HOCKLEY, Texas – The No. 24-ranked University of Utah Men’s Golf team secured the seventh overall spot on the team leaderboard to wrap up Big 12 Match Play on Wednesday, defeating Cincinnati 3.5-1.5 at the Houston Oaks Country Club.
“The team played really well in today’s match,” said head coach Garrett Clegg. “It was fun to compete in the big-12 match play. It was a different experience than most of our tournaments, but match play is a fun format and put a different form of pressure on each player. I was impressed by Sergio [Jimenez] and Gabe [Palacios]! They went a combined 8-1-1 in their matches. We ended with two wins one loss and two ties…It was a fun week and one we will look forward to next year.”
Match play is unlike traditional stroke play that Utah has played all season long. Five golfers from each team compete head-to-head with opponents for the entirety of the course. Both golfers play hole-to-hole and each golfer who posts a lower score on each hole wins the hole. As the round plays on, a certain golfer can lead by more holes than those remaining on the course and earn a victory without playing all 18 holes (3&2, 4&3, 5&4, etc.). In a tighter matchup, a golfer can win by just one stroke that requires play on the final hole (1UP). Whichever team totals the most individual wins in its specific matchup secures a win for the match and earns three points for a victory.
The Utes opened their final round at Houston Oaks Country Club with a hot start as four of five golfers grabbed a lead first over their opponents. Sergio Jimenez, Gabriel Palacios, and Brandon Robison all recorded wins in their matchups while Brandon Robison finished level and Rex Wilson came up just short. Jimenez jumped out to a three-hole lead on the back nine and maintained his cushion onto the front nine, leading by three holes for the duration of the nine holes to finish 3&2 over Leo Wessel. Palacios began neck-and-neck with Michael Senn for the first half of the course as neither golfer’s lead stretched to more than one hole. Palacios then caught fire on the front nine, taking four of the last six holes to clinch the victory as the last two holes were not played due to Palacios’ four-hole lead. Watts also made a late push to grab his victory, recording lower scores on two of the last four holes to build his lead from one…
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