ST. SIMONS ISLAND — Georgia was eliminated from the match play portion of the Southeastern Conference Men’s Golf Championship on Saturday by Texas A&M 3-2. The decisive match lasted 22 holes.
On Sea Island Golf Club’s par-70, 7,005-yard layout on the Seaside Course, the Bulldogs earned their two points from junior Trent Phillips and sophomore Connor Creasy. Phillips dispatched Texas A&M’s Walker Lee in 19 holes. Creasy rolled past William Paysee 3&2, winning Nos. 13, 14, and 16 to seize the match. Fifth-year player Spencer Ralston fell to Sam Bennett 3&2, senior Davis Thompson dropped a 1-up decision to Daniel Rodrigues, and junior Eli Scott fell in 22 holes to Dan Erickson.
“We saw two teams basically slugging it out,” Georgia head coach Chris Haack said. “I’m sure it was fun for the fans to watch, but it was extremely nerve-racking for those of us in it. Our hats are off to Texas A&M for the win. We’re disappointed in this outcome, but we performed well in stroke play and we were literally one putt away in match play. There’s still a lot of golf left to be played. We’ll take both the pros and cons of this tournament and use them to prepare for the rest of the postseason.”
The Bulldogs will learn their NCAA Regional destination on May 5. The 2021 regionals will take place in Noblesville, Ind.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Stillwater, Okla.; Kingston Springs, Tenn.; and Cle Elum, Wash. The top five teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 28-June 2.
