From Special Reports
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Auburn and Alabama will square off in the match play final on Sunday in the 2018 Southeastern Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
Today’s 18-hole match will begin at 7:30 a.m. and will be aired on the SEC Network.
The Tigers advanced by knocking off Arkansas 3-2 and LSU 4-1 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, on Saturday. Alabama posted a 3-2 decision over Vanderbilt and a 3-1-1 victory over Florida.
Auburn advanced to the title match when Brandon Mancheno won in 19 holes over LSU’s Jacob Bergeron. The Tigers also got 1-up wins from Jovan Rebula, Trace Crowe and Ryan Knop.
“I told our guys we had the best team coming in here and they believe it,” Auburn coach Nick Clinard said. “They’re playing their tails off with grit and grind. LSU has a lot of talent and a great coaching staff, and we just happened to come out on the better end today. The best teams in the country play in the SEC. It’s hard to win in this league. It’s a blessing to even be in match play. We’re glad to be there.”
Alabama’s clincher came when Davis Shore earned a 1-up win over Gordon Neale. The Crimson Tide got a 4&3 decision from Davis Riley and a 3&2 win by Jonathan Hardee.
“The pressure of the day and how our guys performed was amazing,” Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. “All of the players in this conference are so good, and it’s not surprising when matches go down to the last hole. It’s the SEC. That’s what makes it special. I’m proud of our guys. I hope it will be a great match on Sunday. I know both teams will be excited.”
Ole Miss
The No. 34 Ole Miss men’s golf team jumped out to an early lead over No. 7 Florida, but the Gators rallied to defeat the Rebels in the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship at Sea Island Golf Club on Saturday. Through the first six holes, No. 7 seed Ole Miss led in all five matches before No. 2 seed Florida produced comeback wins in the first three matches to move on to the tournament’s semifinals.
Senior Kerry Sweeney and junior Braden Thornberry were ahead in their matches when play was halted due to Florida clinching the team match. Sweeney was 3-up with three holes to play, while Thornberry held a 2-up lead with four holes to play. Sweeney was 1-under through 15 holes and didn’t lose a single hole in his matchup versus Florida’s Alejandro Tosti. One of the hottest golfers on the course was Thornberry, who recorded four birdies in a five-hole stretch to take a 4-up lead to the back nine.
Josh Seiple was the first Rebel on the course, and the redshirt-junior got off to a fast start by winning the first two holes. On the par-4 second, Seiple nearly holed out his approach shot before the ball settled six inches from the cup for a conceded birdie. Florida’s John Axelsen got a hole back with a birdie on the third before squaring the match with another birdie on No. 7. Axelsen won the first three holes on the back nine to create some separation from Seiple, taking the match 3&2.
In a rematch from yesterday’s playoff for the SEC individual title, Florida’s Andy Zhang edged freshman Cecil Wegener 2&1. Early on, it looked as if Wegener was going to get his revenge as birdies on No. 5 and No. 8 gave him a 2-up lead at the turn. However, Zhang flipped the script by winning holes 10-12 for a 1-up advantage. Wegener continued to fight, bringing the match back to all square with a victory on No. 14. One hole later, a birdie by Zhang put the Gator back out in front before he finished off the match on No. 17.
After losing the opening hole, Beau Briggs went on a tear by taking the next three holes for a 2-up lead through four versus Florida’s Chris Nido. Nonetheless, Nido won four of the next five to close out the front with a 2-up cushion of his own. Briggs won the par-3 12th to make it a one-hole deficit, but Nido closed the match with a 4&2 decision.
Mississippi State
Taylor Grant has been a leader for Mississippi State men’s golf this spring, and that didn’t change Friday in the third round of the SEC Men’s Golf Championship.
The senior from Abilene, Texas, fired a 2-under 68 in State’s final round on the Par-70, 6,898-yard Sea Island Golf Club Seaside Course to finish tied for 21st. He collected an eagle on the par-5 15th hole to go with three birdies on Friday.
“Today was a fun day for me,” Grant said. “It was my last round at Sea Island in the SEC Championship, and I tried to enjoy it and just have fun. I was able to hit a lot of good shots and the putts fell today.”
“I am really proud of [Taylor] for how he responded after his opening round,” MSU men’s golf coach Dusty Smith said. “It shows a lot about who he is and what kind of character he has.”
Friday’s 68 followed a 1-under 69 in Thursday’s second round and 5-over opening round. He finished the three-round stroke play portion of the championship with a 2-over 212.
Grant finished the regular season strong, notching three consecutive Top 10 finishes in the month of March. He was also instrumental in MSU head coach Dusty Smith’s squad closing the regular season with four-straight Top 5 finishes.
Sophomore Peng Pichaikool was State’s next-best finisher on Friday, knocking in three birdies on the front nine to finish at 1-over for the second-straight day.
“Peng played a big back nine for us when we needed it today,” Smith said. “I thought the way he hung in there after being 4-over early was huge for our team.”
Pichaikool played his first nine holes at 4-over par, but he rallied to play the front nine at 3-under and wrap the three days tied with teammate Taylor Bibbs for 36th. Bibbs shot a 76 on Friday after posting two solid rounds to begin the week.
Freshman Cameron Clarke had his best day on Friday, rallying for a 2-over 72 after a rough couple of days in his first taste of championship play.
Sophomore Garrett Johnson found trouble on the front nine Friday and ended the round with a 78. He and Clarke each shot 14-over 224s for their three-day totals.
Despite some fine individual performances, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the gap in front of them to qualify for the SEC Championship match play this weekend.
, but moved up a spot to 12th after shooting a 7-over 287 in round three.
State was 13-over in the opening round and then had its tournament-best with a 4-over 284 on Thursday for a three-day total of 864.
LSU finished atop the SEC Championship leaderboard and will be one of eight teams to advance to this weekend’s match play. Florida’s Andy Zhang won the individual title after winning a two-man playoff against Ole Miss’ Cecil Wegener.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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