Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Advance To Match Play At NCAA Championship
May 28, 2009 | Cowboy Golf
May 28, 2009
TOLEDO, Ohio - Oklahoma State's men's golf team earned the top seed for the match play portion of the NCAA Championship after firing a 3-under 281 on Thursday at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
The Cowboys posted a 54-hole total of 849, 3-under par, to finish 13 shots clear of the field. Arizona State finished second at 862, while Southern California, Arkansas and Washington all tied for third at 865. Michigan, Texas A&M and Georgia rounded out the top eight and also advanced to match play.
OSU will square off with Georgia at 7 a.m. (EST) with the winner moving on to the semifinal round, which is set for 2 p.m. at the par-71, 7,255-yard layout.
A portion of the 30-team field was unable to complete its round after part of Wednesday's second round was pushed back to Thursday morning. The remaining six teams that did not complete their third round on Thursday will wrap up play on Friday morning.
A pair of players competing as individuals finished 1-2 in the race for medalist honors as North Carolina State's Matt Hill turned in a 6-under 207 total that included three-straight 69s to claim the top spot. Clemson's Kyle Stanley finished two strokes back at 209.
OSU's Rickie Fowler charged up the leaderboard during his final round, moving up 13 spots into a tie for third place with USC's Tom Glissmeyer and TCU's Tom Hoge at 210. The Murrieta, Calif., native fired a 68 during his third round to record his second consecutive top-five finish in the event. Fowler finished fourth at the 2008 national championship in West Lafayette, Ind.
Fowler went out with an even-par 35 that included a pair of birdies before making his move on the back nine. After pars at Nos. 10, 11 and 12, he posted a birdie at the par-5 13th to move under par. Fowler gave the shot back at the 15th with a bogey, but closed with three-straight birdies to finish at 3-under for the day.
Freshman Morgan Hoffmann also finished in the top 10, tying for seventh place at 1-under 212 after closing with a 71. The Wyckoff, N.J., native's performance marks the sixth time he has finished in the top 10 this season.
Fellow freshman Peter Uihlein crept inside the top 20, tying for 18th place at 215 after recording a 70. The Bradenton, Fla., native's 1-under score featured five birdies, including four on his front nine.
Sophomore Kevin Tway finished with a 72 to come in tied for 27th at 217, while senior Trent Leon recorded a 78 to finish tied for 37th place at 219.
This year is the first for the match-play format with previous winners being determined by 72 holes of stroke play. The first team to win three of five matches will advance to the semifinals. Saturday's championship match is slated for a 10:00 a.m. start.
Quarterfinal Matchups
No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. No. 8 Georgia
No. 2 Arizona State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
No. 3 Southern Cal vs. No. 6 Michigan
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 5 Washington
