SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. – Georgia Tech senior Ross Steelman sank two critical putts on the 16th and 17th holes and went on to win his match on the final hole to secure the decisive point for the Yellow Jackets in a 3-2 win over the University of North Carolina in the NCAA men’s golf national championship Tuesday at Grayhawk Golf Course.
The Tar Heels finish the NCAA Championship tied for third, its best since finishing third in 1993. UNC has three straight top-five finishes for the only time in school history and the Tar Heels, Arizona State and Pepperdine are the only teams to finish in the top five in each of the past three NCAA Championships.
Carolina got a dominant 6&5 win by Dylan Menante, and a second come-from-behind win today by David Ford to put two points on the board, but Steelman’s win combined with 4&2 victories by Bartley Forrester over Ryan Burnett and Connor Howe over Austin Greaser allowed the Yellow Jackets to advance to Wednesday’s national championship match vs. Florida. The Gators eliminated Florida State, 3-2.
Steelman led UNC’s Peter Fountain by three holes with six to play, but Fountain won the 13th and 14th holes and lipped out a birdie putt on 15 that would have evened the match.
On the par-3 16th, Fountain found the front bunker and Steelman’s tee shot went over the back of the green. Fountain blasted out to a foot for par, but Steelman sank a 12-footer for par to halve the hole and stay 1 up.
Steelman then made a 20-footer for birdie on the 17th, which forced Fountain to make a six-footer for birdie to extend that individual match as well as the overall semifinal match. Fountain drained the putt to send it to 18, where Steelman closed out the match.
Menante put on an impressive display in both the quarterfinal this morning (a 5&3 win) and the semifinal. He needed only 13 holes to defeat Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht, the sixth-ranked player in the nation. Menante won the second and third holes, lost the fourth, then won the next six holes. For the day, the senior from Carlsbad, Calif., played 28 holes, winning 14 and losing only three.
Menante is now 4-2-1 in seven matches over the last three seasons at Grayhawk in the NCAA Championships.
Ford trailed Hiroshi Tai by two holes through six, but tied the match on the ninth and led until he made bogey on 15. The ACC Player of…
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