

   It is no coincidence that Virginia’s journey to this point coincides with the arrival in Charlottsville of Ben James, No. 4 in the WAGR, from Milford, Conn. for the fall semester in 2022.

   So, it was probably appropriate that it was James, a junior, that accounted for the clinching point in the Cavaliers’ semifinal victory over Florida, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded third in the match-play bracket.

   James nearly rolled a brilliant bunker shot at the par-5 18^th hole into the cup, his tap-in birdie giving him a 1-up victory over Luke Poulter, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla. and No. 89 in the WAGR. It gave Virginia an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

   In addition to his contributions to the Virginia program, James was a member of the United States team that rallied to pull out a 14.5-11.5 victory over Great Britain & Ireland in a Walker Cup Match at the home of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews, in the summer of 2023.

   Yeah, there was pressure Tuesday at La Costa, but there is no more intimidating setting in amateur golf than taking on a couple of Scots in a foursome match at St. Andrews.

   Virginia got off to a great start when Maxi Puregger, a freshman from Spain, cruised to a 4 and 3 decision over Matthew Kress, a junior from Saratoga, Calif. and a veteran of the Gators’ run to a national championship two years ago, in the leadoff match.

   Puregger had been inserted into the Virginia lineup by Tony Markel Family men’s golf head coach Bowen Sargent for Monday’s final round of stroke play to replace Deven Patel, a senior from Johns Creek, Ga.

   Josh Duangmanee, a sophomore from Fairfax, Va. and No. 84 in the WAGR, pulled out a 2-up decision over Jack Turner, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla. and No. 24 in the WAGR.

   Paul Chang, a senior from China and No. 73 in the WAGR, was awarded a full point as he held a 1-up lead through 17 holes against the Gators’ Zack Swanwick, a freshman from New Zealand, when James sealed the overall verdict for Virginia.

   Florida’s Ian Gilligan, a senior from Reno, Nev. and No. 5 in the WAGR, was awarded a full point as he held a 1-up lead on Bryan Lee, a senior from Fairfax, Va. and No. 30 in the WAGR, through 15 holes.

   Earlier in the day, James had rallied from an early deficit to knock off Auburn redshirt senior Carson Bacha, the 2019 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Central York and No. 20 in the WAGR, to help Virginia end the hopes for a second straight national crown for the SEC’s Tigers.

   The Golf Channel has done a nice job chronicling the rise of Chang from the club team at Virginia to a spot in the Sargent’s starting lineup.

   All Chang did against Auburn was roll to a 5 and 3 verdict over Brendan Valdes, a senior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 6 in the WAGR.

   The clinching point for Virginia was put up by Bryan Lee as he cruised to a 4 and 3 win over Josiah Gilbert, a sophomore from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 23 in the WAGR.

   Auburn had put up a couple of early points as Cayden Pope, a sophomore from Lexington, Ky. pulled out a 1-up victory over Puregger and Jackson Koivun, a sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C. and No. 2 in the WAGR, captured a 3 and 2 decision over Duangmanee.

   After a standout junior career, Eric Lee began his college career at California. But he quickly moved on to Oklahoma State, probably so he could experience moments like he did on the 19^th hole of his match with Ole Miss’ Trolio Tuesday.

   Eric Lee had hit a brilliant shot to reach the green on the par-5 18^th hole in two, but he was unable to convert his eight-footer for eagle. Trolio made a really tough up-and-down from behind the green for birdie that sent the match to the 19^th hole, the par-3 16^th at La Costa’s North Course.

   Both players went nowhere near the sucker pin on the front of the green. Eric Lee’s long birdie try trundled five feet past the pin, but Trolio couldn’t get the speed and left his putt on the same line six feet short.

   When Trolio’s par putt slid by the hole, Eric Lee had his chance and he did not miss from five feet for the winning par. Oklahoma State had knocked off SEC power Ole Miss, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded eighth in the match-play bracket.

   Oklahoma State got a big point from Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson, a freshman from Sweden, as he pulled out a 1-up decision over the Rebels’ Cameron Tankersley, a junior from Dickson, Tenn. and No. 37 in the WAGR, in the leadoff match.

   Two-time Big 12 individual champion Preston Stout, a sophomore from Richardson, Texas and No. 21 in the WAGR, came up huge for the Cowboys with a 5 and 4 win over Michael La Sasso, who, a day earlier was crowned the NCAA’s individual champion.

   La Sasso, a junior from Raleigh, N.C. and No. 11 in the WAGR, had been the hottest player on the property, having dismantled top-seeded Arizona State’s Preston Summherhays, a senior from Scottsale, Ariz. and No. 14 in the WAGR, 6 and 5, to spark Ole Miss to a 3-2 upset of the Sun Devils, if there can such a thing as an upset at this level of competition, in the morning quarterfinals.

   Ole Miss got a point from Tom Fischer, a junior from Birmingham, Ala. and the hero of the Rebels’ victory over Arizona State in the quarterfinals, as he edged Ethan Fang, a sophomore from Plano, Texas and No. 16 in the WAGR, 1-up, and another point from Kye Meeks, a senior from Walnut, Miss. who handed Gaven Lane, a sophomore from Argyle, Texas, a 4 and 2 setback.

   Stout accounted for the clinching point in what had to be a satisfying 3.5-1.5 victory for Oklahoma State over its former Big 12 and always in-state rival Oklahoma, which moved from the Big 12 to the SEC, in an intriguing quarterfinal matchup.

   Stout’s 20-foot birdie putt was the finishing touch on a 2 and 1 decision over Jase Summy, a junior from Keller, Texas and No. 43 in the WAGR.

   The Cowboys got another point from Fahlberg-Johnsson, who edged P.J. Maybank III, a sophomore from Cheboygan, Mich., 2-up and Fang delivered a huge point for Oklahoma State with a 3 and 2 decision over the Sooners’ senior leader Drew Goodman, a home boy from Norman, Okla. and No. 33 in the WAGR.

   Maybe the match of the day was Fischer, the Ole Miss junior, sending the Rebels to the semifinals by outlasting Arizona State’s Michael Mjaaseth, a junior from Norway and No. 40 in the WAGR, in 21 holes.

   On the 19^th hole, Mjaaseth had chipped in from 40 yards out for birdie. Fischer faced a must-make 20-footer for birdie to extend the match and drained it.

   When Mjaaseth missed his par putt on the 21^st hole, Ole Miss, in its first appearance in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship, was on to the semifinals.

   Meeks also came up big for Ole Miss against Arizona State as he claimed a 2 and 1 victory over reigning U.S. Amateur champion Josele Ballester, a senior from Spain and No. 7 in the WAGR, in the leadoff match.

   Florida lost its first two matches against SEC rival Texas, No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded sixth in the match-play bracket, before rallying for a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals.

   Swanwick began the comeback by claiming a 2 and 1 verdict over Daniel Bennett, a freshman from South Africa and No. 64 in the WAGR, and Kress evened the match with a 3 and 1 decision over Jack Gilbert, a sophomore from Houston, Texas.

   Gilligan then sent Florida to the semifinals by completing a 1-up victory over Christiaan Maas, a junior from South Africa and No. 9 in the WAGR, in a heavyweight anchor match.