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SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The Texas men’s golf team scored a dramatic 3-2 win over Arizona State in Wednesday afternoon’s NCAA championship game at Grayhawk Golf Club. The Longhorns captured their fourth NCAA team title in program history, since Texas previously won the championship in 1971, 1972, and 2012.
With a aggregate score of 2-2, Junior Travis Vick had a 1-up lead in his match against Cameron Sisk over 17 holes. On the 18th hole, Vick hit his second shot 25 feet behind the hole while Sisk hit his second shot in the green bunker. Sisk played an outstanding shot from the bunker to within two feet of the cup before Vick limp his birdie putt to within one foot to bisect the hole and clinch the title for the Longhorns.
At the beginning of the game, senior Parker Coody delivered the first point for Texas with a dominant 6 & 5 win over James Leow. Senior Pierceson Coody earned the second point for the Longhorns with a 2 & 1 win over Preston Summerhays.
This was UT’s second appearance in championship play in the last three NCAA championships (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19), third trip to the Finals on the last six occasions, and fourth appearance since 2012. Texas has the previous NCAA Matchplay Championship won appearances in 2012 (win against Alabama, 3-2), 2016 (loss against Oregon, 3-2) and 2019 (loss against Stanford, 3-2).
The University of Texas won the 62nd national team championship (58 NCAA titles) in school history. It was the fourth national title in the current 2021-22 academic calendar year as men’s indoor athletics won the crown in March and women’s tennis and rowing added further titles in May.
In fact, the Longhorns have now won three NCAA team championships in the span of 11 days: women’s tennis (May 22), rowing (May 29) and men’s golf (June 1). The four national titles are the most consistent in a school year in school history, as the Longhorns also won four national championships (women’s basketball, women’s indoor track and field, women’s swim and dive, and women’s outdoor track and field) in 1985-86.
Recap of the championship game against Arizona State
- Senior Parker Coody earned the first point for the Longhorns with a 6 & 5 win over James Leow. Coody won five of the first six holes (1, 3, 4, 5 and 6) to build a 5-up cushion. Leow maintained a win on hole 7 to get back to 4-down. Coody added wins on 11 and 12 to increase the lead to 6-up through 12 holes. He halved the 13th hole against Leow to end the 6 & 5 win.
- Senior Col Hammer dropped Mason Anderson a 3 & 2 decision. Anderson won four of the first seven holes (1, 2, 5 and 7) to build a 4-up cushion. Hammer won the 9th hole to get back to 3-down, but Anderson responded with a win on 10. Hammer won the 11th hole before Anderson responded again with a win on 12 to put a 4-up lead take over. Hammer won hole 14 and pulled to 3-down, but the two players halved the next two holes to end the 3 & 2 win for Anderson.
- Senior Pierceson Coody scored the second point for Texas with a 2 & 1 win over Preston Summerhays. Coody won back-to-back holes on 2 and 3 to take advantage of a 2-up. He increased the lead to 3-up with a win on the 7th hole, but Summerhays responded with a win on 8 to get back to 2-down. Coody won the 10th hole and grabbed a 3-up cushion before Summerhays responded with wins on 11 and 13 to get 1-down. Coody won hole 14 to extend his lead to 2-up, but Summerhays took a win on hole 16 to reduce the deficit to 1-down. Coody birdied on 17 to win the hole and end the 2&1 win.
- Junior Mason nome lost a hard-fought 19-hole match to David Puig. Puig won hole 2 and secured a 1-up advantage before Nome won back-to-back holes on 7 and 8 to gain a 1-up advantage. Puig responded with a win on 9 to level the match. Nome won hole 14 to go 1-up, but Puig won hole 17 to level the match. Nome made a 15-foot par 18 to bisect the hole and send the match onto additional holes. On the first extra hole (playing the 10thth hole), Puig made par to win the hole and seal his victory.
