Eric Boggs
Ohio State made it to the NCAA men’s golf semifinals, but their bid for a national championship ended with a loss to the top-ranked team.
In the quarterfinals on Tuesday, the Buckeyes pulled off an upset by defeating No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, 3-1, to move into the semifinals.
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 matches to lead Ohio State past the Commodores, who were ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Tournament.
Tyler Sabo’s match with William Moll was tied through 18 holes but remained unfinished after Wallin’s victory. Sabo delivered a highlight for the Buckeyes by hitting a hole-in-one on the eighth hole of the Omni La Costa North Course.
Ohio State almost achieved another upset against Auburn, the No. 6 seed based on stroke play performance. The match was decided when Auburn’s Jackson Koivun defeated Wallin after 21 holes.
Sabo and Maxwell Moldovan won their semifinal matches, scoring two points for Ohio State. However, Chandler, Shipley, and Wallin, who were victorious against Vanderbilt, lost their matches, resulting in a 3-2 defeat for Ohio State.
Despite the loss, reaching the semifinals marked Ohio State’s best finish at the NCAA championship since 1997, when they placed fourth in stroke play. The championship format switched back to match play in 2009.
