There will be a new champion in DI men's golf this season. Arizona State continues to roll as they take down Pepperdine, defending champs, 4-1. Shortly after, Texas took down top-seeded Vanderbilt, 3-1-1.
The Sun Devils needed just their first three to win the match. Mason Andersen won the first point after going 19 holes with Pepperdine's Dylan Menante. David Puig claimed the second on the 17th after Joey Vrzich couldn't make a putt to extend the match.
BIG TIME BIRDIE 😮💨
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 31, 2022
Mason Andersen 🥩 comes through clutch on 1️⃣8️⃣ yet again as he extends the match 😅 pic.twitter.com/EWm12oKS0l
After an emphatic 7-and-5 win against Oklahoma's Chris Gotterup in the quarterfinals, it looked like Preston Summerhays was going to roll to another smooth win. Summerhays was up five after 10, but Joe Highsmith showed that tenacity we saw in 2021 and brought the match all the way down to the 18th before the freshman finally closed out the match.
A few hours after the Sun Devils closed out the Waves, Texas was able to knock off Vanderbilt. The Longhorns took the first point thanks to Cole Hammer winning 4 and 3 over the 2022 individual champion, Gordon Sargent. This is the second time Hammer has defeated an individual champion. In 2019, he beat Matt Wolff to help the Longhorns advance in the match play bracket.
The Commodores responded with a point from William Moll, who took down Parker Coody on 18. The final two points for Texas came from Pierceson Coody and Travis Vick. Both players never trailed in their matches. Coody won 3 and 2, while Vick finished 4 and 3 to send his team to the national championship.
First point to TEXAS 🤘@cole_hammer6765 makes par on 15 to close out a 4&3 victory over NCAA individual medalist Gordon Sargent! #NCAAGolf | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/wTTXXY4S8o
— Texas Men's Golf (@TexasMGolf) June 1, 2022
Arizona State has never been to the finals since the DI men's golf championship switched to a match-play format in 2009. This will be Texas' first time in the title match since 2019, when they lost to Stanford. The last time Texas won the national championship was in 2012 when Jordan Spieth help lift the Longhorns to the title.
You can watch the championship match Wednesday, June 1 at 5 p.m. ET live on Golf Channel. Click or tap here from the tournament.
