Tag: NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

Comeback kid: Florida’s Fred Biondi erases 5-shot deficit to capture 2023 NCAA individual title

Fred Biondi started the day five shots behind. In the end, he was a national champion.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Fred Biondi hoped he would have a decision to make Monday afternoon. One that would have major implications for his future.

Would he turn professional, which had been his plan all along, or would he remain an amateur for nearly another year.

The caveat? A Masters invitation on the line that would require him to stay an amateur until the 2024 event.

Well, Biondi now has that decision to make.

The senior at Florida came from five shots behind in the final round of stroke play Monday at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship to win the individual title. Biondi shot 3-under 67 at Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course, surpassing Georgia Tech senior Ross Steelman late after the latter bogeyed his final three holes in a closing 3-over 73.

“This could not happen to a better young man than Fred Biondi,” Florida coach J.C. Deacon said. “He’s amazing. It makes me so emotional just talking about it.”

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Biondi is the third Florida Gator to win the NCAA individual title, the last being Nick Gilliam in 2001. He had six birdies, a bogey and a double bogey in the final round. And now, he has an exemption into the 2024 Masters and the 2023 U.S. Open, if he decides to remain an amateur.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Deacon referenced a conversation he had with Biondi on Sunday when the team was leaving the golf course. Deacon thought Biondi would need to shoot 65 or 66 to have a chance at the individual title.

“He goes, ‘No, I don’t think so coach. I think 67 gets it done,'” Deacon said. “And that putt he made (at the end) was for 67.”

Biondi said he was looking at leaderboards a bit throughout the day, the first time on the sixth hole when he made a birdie putt to get one back of Steelman. He proceeded to double bogey the seventh hole, but that didn’t dampen his spirits.

“It could have (ruined my round), but I was playing so good and and enjoying myself out there,” Biondi said. “I tried to play with no emotions, keep my head down and just focus on the next shot.”

There was a big delay on the 17th and 18th tees due to the 17th hole having its tee box moved up, making the green driveable at 328 yards. However, Biondi’s decision on what to do wasn’t made by him.

Steelman, who led after each of the first three rounds, reached the 16th hole at even par, but a three-putt bogey dropped him to 8 under. Then, his approach at the par-4 17th rolled off the front of the green, and he was unable to get up-and-down for par.

On 18, Steelman blasted a drive down the middle but was unable to find the green with his approach, and he again couldn’t get in for par from the right rough.

The bogey on 17 tied Biondi at the top, then he took the lead when Steelman bogeyed 18. He pulled an iron and laid up, giving himself an opportunity for birdie.

“I knew I had to play the last couple in even par,” Biondi said. “It was still a hard task. I just tried to soak it all in and put good swings on them.”

Jackson Buchanan of Illinois had a chance to get to 7 under and force a playoff in the group ahead of Biondi, but his birdie putt on 18 missed to the right.

Biondi missed a birdie on the 17th but cleaned up for par. On 18, his tee shot found the middle of the fairway, and the approach ran through to the back of the green. He hit his birdie putt to about 4 feet, then his teammates rushed him in celebration when he knocked in the par.

Steelman was on the practice putting green across the pond from 18, staying warm in case of a playoff. When Biondi won, Steelman rushed over and congratulated him at the scoring tent.

Buchanan and Steelman tied for second at 6 under. The 2022 individual champ, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt, finished tied for 40th.

“It feels great, it feels amazing for sure,” Biondi said. “I’m sure I’ll soak it in a little bit more, but we’ve got to get ready for tomorrow.”

Biondi, Gators earn second seed

The Gators will be the second seed in match play and will face Virginia on Tuesday morning. North Carolina is the top seed and will face Arizona State, which beat Stanford on the second playoff hole for the eighth and final spot. The Gators won the SEC Championship in match play last month, beating top-ranked Vanderbilt in the final.

With Biondi’s win, Florida is full of confidence.

And his Masters decision will have to wait a bit. He’s got a team national championship to play for.

“We’ve had some reps with how difficult it is to win these matches,” Deacon said. “Our guys will be excited to play.”

With Masters exemption on the line, a win means even more at 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

“It’s definitely something to factor, and it’s just an unbelievable opportunity.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Dylan Menante has played some special golf this week.

