As senior All-American Kevin Chappell rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt on the 17th hole yesterday to win his match and seal a UCLA victory over Georgia Tech in the championship match of the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play Championship, one thing was finally clear.
This Bruin team is for real.
It was a question on the minds of many in the college golf world. The talented Bruin team had only played one tournament prior to this week against a fairly weak field, so it was unranked before this event. No one knew how the Bruins would fare in the 16-team match play tournament at Reynolds Plantation GC in Greensboro, Ga., which included the top five teams in the country.
“This is the most satisfying moment of our season,” coach Derek Freeman said. “These guys haven’t listened to the media or any of the articles, they’ve just worked hard.
“The players deserve this win.”
Freeman’s team knew it needed to make a statement, and it did. Chappell dominated, winning all four of his matches. Freshman Philip Francis held his own, winning Tuesday against Georgia Tech’s top player, Chesson Hadley. Junior Erik Flores turned in another great performance, indicating that he is back on track after a brief slump.
“This team is really different from any UCLA team I’ve ever played on,” Chappell said. “This team is more mature, and everyone has a better feel for one another. … I think we’ve really made a statement with this win.”
UCLA started the tournament Sunday with a win over Minnesota, then topped Tennessee and Florida on Monday, and finished the three-day marathon on Tuesday with their win over the Yellow Jackets. In the final three contests, the Bruins lost just two of their 15 matches.
The Bruins are expected to take over the top spot in the next coaches’ poll.
“We played four of the best teams in the country, and we beat them handily,” Freeman said.
Chappell’s clinching eagle putt against Georgia Tech came after senior Craig Leslie and junior James Lee won their matches. So as Chappell lined up the putt, he knew it would win the tournament for his team.
The eagle was a stunning conclusion to the week for the Bruins. Chappell had recorded just two pars on the 17th hole, a long par 5 with both water hazards and sand traps. But this time he had just a 4-iron into the 546-yard hole after a huge drive. The 4-iron did its job, setting Chappell up for the dramatic eagle putt.
Chappell had controlled the match after a birdie on the par-5 10th hole.
“I just wanted to have a putt on every green to win the hole, and I did that a lot,” Chappell said. “I just kept the pressure on my opponent.”
PGA PREP?: The Oconee course at Reynolds Plantation that the Bruins played this week is the site of next year’s PGA Championship, one of the biggest tournaments in professional golf.
“Hopefully I’ll be playing in that tournament,” Chappell said.
Chappell and Francis would have been under par this week had the competition been a stroke-play format. But, Chappell said, the course will definitely play much harder next year when the pros play it. The greens will be faster and the rough thicker.