EUGENE, Ore. – The Commodores’ quest for the 2016 NCAA Championship came to end on Tuesday at the Eugene Country Club after USC defeated Vanderbilt, 4-1, in quarterfinal action.
Vanderbilt could not overcome an early fast start by the Trojans and could not get over the hump late in the match.
USC’s Jonah Texiera and Justin Suh, playing in the number four and five matches, respectively, grabbed control of their matches over Will Gordon and Carson Jacobs from the first hole and never looked back. Texeira won his match over Gordon, 5&4, and Suh knocked off Jacobs, 6&5.
Matthias Schwab garnered the Commodores’ only point, defeating Andrew Levitt, 2&1. Schwab was two-down through four holes, but responded by squaring his match at the turn and then winning the first two out of three holes on the back nine to gain momentum and claim the victory.
The first and second matches of the day featuring Theo Humphrey and Patrick Martin were back and forth throughout the day, but the Trojans came out on top in both matches. Sean Crocker of USC, who trailed by one hole entering the 14th hole of the day, birdied number five to square the match against Humphrey and then made par on six to take a lead he would never relinquish. Martin’s match with Rico Hoey was also close, with Martin holding a one-hole lead at the turn. Hoey then won hole number one, and then took the lead for good on number three with a birdie.
“First and foremost, USC was really good today,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “On a day like today, you better bring your best, because that’s what’s going to be demanded. And we didn’t have our best. And that’s not to take anything away from them because they played really well.
“We’re excited about where we are,” continued Limbaugh. “The balls got rolled out today, it’s athletics, and they were simply the better team today. That’s how this match play thing works. It’s just like any other sport. It’s man on man, and I’m proud of the way we hung in there. We showed a lot of heart and a lot of character and a lot of resiliency all the way through. Theo fought until the last hole. Patrick played against one of the best players in the nation and battled. Matthias was solid all day. So, I’m proud of them. I just want us to grow from this. We grew from it after last year and we’ll continue to grow and it’ll be good for our program.”
The match was the final round for Jacobs, a senior, who leaves Vanderbilt as the first player to ever compete in three national championships.
“Anytime there’s finality, it’s tough,” said Limbaugh. “There’s only one team that leaves here excited. Today, I think about Carson Jacobs and what he’s meant to our program. The guy is an unbelievable representative of what we want Vanderbilt Golf to stand for, and that’s class, integrity, and doing things the right way. Carson stands for all of those. My heart is with him right now. I know the other guys coming back will be hungry and we’ll be excited. I think it was a good week for Vanderbilt Golf. It hurts right now, but we’ll grow.”
Match Play Results
S Crocker (USC) DEFEATS T Humphrey (Vandy) 1UP
R Hoey (USC) DEFEATS P Martin (Vandy) 2&1
M Schwab (Vandy) DEFEATS A Levitt (USC) 2&1
J Texeira (USC) DEFEATS W Gordon (Vandy) 5&4
J Suh (USC) DEFEATS C Jacobs (Vandy) 6&5
Matthias Schwab named GCAA First-Team All-American
The junior from Rohrmoos, Austria, was named the program’s third first-team All-American and the second in two seasons on Tuesday. Schwab joins Hunter Stewart, who was honored in 2015, and Brandt Snedeker, who was selected to the 2003 First Team.