The senior at North Carolina had eight birdies in the first round but also had six bogeys. In Saturday’s second round, he was 4 under after 11 holes and tripled the 12th and finished at even.

Sunday was his best round yet at Grayhawk Golf Club at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. Menante shot 3-under 67 and moved into a tie fir second at 5-under 205, four shots behind Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman with 18 holes to play.

He was also thinking of azaleas.

Menante isn’t afraid to admit he has thought plenty about the new exemption into the 2024 Masters the winner gets this week. Last month, Augusta National announced the champion of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship would begin receiving an exemption into the Masters. And it has players dreaming big in the desert.

“Coming down the last couple holes I was thinking about it today even,” Menante said. “It’s definitely something to factor, and it’s just an unbelievable opportunity.”

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent, the winner of the 2022 NCAA individual title, played 2023 Masters via a rare special invitation, the first in more than 20 years.

The inclusion of the college champion into the Masters field added further legitimacy to the NCAA Championship.

“And as it relates to the NCAA champion, as I stated, that is a major amateur championship, and I thought it was time that we acknowledged it,” Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said last month.

That means come Monday afternoon in the desert, the winning player will have won a lot more than an NCAA title. He will have earned one of the most special invitations in sports.

“Obviously, in everybody’s mind, it’s a pretty special opportunity,” said Florida’s Fred Biondi, who is 4 under and T-4. “It’s definitely something in the background.”

Biondi said it’s not on his mind much during the round, but he admits he and his teammates have spoken with coaches about it. Menante agreed, saying after Sargent got the exemption this year, he and others were hoping it would become a regular thing.

Could be decision time, for some

However, one of the stipulations is a player must remain an amateur to earn the exemption. For Menante, that’s not as big of an issue since he is returning to North Carolina. But for Biondi and Steelman, it would give them a choice to make: remain an amateur for nearly an entire year or turn professional and dismiss the chance to drive down Magnolia Lane. At least for now.

“Hopefully I’ll have to decide,” Biondi said. “It’s a pretty good decision to make. The Masters is something every kid grows up dreaming about, but yeah, it would take away some other things.”

Steelman has spoken all week about his desire to turn pro after the NCAA Championship finishes. He said he hasn’t really thought about having to make a decision yet to play in the Masters.

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“Just going to put it in the back of my mind until hopefully we come to that decision tomorrow afternoon,” Steelman said.

The rule to remain an amateur isn’t only a strain on players, but it affects coaches and their conversations with their teams.

Illinois coach Mike Small is a huge fan of the exemption and thinks it’s great for the college game. However, he also knows it can put a senior at a disadvantage.

“It’s their exemption, and they can do whatever they want with it,” Small said, “but I’m a big believer that a senior who wins and is turning pro should still be able to play. If they’re a senior and instead of turning pro, they have to be an amateur and sit around for nine more months, that just doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Meet the 15 teams to make the first cut at the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

Illinois paces the field with 18 holes of stroke play remaining.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After 54 holes of stroke play, the field of 30 teams at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship is now 15 after Sunday evening’s cut and a Monday morning playoff.

Illinois is out in front after a second straight under-par round, sitting at 6 under. Pepperdine, after its Grayhawk record-breaking Sunday, moved into second and is three shots back.

Then there’s Florida, North Carolina and Georgia Tech all within three shots of one another before a big drop off to Stanford, which had the second-lowest round Sunday, in sixth.

By Monday evening, the top eight teams remaining after the final round of stroke play will make match play, which begins Tuesday morning.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

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Meet the teams who made the first cut at Grayhawk.

Ringler: Atlantic Coast Conference looking to change the tide at 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

While there is some buzz around the ACC here at Grayhawk Golf Club this week, it hasn’t always been like that.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — At the conclusion of NCAA regional play, a group text amongst the ACC coaches started up with “congratulations” and “let’s go” talk. Five teams – North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia and Duke – all punched their tickets to Grayhawk for the finals.

That league pride may not result in any text messages floating around here after 54 holes at Grayhawk. Those eight spots that advance to match play are too coveted for even your best friend.

“Those are the people we are in meetings with. We cheer for them and have complete respect for them, and we know them very well,” Florida State coach Trey Jones said.

While there is some buzz around the ACC here at Grayhawk Golf Club this week, it hasn’t always been like that.

