SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After becoming just the second Florida State team ever to reach the NCAA Match Play Semifinals, the seventh-seeded men’s golf team ended its run on Tuesday evening as it fell to Florida, 2-3, at the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club.
The Seminoles were bolstered by a 3-2 win earlier in the day against Illinois in the NCAA Match Play Quarterfinals. Freshman Luke Clanton’s 1UP win against the Illini put FSU over the top as it advanced to its first semifinal since 2010.
Against Florida, FSU held a 2-0 lead after wins by freshman Jack Bigham (6&5) and junior Frederik Kjettrup (3&1).
2023 at at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
It also held leads in its other matches down the stretch, but the Gators clawed back to even it up at 2-2.
The deciding point came down to FSU’s Brett Roberts and UF’s Ricky Castillo, with the two going 21 holes before Castillo buried a birdie putt to win the match.
Roberts was critical in helping the Seminoles reach the semifinals, as he delivered a 3&2 win earlier in the day against Illinois. Roberts also finished 1-under in stroke play to tie for seventh in the NCAA Championships, including his clinching hole on No. 9 that secured FSU’s third bid to NCAA Match Play.
Florida State and Pepperdine entered match play as the only programs to have both their men’s and women’s teams reach the Final Eight this year. FSU played in the match-play quarterfinals for the second time in three years, also reaching the round when it was the No. 1 overall seed in 2021.
Ranked 18th in the preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, Florida State’s impressive season included two tournament wins and four different individual champions. Clanton became the first FSU freshman ever to win an NCAA Regional when he shot 6-under in Morgan Hill, Calif.