- Junior Travis Vick clinched the title for the Longhorns with a 1-up win over Cameron Sisk. Vick won each of the first three holes to grab a 3-up pad. Sisk responded with back-to-back wins on holes 4 and 5, then added a win on hole 7 to even the match. Vick won the 9th hole to go 1-up, but Sisk responded with a win on 10 to tie the match. Vick finally took the lead with a win on 12 and added a win on 14 to build a 2-up cushion. Sisk won the 16th hole to go to 1 Dow. Vick halved holes with Sisk at 17 and 18 to end the 1-up win.
Odds sheet after the game
Texas head coach John Fields
“There are so many mountains that we had to climb. The University of Texas gives us such an incredible opportunity, but it also puts a tremendous amount of pressure on you because winning a national championship at the University of Texas is something very special. These guys knew. That’s why they came to Texas. If you asked anyone why they came to Texas, they would give you this answer. I’m really proud of her. I’m proud of my two assistant coaches. All the guys played well this week.”
“They played some of the best and most outstanding golf I’ve seen them do. And I think that’s just because the pressure was really big. We got where we wanted to get and that gave them the opportunity to just do it, play golf and be who they were. Travis Vick I was a little nervous about that last putt, but he didn’t seem nervous at all. A peace came over him and I think that’s because of our support.”
On his senior trio —“They are three of the best golfers that have ever played in Texas. With these guys, they’re three of the best people on the planet and I’m really going to miss them, and so will Texas. But they will go out there and do great things.”
On his seniors now versus 2019: “They came in with incredible enthusiasm, maybe not the experience we needed this week but they came in for the enthusiasm they had. Now they’ve added the experience and they still have the excitement. They did the hard work, they did the hard work and now they are national champions.”
On Travis Vick — “He always seems to make it big in the big moment. He got us here, two consecutive 67s, 10-under par in Oklahoma got us here, and he was just sensational.”
What he will remember this week – “The challenges these guys overcame. The pressure to make it into the top 15, then the pressure to make it into the Elite Eight, and then the pressure to go up against three of the best teams in the nation with the best coaches in the nation. I will remember how much these guys overcame to get this thing done.
Texas Senior Parker Coody
“As long as I kept the ball in front of me, I was fine. I don’t think any of us (ASU’s James Leow) really had our best stuff today. But it worked, a few birdies on two and three, that was really good, got my numbers down with my wedges and it was good holes to make sure to get a good start and pass without making mistakes.”
“One of the things that we talked about last night was how you get to those emotional highs, especially when you beat a team that’s as good as Oklahoma State, and then we end up beating a very hot Vanderbilt team, this one victories. We talked about how to prepare for (the final). Pierceson, Cole and I remember that was the first time our phones blew up because we beat the state of Oklahoma (2019), and with the short turnaround time we were just drained. We talked last night about how important it is to get ready for today.”
“I played so bad last year and here at Thunderbird I’ve never played well. So I just took on a whole new attitude like, ‘I gotta love this place. I have to find a way to do it.’ I was lucky enough to get a good position individually and then the rest of the matchplay took care of itself.”
Texas Senior Pierceson Coody
“On that last putt, I really knew he was going to go in. I trusted my line, and that one birdie made all the difference. Preston is such a great player, he’s persevered. This year to weather all the adversity and here Landing and seeing everyone play like that means the world and is something I will never forget.”
“I couldn’t stop thinking back. I lost to Brandon Wu in my first year and not that the situations were similar, but Preston, he’s young and I knew if I could just keep calm I could edge him out. He did Played great and luckily a few putts went my way and just to get ahead, this whole experience gave me the confidence to do what we did today: make a five foot to my match Sealing it and having the confidence to know it’s going to go in, that’s all from that match my freshman year.”
“The team briefings. Nobody had played well in the first three rounds and suddenly in the last round we just jumped out and it was like, ‘Okay, it’s time to go, it’s a new tournament.’ Knowing we’re all in shape gave us the confidence we gained from that one round. I never understood how important that round was.”
TexasJunior Travis Vick
“It’s hard to put into words how that feels. It’s been such a long road, we’ve been through a lot of adversity as a team. We had a goal behind us, so to be able to pull it off is really special. I had got off to a hot start and then started playing sloppy bogeys, mostly because of the short game, but I knew good golf would take care of itself and I was feeling pretty good about my game.”
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