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ACC teams have not seen much success in the NCAA match play format. Five teams have had a shot at bracket play: Georgia Tech, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Those five have combined for 11 appearances in match play since the switch to head-to-head play in 2009.

Georgia Tech leads the way with four appearances, and the combined ACC won-loss record is 4-11 with Duke’s 2-2 mark being the best.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

No ACC team has even made it to the final match. That may change this year.

“Florida State is way better than people think, and obviously North Carolina has had a three-year run at this, and Bowen is doing a great job at Virginia,” Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler said. “It’s a really good league.”

Jones added: “We know that Chapel Hill is ultra talented, Georgia Tech has a talented team and Virginia has just gotten better and better, and Duke is here.”

Is there a reason that the ACC may finally breakthrough in this format?

Three years ago, a format change at the conference championship may have had something to do with it. Depending on who you ask, the answer will be a little different. The change was made to play the normal 54 holes of stroke play with the addition of a cut to four teams to play match play.

“I don’t know if it has made us as a conference better,” Virginia coach Bowen Sargent said. “It probably prepares us better mentally.”

That preparation comes from having to stare down the cut line that teams see in the postseason.

“You face the cut line at regionals and two cut lines here,” Heppler said. “For me, how do you make the conference feel like that? It was not about going to match play, it was about making that conference championship feel this as far as stroke play goes. Create the feeling of a cut at the regional and two cuts here more than anything.”

North Carolina sits in fourth place after three rounds and is the top ACC team by one shot over Georgia Tech. Florida State and Virginia also have a top-eight finish within grasp.

For the Tar Heels, they did not experience the good side of the cut at the conference championship, but maybe that helped here in the postseason.

“You feel a little bit of juice now at ACC Championship and if it goes your way you build some confidence, and if it does not go your way you come home and have some conversations,” North Carolina coach Andrew Dibitetto said. “It did not go our way at ACCs.”

North Carolina finished T-6 and missed match play at the ACC.

“From my perspective when we changed that format it was to help our teams prepare for the postseason. Now three years in I think there is some benefit to it,” Dibitetto said.

The ACC has not won a national championship since Clemson did so in 2003. Prior to that, only Wake Forest has won an NCAA title – the Deacons have won three (1974, 1975 and 1986).

There is a good chance that could change over the next few days at Grayhawk.

How a pebble helped spark Luke Gifford, Pepperdine to Grayhawk record-setting third round in 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

Pesky pebbles.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Luke Gifford thought his ball was going to sail past the hole.

A grad student at Pepperdine, Gifford had come to the par-4 15th hole off two straight birdies, including an uphill 30-footer on the 14th. His approach shot sailed right on the 15th, the pin left and tucked behind a menacing bunker, but he was just trying to lag a putt up close to the hole from 60 feet away and get out with a par.

He hit it, and Gifford instantly knew he put too much on it.

“I haven’t made a putt all week, have really struggled,” he said. “And that one was going to go a few feet by.”

That was, until his ball met a pebble.

There’s millions of pebbles scattered throughout Grayhawk Golf Club, site of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. It’s a desert course, so it’s no surprise when players or spectators have to empty their shoes after a round. But on the green?

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Gifford’s ball hit the pebble about 10 feet away from the hole. It jumped up, killed the speed and went a bit to the right. It also went in the hole for his third straight birdie.

“This pebble is coming with me the rest of the tournament,” Gifford said with a smile. “It’s such a joke how it went in.”

The pebble that Luke Gifford’s ball hit on the 15th green. (Photo: Cameron Jourdan/Golfweek)

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Gifford’s third straight birdie was the highlight of his round and a huge one for the Waves, which shot 11-under 269 on Sunday in the third round, setting a new record at Grayhawk for lowest round in an NCAA Championship. Pepperdine set the old record in 2021 with a 9-under 271 in the final round.

Gifford signed for a 3-under 67, his best round of the week. Derek Hitchner carded a 5-under 65. Sam Choi also shot 3 under, and William Mouw was at even-par.

Pepperdine, which won the championship in 2021 at Grayhawk and made the match play semifinals in 2022, moved up to second at 3 under and three strokes behind Illinois. More importantly, the Waves are well inside the 15-team cut and are in great position to make match play yet again.

