Luke Gifford, a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, thought that his ball would sail through the hole.
Gifford, a graduate student at Pepperdine University, had two birdies in a row, including a 30-footer uphill on the 14th. Gifford’s approach shot went right, and the pin was left, tucked away behind a menacing sand bunker. He just wanted to make a par.
Gifford knew instantly that he had put too much of it on when he hit it.
He said, “I haven’t made a putting all week. I have really struggled.” “And that was going to be a few inches by.”
It was only until the ball he was using hit a pebble.
Grayhawk Golf Club is the site of 2023 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. The course is a desert, so it shouldn’t be surprising that players and spectators need to remove their shoes at the end of a round. On the green, though?
Gifford’s golf ball struck the pebble approximately 10 feet from the hole. It went right after it jumped, slowed down and slowed down. It went into the hole as well for his third consecutive birdie.
Gifford smiled and said, “This pebble will be with me for the rest of the tourney.” “It is a great joke that it got in.”
(Photo: Cameron Jourdan/Golfweek) The pebble that Luke Gifford hit his ball on the 15th hole. (Photo: Cameron Jourdan/Golfweek)
Men’s individual
NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos
Gifford’s 3rd straight birdie, was the highlight of Gifford’s round. It was also a big one for the Waves. They shot 11-under in the third round on Sunday, breaking the previous record for the lowest round at an NCAA Championship. Pepperdine broke the previous record with a 9 under 271 in the last round in 2021.
Gifford’s best round was a 3-under-67. Derek Hitchner shot a 5-under-par 65. Sam Choi shot three under par, while William Mouw had an even-par score.
Pepperdine has moved to second place, three strokes ahead of Illinois, after winning the championship at Grayhawk in 2021 and making the semifinals at match play in 2022. The Waves, who are currently in the top 15 teams and have a great chance to qualify for match play again, are also well within the cut.
Michael Beard, Pepperdine’s coach, said that the players played well all around. “We have a great group.” The youngest player in our current starting five is 22 years old. “And with experience comes.”
The starting lineup is largely the same as last year’s semi-finalists, except for Hitchner and Mouw. But, as Beard noted, the team has a lot of experience.
He could not pinpoint the reason why his teams were successful at Grayhawk. The Waves are in a good position to play match play and this time a pebble was a key factor.
Beard explained that it’s important to know the place well and do some preparation work in order to be successful.
