Arizona State to face Texas in NCAA championship match

By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Preston Summerhays birdied the 18th hole to close out his match 2 up and Arizona State beat reigning national champion Pepperdine 4-1 on Tuesday to earn a spot in the championship match against Texas.

The Longhorns beat Vanderbilt 3 1/2-1 1/2 when Pierceson Coody and Travis Vick closed out their matches seconds apart at Grayhawk Golf Club. Texas is playing in the championship match for the third time in six years.

Arizona lost to Oklahoma in the semifinals as the top seed a year ago and turned the tables on the second-seeded Sooners to win 3-2 in the morning quarterfinals.

The Sun Devils led Pepperdine big in three matches early in the afternoon semifinals, let the Waves creep back in and closed with a flourish.

Mason Andersen closed out Dylan Menante 1 up in 19 holes for Arizona State’s first point after beating Oklahoma’s Patrick Welch 1 up in the quarterfinals. David Puig then finished off Joey Vrzich 2 and 1 with a two-putt birdie after driving the short par-4 17th.

Summerhays routed Haskins Award winner Chris Gotterup 7 and 5 in quarterfinals and went 5 up on Joe Highsmith through 10 holes. Highsmith won five of six holes to tie it on No. 16, but the Arizona State freshman birdied No. 17 to go 1 up.

Summerhays, whose father and great uncle played on the PGA Tour, hit his approach shot on the 520-yard par-4 to five feet and sank the putt to win 2 up and clinch Arizona State’s spot in the finals.

Texas beat Oklahoma State 3-2 in the quarterfinals and had four close matches against Vanderbilt heading to the back nine at Grayhawk’s Raptor Course.

Cole Hammer beat Vandy freshman Gordon Sargent, who won the NCAA individual title on Monday, 4 and 3 to give Texas the first point in the second semifinal.

Vandy’s William Moll then closed out his match 1 up with a bogey on No. 18 when Parker Coody couldn’t get up and down from a greenside bunker.

Vick opened with birdies to win the first two holes against Reid Davenport and was 3 up after a birdie on the par-4 12th. He finished off the match 4 and 3 with a birdie on the par-4 15th.

Pierceson Coody took a 2 up lead on Cole Sherwood with a birdie on the par-4 14th and won 4 and 3 with a par on the short par-3 16th.

Pepperdine beat North Carolina 3-2 quarterfinals and Vanderbilt beat Texas Tech by the same score.

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports