There were so many moments in Saturday’s final round when it looked as if the UCLA men’s golf team was going to let the NCAA title slip away.
The most shocking came as senior captain Kevin Chappell teed off on the 17th hole and hit a poor shot into the water.
Chappell found himself with a daunting chip for bogey with his team’s hopes on the line.
His chip rolled down the green, curled and dropped into the hole for a stunning bogey. Chappell went on to par the 18th hole and seal a national championship for UCLA.
Chappell was the only player to finish under par for the tournament, and he won the individual title at the Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind.
It was a fitting end to an unbelievable year for Chappell. The Fresno native’s older brother, Stephen Casey Chappell, died at the start of the season, and Kevin Chappell dedicated this year to him. Kevin Chappell went on to win the Pac-10 player of the year award and led UCLA into the NCAA Championship.
The Bruin team finished at 42-over par as all the players struggled with the extremely difficult conditions at the Kampen Course. They won the team title by just one stroke over Stanford, which finished at 43-over par. USC finished in third place at 44-over par.
It wasn’t just Chappell who led the Bruins. Senior Craig Leslie birdied the final hole, which was the most difficult on the course. Freshman Philip Francis recovered from a horrible second shot to make bogey, as well.
But the tournament will be remembered for Chappell’s shot.
After the tee shot fell into the water, Chappell turned to first-year UCLA coach Derek Freeman. If there was a moment when Chappell could have fallen apart, that was it. But he took his drop shot and hit up to the green, setting the stage for the brilliant chip.
After it dropped, Chappell exploded, pounding his chest and racing toward the 18th tee. Once he got to the tee, he buried his head in his hands, in complete shock. His final tee shot was perfect.
And after he made his final putt, his teammates sprinted to embrace him. They all stood ““ Chappell, junior Erik Flores, Leslie, Francis and junior Lucas Lee ““ as the first Bruins to win a men’s golf national title in 20 years.