ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Clinching the match with a six-foot putt by Cameron Champ on the 18th hole, Texas A&M advanced to the finals of the 2017 SEC Men’s Golf Championship by defeating Alabama 3-2 in a tightly-contested affair Sunday afternoon during the semifinals of match play at Sea Island Golf Club.
Having already downed Missouri 5-0 in the quarterfinals earlier in the day, the Aggies returned to the course for an afternoon showdown against the Crimson Tide. Texas A&M got wins from Champ (1 Up) and fellow junior Andrew Paysse (2 Up) as well as sophomore Chandler Phillips (3 Up) to advance to the finals where the Aggies will face Vanderbilt on Monday morning.
“That’s the best day in golf Texas A&M has had in years, probably since the last Big 12 Championship,” Texas A&M head coach J.T. Higgins said. “All five guys were amazing and played their best golf of the year.”
Phillips, who stood out as A&M’s highest finisher in stroke play with a share of third place (-6), ended his match-up against the Crimson Tide’s Davis Riley after No. 16 when he birdied the par-four, 407-yard hole to go up three in the match with only two holes to play.
Paysse, meanwhile, finished off his victory after a bogey by Alabama’s Josh Sedeno at No. 17 left the third-year Aggie up two with only one hole remaining. Champ’s match went all the way to No. 18 where the Sacramento, Calif., native stepped to the tee box maintaining a one-hole advantage before clinching both his and the Aggies’ victory with a par to defeat Steven Setterstrom.
The Crimson Tide scored its two match wins as Lee Hodges defeated Brandon Smith (Up 1) and Jonathan Hardee topped Dan Erickson (2 Up).
The Commodores (-11) and Aggies (-5) finished first and second in the team standings after 54 holes of stroke play at the event to earn the top two seeds in match play. Vanderbilt punched its ticket to the finals by downing Ole Miss 3-2 in the quarterfinals before outlasting Florida 3-2 in the semifinal round.
“Vandy is really good,” Higgins said of the Aggies’ finals opponent. “1-5 every guy is a really good golfer, but so are we. We’re anxious for the match up and the chance to compete for a championship.”
Texas A&M will be aiming for its 12th all-time conference championship as well as its first since claiming the 2012 Big 12 title during its last season in that league.
Results and live scoring from the SEC Men’s Golf Championship can be found at GolfStat.com.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics