Tech falls to Vanderbilt in NCAA Championship quarterfinals

**From Texas Tech Athletics**

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Texas Tech had its season come to an end in the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship quarterfinals with a 3-2-0 loss to top-seeded Vanderbilt on Tuesday at the Grayhawk Golf Club. The Red Raiders were seeking their first semifinals appearance, but would see the Commadores stage a comeback to advance to play Texas later this afternoon.

“It was a high-level match,” Texas Tech coach Greg Sands said. “There wasn’t much wind so the greens were softer and there were a lot of birdies. I’m proud of the guys. It hurts because you want it so bad for them. They are a great group of guys. You have to give credit to Vanderbilt. They made a lot of putts down the stretch. You have to tip your hat, but it still stings.”

Sandy Scott earned the first win for the Red Raiders with a 2&1 decision, while Ludvig Aberg was a 1UP winner over Cole Sherwood. Sandy Scott took the lead for good over Williams Moll with a birdie on No. 10 and went up two for the final time on No. 17 with a par and a bogey from his opponent. Aberg led by as many as two strokes in his match with a birdie at No. 12.

“It was great to see Sandy win a match today after being out so long,” Sands said. “He was down two early and fought back to give us a shot.”

In close matches throughout the morning, Andy Lopez fell 3&2 to Harrison Ott, Calum Scott dropped a 1UP decision and Baard Skogen fell 3&1. Calum Scott went to the final hole tied in his match with Reid Davenport but saw his opponent make a long par putt to secure the win after he had to take a drop when his approach shot found the 18th green pond. Calum Scott had a three-stroke lead through seven holes before it tightened up on the back-9. Skogen was tied through 12 holes before dropping points on 13, 14 and 17 to Gordon Sargent who won the individual National Championship on Monday through stroke play.

Tech was making its third NCAA Championship quarterfinal appearance after also making the match play portion in 2010 and 2018. The Red Raiders advanced to the match play after finishing eighth in stroke play. Aberg led the Red at 5-over-par to earn 11th and All-America honors. A junior from Sweden, Aberg is a PING All-America First Team selection for the second straight season to go along with winning the Ben Hogan Award last week.

For all news and updates on Texas Tech Men’s Golf, follow the program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Copyright 2022 KCBD. All rights reserved.