ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — The Georgia men’s golf team was eliminated by Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the match play portion of the Southeastern Conference Championship on Saturday at Sea Island Golf Club.
The Bulldogs dropped a 3-2 decision to the Aggies. Georgia’s wins came from junior Spencer Ralston and freshman Trent Phillips.
Ralston coasted to a 6&4 decision over the Aggies’ Dan Erickson. Ralston led by three after seven holes, by four after 12, and by five after 13. Ralston’s birdie on No. 5 (Georgia and Texas A&M started on No. 10) sealed the victory.
Phillips’ match was tighter as he eliminated Sam Bennett 2-up. The two players were all square through 12, but Phillips made par on No. 4 to go up by a hole, then birdied the eighth for the win.
Junior Trevor Phillips took his match to the last hole before dropping a 1-up decision to Walker Lee. The decisive hole was No. 5 where Phillips made birdie but was trumped by Lee’s eagle.
Freshman Will Kahlstorf also went to the final hole in his 2-up decision against Brandon Smith. After being all square through 10, Smith pulled ahead with a par as Kahlstorf made bogey on No. 2. Kahlstorf also bogeyed the ninth while trying to extend the match to extra holes.
Sophomore Davis Thompson fell behind by three after five holes and dropped a 3&2 decision to Chandler Phillips.
“We fought all the way, and I was proud of the guys for never giving up,” Georgia head coach Chris Haack said. “One shot here or there could have swung the match in our favor, too. I’m sure we learned a few things that will help carry us through at nationals. … We’ll go home and work on the same things, try to get sharper, eliminate some mistakes, and get ready for the next one.”
The Bulldogs will be idle until May 13-15 as they host an NCAA Regional at the UGA Golf Course. The field for the NCAA Regional will be announced on Wednesday.?