J.C. Deacon, who is a resident of Scottdale, Arizona’s, probably still has no words to say.
He could not find the words to describe his feelings as he walked away from the 10th hole at Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course. He could not describe the events of the last hour in his Florida Gators semi-final match against Florida State. He thought that his team would be going home. It’s not about the national title, but rather a championship.
The Gators made an incredible comeback. They rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Seminoles by 3-2, and advanced to the match play final on Wednesday, where they will face No. Georgia Tech is ranked No. 5. The Yellow Jackets defeated top-seed North Carolina by a score of 3-2.
Photos NCAA
Florida’s Ricky Castillo won the match by beating Florida State’s Brett Roberts at the 21st green, after Castillo had been two down with only three holes to go.
Deacon: “Ricky’s in the bunker at 16, and I can only think of how we are going to win,” Deacon said. “Brett Roberts deserves all due respect. He is an amazing player. When the match is all square, and Ricky Castillo wins it, then he has won. “This is what he’s good at.”
Castillo made par from the bunker at 16, while Roberts had a bogey. Castillo then drove the green at the par-4 seventeenth hole and made a birdie. The match was now level.
After halving 18th place, they moved up to No. 10. Next, go back to 18. Roberts missed his birdie attempt on 10. Castillo made his putt and secured the Gators’ place in the match-play final.
Castillo continued, “I am still shocked.” “I am just so happy that I managed to get us into the final tomorrow.”
Improbable comeback complete.
Florida wins 3-2 over Florida State after being down by 2-0. Ricky Castillo with the winning putt on the 21st hole #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/vnu42a6bzP
Cameron Jourdan May 31 2023 HTML0
Fred Biondi won the medalist award on Monday. He beat Cole Anderson by one point, and John DuBois followed with a victory of 1 up to seal it for Florida. Frederik Kjettrup, Jack Bigham and the Seminoles secured the two points.
In the second semi-final, North Carolina’s Dylan Menante dominated Georgia Tech’s Christo Lambert, winning 6 to 5. Georgia Tech was leading in four of the matches when Menante ended the match.
Georgia Tech’s Bruce Heppler said that Forrester could not have played any better on Tuesday. Connor Howe defeated Austin Greaser with the same score to give the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 advantage.
The match was 2-2 when North Carolina’s David Ford beat Georgia Tech’s Ross Steelman on the 18th hole. This left it to Georgia Tech and Tar Heels Peter Fountain.
Steelman was leading after the first three stroke play rounds, but Monday he bogeyed three of his last holes to lose by a stroke. Steelman was on fire Tuesday as he played the final holes.
Heppler described him as a “beast”. You couldn’t have put a more qualified man in that position if you tried.
Steelman made long putts at 16 and 17 in order to stay 1 up. Steelman blasted his drive down the fairway on the 18th hole, while Fountain was forced to lay up after finding a bunker. Steelman putted comfortably after hitting the green on his second shot. Georgia Tech will now play in the championship match. Steelman, who enjoys match play, won his second game of the day.
Steelman commented, “I appreciate that you are able to tell me what to do at the right time.” Just remember all the great golf I played, and not just the last three holes of yesterday. Have fun.
The top-seed trend continues
The top-seeded teams have not made the finals in four years. Only Oklahoma State (2018) won the stroke play and went on to win national championship.
UNC’s coach Andrew DiBitetto was “really happy” with the fighting spirit of his players. They fought all day.”
Florida will be aiming for its fifth title, and the first since 2001. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, has never won any titles but has been runner-up in four different years, all during the stroke-play period. This is the first match-play final the Yellow Jackets have ever played.
Championship Match
No. 2 Florida vs. No. No. 5 Georgia Tech
Yuxin Lin vs. Christo Lamprecht (4:35 p.m. ET)
Matthew Kress against Bartley forrester (4.45 p.m. ET) ET)
John DuBois vs. Connor Howe (4:55 p.m. ET)
Fred Biondi vs. Hiroshi Tai (5:05 p.m. ET)
Ricky Castillo vs. Ross Steelman (5:15 p.m. ET)
Editor’s Note: Scottsdale is PT and three hours behind ET.
