May 29, 2018
STILLWATER, Okla. - The fifth-seeded Auburn men's golf team fell to top-ranked Oklahoma State, 3-2, Tuesday afternoon in the semifinals of match play at the NCAA Championships. It was Auburn's first appearance in the semifinals of match play since its inception in 2009.
"I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Nick Clinard said. "They had a really good year winning the SEC Championship, won four tournaments and made the semifinals. There's nothing we can complain about. We came out on the short end today."
After defeating fourth-seeded Oklahoma in the quarterfinals in the morning, the Tigers played their second round of the day and sixth of the weekend at Karsten Creek Golf Club.
"It was fun to go out and compete and play against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, two great programs with great players and great coaches," Clinard said. "It was a great opportunity. We'll move on and try to get better."
Senior Ben Schlottman and junior Trace Crowe earned points for Auburn, while sophomore Jovan Rebula and freshmen Brandon Mancheno and Wells Padgett dropped their respective decisions.
Schlottman, who earned a 5&4 victory against Oklahoma, matched his strong performance against Oklahoma State's Kristoffer Ventura with a 5&4 win. The Advance, N.C. native took the lead in the second hole of the match and maintained that advantage throughout his second circuit of the course of the day.
Schlottman lengthened his lead to three after closing out the front nine. On the back nine, the senior managed to increase the margin to five and secured the point for Auburn on the 14th hole with a par, matching Ventura's card.
Crowe took the lead off the first tee and never relinquished it, despite a tight battle with Oklahoma State's Matthew Wolff. The Bluffton, S.C. native birdied the opening hole to take a 1-hole advantage and, following a birdie on the sixth hole and a par on the seventh, went up by three.
Crowe's margin was down to one twice on the 10th and 14th holes, but the junior buckled down and sealed the result on the 17th hole to give the Tigers their final point with a 2&1 decision.
Oklahoma State won the other three matches to advance to the final match of the competition.
Auburn produced its best finish at the NCAA Championships in program history with a fifth-place finish following four rounds of stroke play and tied for third after match play. The 2017-18 Southeastern Conference Champions earned their first appearance in the match play portion of the NCAA Championships all-time.
2018 NCAA Championships Semifinals - Match Play
(1) Oklahoma State 3, (5) Auburn 2
Viktor Hovland (OSU) def. Jovan Rebula (AU), 4&3
Trace Crowe (AU) def. Matthew Wolff (OSU), 2&1
Ben Schlottman (AU) def. Kristoffer Ventura (OSU), 5&4
Austin Eckroat (OSU) def. Brandon Mancheno (AU), 3&2
Zach Bauchou (OSU) def. Wells Padgett (AU), 4&3