By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
BRADENTON, JUNE 2, 2015 – The best season in program history ended a day before USF wanted, but the Bulls have made a national statement that will resonate for years to come.
As one of the final eight teams left standing, No. 13/14 USF battled to the very end in a 4-1 match play quarterfinal loss to Georgia at the NCAA Division I Men's Championship on Tuesday morning.
“You get here and the goal is to make it to the (final) 15 and to make it to the eight, and obviously win a couple matches and hopefully win a national championship,” head coach Steve Bradley said. “In all honesty I can't say it was an expectation but it was a possibility. We practiced like it was, we trained like it was and it became a reality.”
Playing in its first NCAA Championship final, host USF showed the true grit that it takes to win a national title by enduring a pressure-packed four days of stroke play at The Concession Golf Club Course co-designed by Jack Nicklaus.
USF had its eyes on the prize heading into Tuesday's quarterfinal and was forced to play catch-up because of Georgia's hot start. The 33rd-ranked Bulldogs took an early 5-0 lead before the Bulls cut their deficit to 3-2 near the turn behind strong play from Rigel Fernandes and Claudio Correa.
“I think they made 10 or 12 birdies and a couple eagles in the first six or seven holes and made it difficult for us. Match play you get that momentum, you're hitting second every time and it's just tough to overcome it,” Bradley said. “But as we had, we battled and we got a couple matches back square. We got a couple of them to 1-down and we got up in a couple. Our guys kept fighting, we just kind of ran out of time and they played really well.”
Junior Chase Koepka canned consecutive birdies on holes 15-16 to get his match back to all square with Sepp Straka. Georgia's redshirt junior jumped back ahead with a birdie on 18 and finished with a 3-and-2 victory.
Georgia took a 2-0 lead with Zach Heal's 2-and-1 win over senior Trey Valentine. The Bulldogs sealed the match victory moments later when Lee McCoy posted a 5-and-3 win over senior Ryan Fricker.
Correa, The American Freshman of the Year, was 1-up through two holes on the back nine and was all square with Mookie DeMoss through 13 holes. DeMoss got to 1-up with three holes remaining when play was halted.
Fernandes served as USF's bright spot on a gloomy day in his hometown of Bradenton. The sophomore and PING All-Region selection dropped his first three holes before going on a tear with wins on holes 15, 17, 1, 2 and 3 to get to 2-up. Georgia's Greyson Sigg got back to all square with birdies on 4 and 6, but Fernandes got to 1-up with a par on 7 just before play was called.
“I was able to keep my composure, I won 7 and then won the match on eight, but unfortunately it wasn't enough,” Fernandes said.
Fernandes said the team felt “terrible” following the quarterfinal loss, but the Bulls can soon smile when they look back at all they accomplished in Bradley's first season with the program. USF won five tournaments, including the American Championship and the NCAA New Haven Regional, which marked the Bulls' third straight victory. Program history was made in Bradenton, which the Bulls will use as momentum in 2015-16.
“I think over the last five, six weeks we've proved that we can play with anybody in the country. We just have to take that to next year,” Fernandes said. “It was our goal this year to get here and make the eight, and we did it. The goal will be the same next year. I think we'll be as good next year. We've got a couple good kids coming in and Claudio, Chase and I returning. We'll be really good and ready for this next year.”
