On Monday, Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai closed his last round with a final score of 1 under 71, enough to win the NCAA Men’s Individual title, in Carlsbad, California. Tai, who started his final round on the 10th hole, triple bogeyed his 17th hole, but was able to make up for it with a par on his 18th, securing the Yellow Jackets as one of the eight teams advancing to compete in match play for the team title.
Tai became the fourth player in Georgia Tech men’s golf history to earn an NCAA individual title, the first since 2002 with Troy Matteson’s, which got him a spot in the Master’s field the following year. Other individual champions include Charlie Yates in 1934 and Watts Gunn in 1927. “Adding my name to that list is awesome,” Tai remarked after receiving the title (via ESPN). Tai finished with a 3 under 285 with a one-shot victory over five other players. Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, and the University of Virginia’s Ben James, both had opportunities to force a playoff if they ended with a birdie on the 18th hole. Sargent’s birdie putt caught the edge of the cup and spun away, causing him to finish with a 72, while James missed his 15 foot birdie attempt and closed with a 73.
Tai finished his round nearly two hours before Sargent and James did, spending most of his time in the Omni La Costa clubhouse checking on Tech’s chances of getting the eighth spot. The sophomore would make his way to the range, preparing for a playoff that never happened.
Tyler Goeke of Illinois, Luke Clanton from Florida State, and Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, who received the Fred Haskins award just a week prior as the nation’s best college golfer, all shot 71 to tie for second. Georgia Tech beat out Oklahoma for the No. 8 seed by just one shot. After they had rallied to get in position, Oklahoma’s Ryder Cowan double bogeyed the 18th and Jase Summy bogeyed. Florida was also in position, but John DuBois bogeyed two of the last three holes and Ian Gilligan bogeyed three of the last four.
The other qualifying teams are Virginia, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Auburn, Ohio State, and Illinois. Illinois has the top seed spot and they open against Georgia Tech at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. The quarter finals and semifinals take place today at the Omni La Costa course in Carlsbad.
Photo Credit: Georgia Tech Athletics
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