North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida State & Wake Forest advance to match play semifinals
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – Clemson senior Jacob Bridgeman made a seven-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to win the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Individual Title over North Carolina’s Peter Fountain at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course at Watersound Club.
“I really wanted this one,” said Bridgeman. “This is a tournament I’ve really had my eyes set on for a while. Postseason tournaments are always at the top of our priority list, so when we got here, I was extra zoned in and I’m really happy to win it.”
Bridgeman and Fountain were tied at -13 after the third round and went to No. 18 for the playoff. After both players made par, they returned to the 18th tee for another attempt. Fountain’s approach sailed over the green, while Bridgeman knocked it within a few feet, almost the exact same distance he missed just a few minutes earlier. This time, he drained the birdie putt to win the title and end Fountain’s attempt to win back-to-back conference championships.
“The first putt (on first playoff hole) bumped out,” said Bridgeman, who tied the Clemson career record for victories with five. “I hit a good putt and it kicked left and missed on the left lip. The second one (on the second playoff hole) was pretty much the same putt, just about a foot right of where I was previously, and I was pretty confident I was going to make that one.”
Led by Fountain’s 68, North Carolina held on to the overall lead and finished -35, just two strokes off the 54-hole scoring record on a par 72 course. The Tar Heels are the top seed in Sunday’s match play semifinals and will face No. 4 seed Wake Forest. Georgia Tech (-26) finished second and will take on third seed Florida State in the first semifinal. Both matches will tee off on hole No. 1 with live coverage on select holes on ACC Network Extra from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. ET.
The Demon Deacons started the day in sixth place, but rallied on Saturday to claim the fourth and final match play spot behind the spectacular shot-making of sophomore Michael Brennan. The Leesburg, Virginia, native birdied the final two holes (No. 8 & No. 9) to push the Deacs ahead of Notre Dame for the final position.
Georgia Tech was led by Christo Lamprecht who fired a 68 to tie for…
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