CARLSBAD, Calif. — Auburn senior J.M. Butler polished off a dominant two days at La Costa by successful the anchor match Wednesday to offer the Tigers the ultimate level they wanted to beat Florida State and seize their first NCAA title in males’s golf.
“A university profession is not full and not using a nationwide championship,” Butler stated. “That is for all my teammates who push me each single day.”
Butler by no means trailed in any of the three matches he performed, making him the correct participant for Auburn if the championship got here right down to the ultimate match.
He was clinging to a 1-up lead over Luke Clanton of Florida State when Butler holed an 8-foot par putt on the thirteenth gap to remain forward. The matched turned closely in his favor on the fifteenth. Clanton’s method to the agency inexperienced took a tough hop, went over the again and ran down a steep slope and into the water.
He made double bogey, giving Butler a 2-up lead. Butler saved par from a again bunker on the par-3 sixteenth to remain 2 up, and he closed him out by stuffing his method to eight ft. Clanton drove right into a bunker and could not attain the inexperienced.
Clanton’s final hope was to chip in. He eliminated the pin, and the shot hit the again of the cup with a lot tempo that it hopped out. Clanton dropped to the bottom on his again, protecting his eyes in disbelief.
Butler rolled his putt down to a couple inches was conceded par for a decisive 2-and-1 win and the celebration was on.
“I used to be feeling nothing” Butler stated concerning the nerves. “I’ve ready for this second, I’ve labored extraordinarily laborious for this. I knew I needed to get out of my manner and I would come out on prime.”
Clanton was devastated, sobbing as his teammates consoled him.
“I am simply gutted for them proper now,” Florida State coach Trey Jones stated. “Second place within the nationwide championship is one thing we’ll look again on as an excellent season. However we got here right here to win, and it is disappointing.”
Auburn was the No. 6 seed of eight groups, easing by North Carolina after which successful a decent match in opposition to Ohio State within the semifinals.
Halfway by way of the championship match, it turned clear this one could be determined by the anchor match.
Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun capped off a 3-0 document in NCAA match play by chipping in on the 14th gap to safe a 5-and-4 victory over Brett Roberts, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Brendan Valdes knocked off Frederik Kjettrup, 4 and three, to offer Auburn one other level.
Within the opening two matches, Florida State needed to work slightly tougher. Cole Anderson and Tyler Weaver every had 3-up leads with three holes to go. Auburn made them work for these factors.
Carson Bacha birdied the sixteenth and seventeenth holes and was in place to ship the match in opposition to Anderson to further holes till lacking a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th. Josiah Gilbert received the sixteenth gap and had an opportunity to win the seventeenth till narrowly lacking a 12-foot birdie. Weaver closed him out with a 6-foot par to win, 2 and 1.