“Guys played solid all the way around,” Pepperdine coach Michael Beard said. “We’ve got a great group of guys. Our youngest player is 22 that’s in our starting five right now. And with that comes experience.”

Only Hitchner and Mouw remain in the starting lineup from Pepperdine’s semifinalist team last year, but as Beard mentioned, there’s plenty of experience in the lineup.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on why his teams have been successful at Grayhawk. But the Waves have yet again put themselves in position to make match play, and a small pebble played a big part.

“It’s a combination of knowing this place and doing the prep work to make sure we can be successful,” Beard said.

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Ringler: With 36 holes complete, what have we learned from 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship

The Big 12 Conference is in trouble.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One thing about playing this championship in The Grand Canyon State is it tends to feel like Groundhog Day. You know what to expect daily with everything. The only thing that tends to change is the leaderboard.

We’re now two rounds into the third year of three years at Grayhawk Golf Club for the NCAA Championship. What have we learned?

• The Raptor Course at Grayhawk continues to provide a stern test. An abundance of low scores is not something we see much of. Only one team in the previous two finals has managed to finish 72 holes in the red, that being Arizona State (3 under) in 2021. With only Illinois under-par to this point, the trend remains.

• Since the NCAA format went to match play to decide a champion, Florida has played in 11 of the 14 championships. However, the Gators have yet to play in match play. At the midway point, Florida is in good shape sitting in second place just three shots behind Illinois.

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• Illinois arrived in Scottsdale this week ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and No. 3 in the Golfstat rankings. The Illini had lost to just eight teams all year – twice to Florida, Stanford, Auburn, Arizona, Pepperdine, Arizona State and Georgia. Through 36 holes they are losing to no one.

• Illinois posted the second-best round in the past 10 rounds at Grayhawk with a 7-under 273. The only team to go lower was Pepperdine with a 271 in the final round two years ago.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

• Maybe the most storied program in college golf without an NCAA title is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have finished runner-up four times, with head coach Bruce Heppler, one of the best without a title, having three of those second-place trophies. Since Heppler started at Tech in 1995-96 season, he has led the Yellow Jackets to the championship in 20 of 25 years. Georgia Tech has made four appearances in match play, going 1-4. With senior Ross Steelman holding a three-shot lead in the individual standings, this could be the year Heppler wins that title that has evaded him.

• The Big 12 Conference, which at times has arguably been the best golf conference in any given year the past few years, may be in danger of not having a team make the 54-hole cut. Currently Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor are all outside the number to make the cut. Since the beginning of match play, we have always had at least one Big 12 team find a spot in bracket play, and since 2016, a Big 12 team has been in the match play final every year. That streak is in danger.

• Oklahoma has the longest streak of advancing to match play. The Sooners have been a regular for the last six years, going 5-5 during that stretch. There is work to be done if the Sooners hope to extend the streak to seven.

• Very quietly, Virginia has worked its way into having a lot to play for over the next two rounds. Bowen Sargent’s squad, led by freshman of the year candidate Ben James, is sitting in T-7. The Cavaliers have never advanced to match play.

• That pesky .500 Rule created a lot of noise this year. Georgia and Arkansas were two of those teams that barely stayed eligible. After 36 holes, both are in the middle of the pack and have a shot to make the 54-hole cut.

• Pepperdine has made match play in each of the last two years and is in position to do so again this week. And they are doing it with three new guys in the lineup – Sam Choi, Luke Gifford and Roberto Nieves. Only William Mouw and Derek Hitchner return from the squad last year that made it to the Final FORE.

Oregon’s Gregory Solhaug withdraws from 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship due to scary foot injury

Scary situation.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a scary situation for Oregon junior Gregory Solhaug.

He was competing Saturday morning during the second round of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club. While he was on a tee box, Solhaug stepped on a tee, and it went through his shoe and injured his foot, forcing him to be removed from the course and withdraw from the tournament.

Nate Krueger, the assistant athletic director of communications with Oregon, confirmed the incident with Golfweek.

Solhaug was 2 over through 10 holes (started on No. 10) when the accident happened, and his condition is unclear other than he had to withdraw.

Rick Nixon, the NCAA’s associate director for media coordination and statistics, provided this statement to Golfweek: “Oregon student-athlete, Gregory Solhaug, suffered a foot injury during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships and was forced to withdraw from competition. Oregon, which completed Saturday’s second round with four players, will have the option to substitute another player into their team lineup for subsequent competition rounds, as they deem appropriate.”

