# #

NCAA Men's Golf Championship: Oregon advances to final, USC eliminated

by Shayna Rubin
May 31, 2016

Oregon

The Oregon Ducks stunned second-seed Illinois in the NCAA Men's Golf Championship semifinal on Tuesday, punching their ticket to Wednesday's final round with a 3-2 win.

"It's a fairy tale," Oregon coach Casey Martin said of the prospects of playing for a national championship on the Ducks' home course, Eugene Country Club. "What an epic way to finish the season." 

Following a Thomas Lim loss to Thomas Detry, the Ducks posted three straight points to seal the win. Edwin Yi defeated Edoardo Liparelli 5&4 and Zach Foushee defeated Nick Hardy 5&3. The overall match was decided by Sulman Raza who closed out Charlie Danielson 1-up on the 18th hole.

"Oregon played well. I saw several shots made from off the green, I saw a lot of putts made," said Illinois coach Mike Small. "The way they competed, their familiarity with the golf course, I think, played a big factor and they beat us barely."

Oregon will play first-seed Texas in the final round. 

USC

The Trojans were denied a Pac-12 team championship showdown; first-seed Texas knocked USC out of the tournament 4-1. Rico Hoey notched the only point for his Trojans with a 6&5 win over Taylor Funk. 

Justin Suh fell to Doug Ghim 4&3. Sean Crocker fell to Scottie Scheffler 1-up and Gavin Hall topped Jonah Texeira 4&3.

The match was not without drama despite the lopsided score. The Longhorns' top guy, Beau Hossler, was playing in obvious pain for the final hour of the day yet got up and down on the 17th hole (hitting putter from the sand to avoid taking a full swing) to seal the win.

"It's a bummer to get this far and not be able to [play for] a championship," said USC coach Chris Zambri. The Trojans' future is bright, however. "We have a couple really good players coming in, we have this whole group back... we're in a good spot right now as a program."

Related News & Videos