Texas wins NCAA men's golf championship
Pacific Palisades, CA (Sports Network) - Texas won the NCAA Men's Golf Championship on Sunday with a 3-2 win over Alabama.
It is the Longhorns' third men's golf title and first since they won back-to- back championships in 1971 and '72.
They secured the win in comeback fashion, after the Crimson Tide had taken a 2-0 lead. Bobby Wyatt defeated Toni Hakula 1-up after carding an eagle at 17 and a birdie at 18, while Hunter Hamrick cruised to a 6 & 5 win against Julio Vegas.
But Cody Gribble earned Texas' first victory in the team match play event. He never trailed in his matchup against Scott Strohmeyer, winning holes three, five and 10 to go 3-up. Strohmeyer won the 15th, but after both birdied the 17th, Gribble had earned a 2 & 1 victory.
Jordan Spieth then polished off a 3 & 2 win against Justin Thomas thanks to a strong close. Thomas won holes 11 and 13 to whittle Spieth's lead down to one, but Spieth took the next two to extend his advantage and ensure the victory.
Then, it all came down to Dylan Frittelli for Texas. The senior All-American battled with Cory Whitsett in a match where both led. It was all-square through 15 before Frittelli won the 16th.
Whitsett birdied the 17th to pull even again, sending the championship down to the final hole. Whitsett's whiff on a chip shot from just off the green gave Frittelli some breathing room, and he made a 30-footer to clinch the title.
"I was sure he was going to make the chip," Frittelli said. "To get my mind right I had to pretend it was going in. I wanted to make the putt no matter what. When I saw him miss, it made it a little easier on me, but I still wanted to put it in."
On Thursday, Illinois' Thomas Pieters won the individual title by shooting five-under 208 over 54 holes. He took a three-stroke victory over TCU's Julien Brun and Florida's Tyler McCumber.