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

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Oregon shot 11 over during Saturday’s second round and sits at 23 over for the tournament heading into the third round.

NCAA Men’s Golf Championship: Four players under par for Illinois, Florida strong in the heat and more from Saturday’s second round

Here’s what you need to know from the second round of the Men’s NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The greens are starting to have a brown tint to them at Grayhawk Golf Club.

Well into the second week of the Raptor Course hosting the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships, the course has proved tough for college golf’s best. And it’s starting to really firm up and show its shine as the second round was contested Saturday.

Firm greens, fast fairways and penal rough make for a stern test, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a low score out there.

Four members of Illinois’ men’s golf team shot under par Saturday morning, and there’s another golfer who, even with a bogey on the par-4 18th, moved into the individual mix.

Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Men’s team | Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

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Here’s a look at what happened during the second round of the men’s NCAA Championship:

Photos: 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Grayhawk Golf Club.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The final week of the 2022-23 college golf season has teed off.

The 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship started Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club, site of the men’s and women’s NCAA Championships for the third and final season of a three-year deal. Teams will compete in four rounds of stroke play, with the top eight advancing to match play, which begins Tuesday, May 30.

An individual champion was crowned Monday, as Florida’s Fred Biondi rallied from five shots down on the final day to claim medalist honors.

Then Wednesday, May 31, was the match play final, where the national champion was be crowned. And it is the Florida Gators wearing the crown for the fifth time in program history and first in 22 years.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Scottsdale.

Ringler: How hard is it to win an NCAA title? Take a look through the eyes of two of the nation’s best coaches, who have both yet to do it

Golf is hard. You know what’s even harder? Winning a national championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Golf is hard.

You know what’s even harder? Winning a national championship.

Just ask head coaches Mike Small (Illinois) and Matt Thurmond (Arizona State). They’re two of the very best – maybe ever – to guide college golf teams. Small is a Hall of Famer and Thurmond is certain to be one, yet these two have yet to experience what it’s like to hold the national championship trophy.

In fact, there are only 11 active coaches who have experienced that feeling.

Small and Thurmond have similar stories: Their teams are consistently very good.

Small is in his 23rd season with the Illini and has had a tee time in the NCAA finals in 16 of those 23 seasons, including 14 of the past 16 years.

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Thurmond’s 21 years coaching includes 15 years at Washington and six in Tempe, Arizona. He has seen his teams play in 16 of 20 national championships. Thurmond guided Washington to 11 finals appearances in 15 years. Washington has not made a trip to the finals since Thurmond left for Arizona State.

Since 2009, match play has decided the national champion. Small is tied with John Fields of Texas for all-time coaching appearances in match play with seven. Oklahoma’s Ryan Hybl, Alan Bratton of Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt’s Scott Limbaugh each have six. Thurmond has five – two at Arizona State and three at Washington.

We all know the story, match play levels the playing field, making it more difficult to win if you are the better stroke-play team. Oklahoma State won it all as the top seed in 2018 on its home course of Karsten Creek and remains the only No. 1 seed to do so.

Here at Grayhawk, Illinois and Arizona State are in the top 4 in the national rankings, and many would consider the two to be likely favorites – for stroke play.

Each might have a championship already, because each has won the stroke-play portion of the tournament only to be defeated in bracket play.

In 2015 at the Concession Club in Bradenton, Florida, the Illini finished two shots clear of Vanderbilt to land atop the leaderboard and earn the No. 1 seed. Small’s team beat UCLA in the opening round and then lost to Southern California in the semifinals.

Arizona State finished atop the leaderboard after 72 holes in 2021, the initial year of Grayhawk’s three-year finals run. The Sun Devils finished three shots in front of Oklahoma State. Thurmond’s squad then beat North Carolina in the opening round of match play but lost to Oklahoma in the semifinals.

And last year, Arizona State fell against Texas in the match play finals.

Small and Thurmond: Two coaches who have been on a similar path, constantly in the discussion when talking about top teams each year.

Is this the year one of them meets all the checkpoints to get his team into match play and then navigate a way to churn out three points in three matches to finally hold that trophy in the end?

Maybe, but it will be hard!