CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – Lower-ranked teams rose up on the first day of team play, with Auburn and Florida State picking up a pair of wins Tuesday to decide the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship on Wednesday, May 29 at the North Course (77, 72/85) at the Omni Laresort & Spa (Spart & Spa). Both Auburn and Florida State will compete for the first team national championships in school history.
The 2024 National Championship Game will begin at 2:25 PM at La Costa and will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel and Peacock from 3-7 PM PST.
2024 Fred Haskins Award winner Jackson Koivun beat Adam Wallin on the 21st hole and the freshman sank a five-foot putt to beat No. 7 Ohio State 3-2 to send No. 5 seed Auburn into the national title game.
“I had this shot in regulation and I knew it was a little more break,” Koivun said. “The pressure and the nerves got to me a little bit. I don’t think I prepared for it. Playing for your friends, your teammates, your coaches, your whole university takes a toll on you. Gamewise, I played really well early on, and he (Wallin) obviously played really well. I had a lot of at-bats and two touchdowns at the end.”
MATCH UPDATES: Live scores, schedule and how to watch
Also, No. 5 Florida State defeated No. 8 Georgia Tech 3-2 in the semifinals. The key to the victory was freshman Tyler Weaver’s 19-hole victory over Georgia Tech’s Cale Fontenot to enter the first playoff hole, hitting a five-foot putt on the No. 1 hole. Also at Seminole, Luke Clanton defeated Christo Lamprecht, 2&1 NC 20, Frerik AA22. champion, Hiroshi Tai, 3&1.
“When you play two ACC teams, you really know and respect them. You know what you’re in for,” Florida State head coach Trey Jones said. “We struggled against North Carolina, but we played well against them (before). We just couldn’t get the ball rolling, so it was a whole challenge that we knew we were going to face. And Georgia Tech has been the most dominant team in our league for 15-20 years, so outside of the national championship, we’ve been playing all of them this week.”
Florida State, which improved its all-time record to 4-3 in NCAA Championship games, will be making its first appearance in the state championship game.
“You just have to regroup after every hole, after every putt,” Jones said. “You never know what’s going to happen in golf, you’ve got to be prepared for it. We tell our guys, ‘We’ve never won, we’re never going to get out of this.’
Auburn, which improved to 3-1 all-time in NCAA Championship games, had never advanced past the semifinals.
“He’s the guy I want to be in the final game,” Auburn head coach Nick Clinard said after Koivun’s extra-base hit. “But it’s stressful as a coach to see that. He played great golf today. Hats off to Adam Wallin. What a great player he is and he played great. We were the luckiest when Jackson made birdie.”
Auburn once trailed Ohio State in four games before coming from behind to win. In addition to Koivun’s game decider, Brendan Valdes went 1 up over Jackson Chandler and JM Butler went 2&1 against Ohio State’s Neal Shipley.
“Jackson (Koivun) and I were walking down 6th Street and we were like, ‘There’s a lot of red on that board, we don’t like red,'” Clinard said. “But you know we’re just hanging in there. Stay in the fight, you never know what’s going to happen, especially in the game. We’ve had a great year, but we’re not done. The job’s not done. We’re going to face a great Florida State team led by Trey Jones. It’s going to be an all-around battle tomorrow.”
Georgia Tech hoped for momentum when Lamprecht, a senior, returned to the lineup for the national semifinal against Auburn after missing the final three rounds with a stroke and a back injury against Illinois in the quarterfinals. The 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year got off to a strong start before coming up short 2-and-1 in Clanton.
“It looked good for a while, but I’ve been doing it long enough to know that sometimes it’s really hard to get that third down,” Georgia Tech head coach Bruce Hepler said. “They were a last-four team last year and signed the ACC Freshman of the Year. Sometimes it’s not fun to play against your friends. Trey Jones is a good friend of mine. They earned it and played a great team (North Carolina) this morning. That’s how we go into conference tomorrow.”
“Well, this is Christo Lamprecht, and I think he’s the best (fan) player in the world and an unbelievable person,” Clanton said. “I wasn’t too surprised, I saw him hit the ball on the court, so I knew it was going to be him. It was great to play with the best and come away with a win. The job’s not done. We’ve got a little bit to go and we’re excited.”
On this day, team matches were held from 2009 to the present, and for the first time in the history of the championship, all four teams that reached the quarterfinals started with wins.
After taking a 16-stroke lead through 72 holes to finish No. 1, Georgia Tech couldn’t keep up the momentum as it defeated the Illini 3-1 in the morning quarterfinals. The Yellow Jackets got a win over senior Bartley Forrester over Tyler Goecke 3&1, sophomore Aidan Tran over Piersen Hunt 3&2 and Ty Ryan Wueys 3&2.
“For whatever reason, we started to lose track and lead it and start worrying about everything,” Illinois head coach Mike Small said. “You need to hit your shots when the time is right. You need help. You need the ball to bounce. We’ve been to 9 of them and we haven’t won yet. Oklahoma State’s best college golf team has been to 9 of them and only won one. It’s tough. It’s a reason for you or Florida to get their first win. Play to your strengths, control your space, play really good golf, you can’t fake it, there’s no hiding place.”
