CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — In a dramatic finale at Dalhousie Golf Club, No. 1 seed Little Rock captured its second Ohio Valley Conference Men's Golf Championship title, edging out third-seeded UT Martin 3-2 in match play to punch its ticket to the NCAA Regionals Championship.
Match Play Results | OVC Men's Golf Award Winners | Photos
"A great day to be a Trojan! These guys have worked hard to get to this point and we did a fantastic job of grinding matches out and keeping our attitudes positive all day long. Alex, Ed, and Rhett won their matches and played fantastic in the morning match against Morehead State. This afternoon Ed, Archie, and Matteo brought home the championship for us!
We were behind the 8 ball most of the day against UT Martin and we just kept hanging in all afternoon. Ed and Archie both won their matches. Freddie unfortunately lost. And then it came down to Rhett and Matteo. Rhett was 2 down with 2 holes to play and Matteo was 1 down with 2 holes to play. Matteo's opponent unfortunately hit his ball in the hazard off the tee on 17 which led to Matteo winning the hole to be all square heading to 18. On 18 both Matteo and his opponent were in awkward spots by the green in two on the par 5. UT Martin pitched his ball to 10 feet and Matteo pitched his to 6 feet. UT Martin missed and Matteo made his putt for the win and the celebration began!
I couldn't be more proud of each guy on the team including Luke and Phisher at home. It was a full team effort this week. Very proud of my assistant coach for everything he did this week. He was in charge of both Ed and Archie this afternoon and both of them played great to win their matches!
We will enjoy this one and then it is back to work on Friday because we have work to do for NCAA Regionals." - Head coach Austin Eoff.
It's the Trojans' second OVC crown in three years — both earned at Dalhousie — and caps off a statement week for the nationally ranked No. 49 squad.
The semifinal against No. 4 Morehead State saw Little Rock take control early, with standout performances from Alexander Rowland, who cruised to a 5&3 victory, and Rhett South, who won his match 4&3. Ed Featherstone held strong for a 1UP win, while Archie Smith halved his match and Freddie Turnell fell to Seamus Bogan, resulting in a 3.5–1.5 team win.
After a short break, the Trojans returned for a tense final against a surging UT Martin team that had upset No. 2 seed Lindenwood earlier that morning. The championship came down to the final hole, where OVC Player of the Year Matteo Cristoni drained a birdie putt to clinch a 1UP win over Jackson Twerdahl — and the match, 3-2.
Cristoni's clutch finish was backed by Featherstone's second 1UP victory of the day and Smith's commanding 3&1 win over Grant Phillips. Though Turnell and South dropped their matches, Little Rock's three points were enough to seal the deal.
With the title, Little Rock earns the OVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The Trojans will learn their regional assignment during the NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, April 30 at 1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. Regional play begins May 12–14, with national championship action set for May 23–28 in Carlsbad, California.
