CARLSBAD, Calif. — Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun made birdie from a back bunker on the 21st hole Tuesday to beat Ohio State's Adam Wallin and send the Tigers to the championship game against Florida State , with both teams seeking their first title in NCAA men's golf.
The Seminoles reached their first championship match by beating Georgia Tech in another semifinal decided in extra holes when Tyler Weaver edged Kale Fontenot in 19 holes.
Koivun denied Wallin a second notable comeback at La Costa. Wallin rallied from 2 down with two holes remaining to beat former NCAA champion Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt in 19 holes in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
Koivun was 2 up with two to play when Wallin closed to within 6 feet for a conceded birdie on the 17th hole, and Koivun bogeyed the par-5 18th hole, with Wallin tight for birdie to force extra holes.
Both players made pars on the 16th and 17th, and Wallin's shot from light ground on the 18th went just over the neck. He missed his birdie attempt and Koivun shot from 4 feet to score the winner.
“We're playing for a lot here. I don't want to let anyone down,” Koivun said. “Down the stretch, I had some hiccups. I was definitely feeling the nerves.”
It was the fourth 21-hole match since the NCAA moved to match play in 2009.
British Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht, the world's top-ranked amateur, returned to the Georgia Tech lineup after missing three days with a back injury, and was in control of his match against Florida State's Luke Clanton.
And then everything got wet. Lamprecht was 2 up with five holes left when he bogeyed the 14th hole to lose the hole and hit the water on the 15th and made double bogey. Then his gap wedge to the par-3 16th fell short and he rolled into the water.
Clanton suddenly had a 1-up lead, and closed it on the 17th hole when Lambrecht moved from the green into very rough terrain and lost a fourth consecutive hole with a bogey.
The Seminoles advanced when Weaver held on to win. He missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th to beat Fontenot. They fell in the first and Fontenot three-putted from long range to give Weaver the victory and send Florida State to the championship match on Wednesday.
“Those guys did their job,” Florida State coach Trey Jones said. “Luke coming back against Christo shows a lot about Luke Clanton. We're going to get our chance now.”
The close semi-final matches followed a morning at La Costa in which the top four finishers were eliminated.
Illinois became the latest No. 1 seed to be eliminated. Since the NCAA switched to match play, Oklahoma State in 2018 is the only top seed to win.
The Illini, who advanced out of the stroke play by a 16-stroke margin over Vanderbilt, were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Georgia Tech.
Vanderbilt was also hit in shocking fashion when Sargent, the No. 2 player in the world amateur rankings, lost a 2-up lead when he bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes, and Wallin beat him on the first extra hole.
