Illinois golfer wins NCAA individual title; playoff for final spot in team play
Thomas Pieters of Illinois captured the individual men's NCAA golf championship on Thursday, but a playoff will be needed on Friday to determine the eighth and final team to compete in the match-play portion of the NCAA men's team championship over the next three days.
Pieters fired an even-par 71 in the third and final round of the individual competition at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. That gave him a three-round total of 5-under-par 208, three strokes better than Julien Brun of TCU and Tyler McCumber of Florida, who tied for second at 2-under.
No. 2-ranked Alabama earned the top seed in the team competition, firing a 3-over-par on Thursday to finish the three rounds at 7-over.
However, Alabama's opponent in Friday's first round of match play has not been determined. Florida State and Kent State tied for eighth at 23-over-par, and they will have a sudden-death playoff Friday morning to see which team will be paired against the Tide later in the day.
UCLA finished second at 9-over and will face Oregon, which finished in seventh place. Third-place finisher Texas will match up against Washington, and California and San Diego State tied for fourth and will go against each other Friday.
The semifinals of the team match play is Saturday, with the finals on Sunday.