No. 2 Vanderbilt fell to No. 7 Ohio State at 3-1. Fifth-year senior Jackson Chandler, the Buckeyes’ No. 1 seed, got things started with a 3-2 win over Vanderbilt’s Jackson Van Paris. Also, Buckeyes Shipley beat Matthew Riedel 4&2 and Wallin beat Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent 19 to decide the match. Redshirt freshman Tyler Szabo birdies the 110-yard eighth hole in a match against Vanderbilt’s William Moll. Sabo hits a 60 degree wedge.
Redshirt junior Carson Bacha defeated Virginia’s Josh Duangman 2&1, freshman Josiah Gilbert defeated Brian Lee 2/1 and Koivun defeated Virginia’s Deven Patel 1 to lead No. 6 Auburn to a 3-1 win over No. 3 Virginia State.
No. 5 Florida State defeated No. 4 North Carolina State 3-1. The Seminoles got wins from Brett Roberts (2 & 1), Clanton (2 & 1) and Weaver (3 & 2).
RESULTS AND SCHEDULE OF TEAM GAMES
State Championship Doubles Match – May 29
#5 Florida State #6 Auburn, Hole #1 at 2:25 p.m. PT
- Cole Anderson (Florida State) vs. Carson Bacha (Auburn), 2:25 p.m
- Tyler Weaver (Florida State) vs. Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), 2:35 p.m.
- Brett Roberts (Florida State) vs. Jackson Koivun (Auburn), 2:45 p.m.
- Frederick Kjettrup (Florida State) pinned Brendan Valdez (Auburn), 2:55 p.m.
- Luke Clanton (Florida State) vs. J.M. Butler (Auburn), 3:05 p.m.
Semi-final results – May 28
#5 Florida State def. #8 Georgia Tech, 3-2
- Bartley Forrester (Georgia Tech) def. Cole Anderson (L.D.), 3rd and 2
- Tyler Weaver (Florida State) vs. Kale Fontenot (Georgia Tech), 19 holes
- Luke Clanton (Florida State) def. Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech), 2&1
- Carson Kim (Georgia Tech) def. Gray Albright (Florida State), 4th and 2
- Frederick Kjettrup (Florida State) def. Hiroshi Tai (Georgia Tech), 3&1
#6 Auburn def. No. 7 Ohio State, 3-2
- Maxwell Moldova (Ohio State) def. Carson Bacha (Red Rays), 1 up
- Brendan Valdes (Auburn) def. Jackson Chandler (Ohio State), 1 up
- Tyler Sabo (Ohio State) def. Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), 1 Up
- Jackson Koivun (Auburn) over Adam Wallin (Ohio State), 21 holes
- JM Butler (Auburn) def. Neal Shipley (Ohio State), 2&1
The result of the quarter-finals – May 28
#8 Georgia Tech def. No. 1 Illinois, 3-1
- Bartley Forrester (Georgia Tech) def. Tyler Goecke (Illinois), 3rd and 1
- Jackson Buchanan (Illinois) vs. Cale Fontenot (Georgia Tech), Incomplete
- Max Herendin (Illinois) def. Carson Kim (Georgia Tech), 5 & 4
- Aidan Tran (Georgia Tech) def. Pierce Hunt (Illinois), 3rd and 2
- Hiroshi Tai (Georgia Tech), def. Ryan Wuis (Illinois), 3rd and 2
#5 Florida State def. #4 North Carolina, 3-1
- Dylan Menante (North Carolina) vs. Cole Anderson (Florida State), 2&1
- Brett Roberts (Florida State) def. Peter Fountain (North Carolina), 2 & 1
- Luke Clanton (Florida State) def. Austin Grazer (North Carolina), 2&1
- Tyler Weaver (Florida State) def. David Ford (North Carolina), 3rd and 2
- Maxwell Ford (North Carolina) vs. Frederick Kjettrup (Florida State), Incomplete
#7 Ohio State Def. No. 2 Vanderbilt, 3-1
- Jackson Chandler (Ohio State) def. Jackson Van Paris (Vanderbilt), 3 and 2
- Cole Sherwood (Vanderbilt) def. Maxwell Moldova (Ohio State), 3 & 2
- Neal Shipley (Ohio State) def. Matthew Riedel (Vanderbilt), 4 and 2
- Adam Wallin (Ohio State) def. Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt), 19 holes
- William Moll (Vanderbilt) vs. Tyler Sabo (Ohio State), No
#6 Auburn def. No. 3 Virginia, 3-1
- Carson Bacha (Auburn) def. Josh Duangmani (Virginia), 2&1
- George Duangmani (Virginia) def. Brendan Valdez (Auburn), 2nd and 1
- Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), def. Brian Lee (Virginia), 2nd and 1
- Jackson Koivun (Nose Rays) def. Deven Patel (Virginia), 1 up
- Ben James (Virginia) vs. JM Butler (Auburn), Incomplete
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