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Tuesday NCAA Men's Golf Match Play Update: WE ARE PLAYING FOR THE NATTY WEDNESDAY!

by thesundevils.com
May 31, 2022
Mason Andersen won two matches on Tuesday, both with putts on the final hole.

Ever watch the movie "Training Day"?
 
That was Sun Devil men's golf on Tuesday at Grayhawk Golf Club. They had a Jacob Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) type of day.

First tee time was 6:20 a.m. Tuesday and the day went forever, but at end of it when they arrived at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch NCAA hotel and pulled up to the parking lot, a good day's work was done.

Despite some wild things -- a five-stroke lead vanishing in six holes that still resulted in a victory as an example -- ASU will go to bed with wins over two great programs  -- one over the current top-ranked team and another over the defending NCAA champion -- and a chance for a a NCAA title on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. against Texas.

But oh my so much happened in 10-hour span.
 


ASU was up before the crack of dawn and playing a team (Oklahoma) that had been in match play five straight years, who had two first-team All-Americans, including the Haskins Award winner. A team that handled the Sun Devils … and three of its current players … in the semifinals last year in workmanlike and professional fashion. Fist bumps to the Sooners last year, but this was different season.
 
Preston Summerhays simply got after it early and often and disposed of a first-team All-American and the Haskins Award winner, 7 & 5. Mason Andersen took a different path, he led for a grand total of two holes before he buried a putt on 18 to win 1-up.

Then in an epic match, Cameron Sisk got on the match play roller coaster.

He gave up a lead at 16 and let it get tied, took it back at 17, allowed it to get tied at 18, then hit a putt and only to watch his opponent miss one to give the Sun Devils the win. How good was the final match? The final four holes a birdie won the hole. There is no defense in golf, Sisk just had better offense on the final hole. Oklahoma wouldn't go away...until it did.

No more Boomer yells at this point. Match over.
 
Time to get a sandwich for lunch, then play the next opponent…that would be the defending NCAA champion Pepperdine Waves.
 
In a match where nothing seemed to be decided except Preston Summerhays winning as he was 5-up through 10, that is exactly what wasn't decided until hole 18.

Summerhays lost five of six holes after getting the lead. Mason Andersen was 1-up through 12, then within a few clicks of Golfstat was down two through 16. Meanwhile, David Puig took a lead on six that felt…just OK…but not overwhelming. Never more than two, and one hole for much of it.
 
Those three eventual winners didn't blink, despite Andersen losing holes 14, 15 and 16 and winning four total holes. He trailed after holes for half of the match. Summerhays lost five of six holes down the stretch…then birdied the final two holes to win.
 
At sun down, It all resulted in the Sun Devils meeting Texas on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., where ASU will try and win its third NCAA title (1990 and 1996).

"It's so hard to do. Every match is so tough, said Sun Devil head coach Matt Thurmond. "These are great teams and our guys have played amazing. You see what Mason did both matches, what Preston did, Cameron was starting to take control of his match, and Puig, we rode Puig pretty hard at lunch. He's hadn't won a match for us yet and it was time. It was pretty cool that he won that big match in the middle."
 

QUARTERFINAL RESULTS -- ASU DEFEATS PEPPERDINE, 4-1
Mason Andersen was down two holes after 15, won both 16 and 17 before he shot par on hole No. 10 to win the match. He never led until he won the match at the 19th hole.

Preston Summerhays went up 5 holes through 9, then lost five of six, only to tie No. 16 and win 17 and 18, to earn the 2 up win.

David Puig clinched the match with his 2-up win. He led for the final 13 holes, but never for more than two.
 
QUOTING MATT THURMOND
"The first two days were really hard. We were kind of up against it. We weren't in that bad of shape, but it felt like it. So for them to dig deep those last few days, it was trending in the right direction. Today, I think we played the best we've played all week, played really, really well. There was a lot more birdies, the course was a little more soft. There's so much pressure on them all the time, and maybe that's it, maybe they're just used to it, it's just another day, block out all the stuff going on around here and just hit the shot that you got to hit right now. But they've been executing really well." 

"Armen and I talk about it all the time, if it's just 10 kids playing the local country clubs and no one knows or cares then there's really no point to this. This is a massive Sun Devil golf family. That they get some joy and pleasure and satisfaction and meaning out of following our guys and seeing what they do, hopefully that's the case. Hopefully everyone's inspired by the way these guys are competing and the kind of team they are and what we're doing. It's just awesome to represent the entire community and see so many of them out here, but not just them, the volunteers and the staff and our athletic department staff and the sponsors, there's just so many people that go into putting us in this position, and it's awesome to make them all proud.  

"We were in the semifinals last year, and that was good. Going to the finals is a big deal, but we really want to have a good day tomorrow. We're not satisfied and I know whoever we're playing against is gonna say the same thing, but that's really true." 

"Today for me, I was with Cam all day and the group in front was a little behind, so it was like playing out there with a group of friends. All of the action was happening up ahead. I might have less gray hair after this afternoon than before. I'm just happy those guys have had it inside of them to hit the big shots in big moments and to never give up. Mason Andersen, to come back the way he did in both matches was incredible. It was a pretty exciting finish today."
 
"I committed to myself that I wasn't going to worry about any other matches, I was going to stay with Cam and we were going to do what we have planned and not be bouncing back mentally and emotionally. But Cam had just hit a good shot on 13 and I knew 10 green was close by. I wasn't going to say anything, I was just going to be close by and watch from a distance. To see the emotion when he made that putt was really cool and there were a lot of people there watching. I'm just so happy for Mason Anderson. What an amazing day he had as a senior. He was pretty down after stroke play, I thought maybe too down after having a great year. To have a day like he had today, he'll forever be a part of Sun Devil lore for the day he had."

PRESTON SUMMERHAYS
"Once you get to college, that's basically all you work for. Obviously you have big tournaments throughout the season, but it all leads up to this. We've put ourselves in a position to where we can go out and win the whole thing, which is what we try to do every year. It's a great opportunity that we have tomorrow." 

"This is a big event, biggest college golf event. But at the end of the day, it's just golf. I've played in big events, I've played on big stages, I think it's going to be the same." 

"I never panicked. I think it's really easy to be 5 up and basically have the match closed out, but to then be all square with two to play, most people would panic, but I stayed really calm. I knew my game was there and I knew I was able to hit good shots coming down the stretch. I just stayed calm and I just knew that my game would be there when I needed it most."

QUARTERFINAL RESULTS -- ASU DEFEATS OKLAHOMA, 3-2
Arizona State and top-ranked Oklahoma had an intense battle that ended with Cameron Sisk hitting a birdie putt in an extra hole at No. 10. Getting points for ASU were Mason Andersen (1-up with a birdie on 18 to clinch it), Preston Summerhays (7 and 5 over first-team All-American and Haskins Award winner Chris Gotterup) and Cameron Sisk winning in 18 holes over Stephen Campbell.

Andersen's match never had a lead bigger than one hole. Patrick Welch was 1-up through 10, but Andersen tied it at No. 12. On 18 Andersen hit a great second shot and buried the birdie putt.

Preston Summerhays had one of the most impressive wins in match play history, defeating Chris Gotterup 7 and 5, as he was 5-up through 7 and 7-up through 11 after getting birdies on the first two holes and never looking back.

Sisk's match was epic, with Campbell as he tied it at 16 and 18 with birdies after Sisk led 1-up after 15. The duo alternated birdies as Sisk hit a putt on the first playoff hole and Campbell missed his birdie putt

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