Texas eliminates Oklahoma State in NCAAs

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This article was published 28/05/2019 (2627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Untouchable in stroke play, Oklahoma State leaves another NCAA Championship with a No. 1 seed and no title to show for it.

The Cowboys were one putt away from a shot at back-to-back titles until Texas senior Steven Chervony holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to extend the decisive match, and the Longhorns advanced to the championship match Tuesday when he won the 19th hole with a par.

It was the third time since the NCAA switched to match play in 2009 that the Cowboys had the No. 1 seed and failed to win a title.

The Longhorns, who won the NCAA title in 2012 with a team that featured freshman Jordan Spieth, moved to the title match Wednesday against Stanford, which knocked off second-seeded Vanderbilt when Daulet Tuleubayev made a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.

Stanford’s last title was in 2007 when it was stroke play.

Oklahoma State was so dominant at Blessings Golf Club it captured the No. 1 seed with a 31-shot victory over Vanderbilt, which included Matthew Wolff winning the school’s first individual NCAA title in 13 years.

The Cowboys had no trouble against SMU in the quarterfinals, winning four of the five matches.

Texas ended the run.

“I’m glad it fell on me,” Chervony said. “We’ve been getting beat by Oklahoma State all year, so it’s good to give them one back.”

Cole Hammer built a big lead on Wolff and won, 4 and 3. Pierceson Coody had no trouble in beating Hayden Wood, leaving Texas one match away from the stunner.

It went down to the wire.

Chervony took his first lead against Zach Bauchou on the 15th hole, only to make bogey from the bunker on the 16th to square the match. Chervony’s shot into the 17th plugged near the lip of a bunker, and he did well just to get it on the green. Bauchou, needing two putts from 15 to square the match, holed the birdie putt.

Chervony holed his 15-foot birdie putt to tie the match on the 18th.

On the first extra hole, with darkness settling in, Bauchou left his 25-foot birdie putt about 4 feet short. Chervony missed his birdie chance, and then Bauchou posed over his par putt for the longest time before he watched it spin 270 degrees around the cup and stay out.

Texas was the No. 5 seed out of stroke play, and first had to get past Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. That also was decided in the fifth match on the course with Parker Coody defeating Garett Reband of Oklahoma on the final hole.

Stanford defeated Wake Forest in the quarterfinal.

The championship match was moved up to Wednesday morning because of storms in the forecast.