Florida State University Athletics
Wednesday, May 29
Carlsbad, Calif. | Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
5:25PM
Florida State
vs
NCAA Championships (Match Play Championship)
Men's Golf Falls to Auburn in National Championship
5/29/2024 11:16:00 PM | Men's Golf
TALLAHASSEE – No. 5 National Seed Florida State Men's Golf fell to Auburn in Wednesday's NCAA Golf National Championship, 3-2, at the Omni La Costa North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.
The match was about as close as it gets, with each team securing two wins apiece before coming down to the anchor match. In the end, Auburn's J.M. Butler was able to put away the Seminoles on the 17th hole to defeat FSU's Luke Clanton, 2&1.
Despite the loss, the 2024 Seminoles made program history by becoming the first FSU squad to reach the National Championship Match. It also marked their first time reaching Match Play in consecutive years.
"I'm just gutted for them right now," FSU Head Coach Trey Jones said to the GOLF Channel afterward. "I know runner-up in a National Championship is something we'll look back on as a good season – this team never finished out of the Top 5 all year along – but we came here to win. It's disappointing."
Freshman Tyler Weaver went 3-0 in NCAA Championship Match Play, getting a 2&1 win over Josiah Gilbert on Wednesday to put FSU's first point on the scoreboard and tie the match officially at 1-1. After sitting out all four stroke play rounds, the ACC Freshman of the Year subbed in and got three impressive match-play wins over North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Auburn. A par on the 17th hole gave Weaver the win.
Graduate golfer Cole Anderson won his last match by taking down Carson Bacha, 1UP, as Anderson had to hang on during the 18th hole. Anderson led Bacha 3UP through 15 holes, but the Auburn Tiger came back to win holes No. 16 and 17 before Anderson held off the rally on 18 with a beautiful chip shot right by the hole. A missed par putt by Bacha secured the win.
Anderson, Frederik Kjettrup, Brett Roberts and Gray Albright leave as one of the most decorated senior classes in program history. Anderson, Kjettrup and Roberts each made their fourth NCAA Championships appearance, while Albright enjoyed a historic season capped by an All-ACC Team selection.
Sophomore Luke Clanton recorded one of the best single seasons in program history, and figures to enter next year as one of the most accomplished returning players.
Clanton Named Division I PING First-Team All-American
During Wednesday's National Championship, Clanton was announced as a Division I PING First-Team All-American in partnership with the GOLF Channel.
Clanton joins Wenyi Ding of Arizona State, Mats Ege of East Tennessee State, Nick Gabrelcik of North Florida, Ben James of Virginia, Jackson Koivun of Auburn, Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt, 2024 NCAA Division I Individual Champion Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech, Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford, and Brendan Valdes of Auburn.
The Hialeah, Fla., native has enjoyed one of the most decorated single seasons in FSU history, becoming the first Seminole ever to win three consecutive tournaments.
Final Results
Jackson Koivun (Auburn) def. Brett Roberts (FSU), 5&4
Tyler Weaver (FSU) def. Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), 2&1
Cole Anderson (FSU) def. Carson Bacha (Auburn), 1UP
Brendan Valdes (Auburn) def. Frederik Kjettrup (FSU), 4&3
J.M. Butler (Auburn) def. Luke Clanton (FSU), 2&1
Quotes
–Florida State head coach Trey Jones
On the emotions of his team after the loss: "There's no words for it. You can't say 'I've been there before' or 'it will be okay.' They don't want to hear that. You only get so many chances at a national championship. You're very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to win one, but it didn't go our way. They are hard to win, and golf is hard. It's a game if you win two or three times on the PGA Tour, you've had an incredible year. It just didn't go our way today."
On the experience at Omni La Costa: "I would love this to be a permanent site. That was the number one team in the country (Auburn) from a ranking standpoint, and the teams that made the final eight were all top-five and top-10 teams. The course separated the field and that's what coaches want. The hospitality from the resort standpoint and the San Diego community could not have been better. The positives of having a permanent site are that they can tweak anything that needs to be fixed a little bit, and those are things they can control. It's an honor to be here."
Thoughts on his team advancing to the championship match: "This group of seniors just finished fifth, 20th, third and second. There's not a whole lot of classes in the history of college golf that have had a better run. And we will definitely reflect on that."
How special is this group of players to you: "It's a group that I know where they are going to be, I know the attitudes they are going to have, and it's just been a blessing to coach them."
–Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton
On his team: "All five of us out there playing today was a goal we were looking for over the last 364 days. To fall just short is really hard to handle, especially with the guys who are leaving. Those guys are brothers to me. I really wanted to give them a national championship."
Reflecting on advancing to the championship match for the first time in program history: "It's a little hard to think about that right now. Making it to the championship match against a great team as well was awesome. It's just hard to see those guys leave without a ring on their finger. I promise you this, we'll win next year."
Experience at the NCAA Championship: "We had an unbelievable week. The golf course is brand new, and they made it perfect for us. It was challenging and tough. The way they treated us was amazing here, and the spectators were awesome. It was a good week."
The match was about as close as it gets, with each team securing two wins apiece before coming down to the anchor match. In the end, Auburn's J.M. Butler was able to put away the Seminoles on the 17th hole to defeat FSU's Luke Clanton, 2&1.
Despite the loss, the 2024 Seminoles made program history by becoming the first FSU squad to reach the National Championship Match. It also marked their first time reaching Match Play in consecutive years.
"I'm just gutted for them right now," FSU Head Coach Trey Jones said to the GOLF Channel afterward. "I know runner-up in a National Championship is something we'll look back on as a good season – this team never finished out of the Top 5 all year along – but we came here to win. It's disappointing."
Freshman Tyler Weaver went 3-0 in NCAA Championship Match Play, getting a 2&1 win over Josiah Gilbert on Wednesday to put FSU's first point on the scoreboard and tie the match officially at 1-1. After sitting out all four stroke play rounds, the ACC Freshman of the Year subbed in and got three impressive match-play wins over North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Auburn. A par on the 17th hole gave Weaver the win.
Graduate golfer Cole Anderson won his last match by taking down Carson Bacha, 1UP, as Anderson had to hang on during the 18th hole. Anderson led Bacha 3UP through 15 holes, but the Auburn Tiger came back to win holes No. 16 and 17 before Anderson held off the rally on 18 with a beautiful chip shot right by the hole. A missed par putt by Bacha secured the win.
Anderson, Frederik Kjettrup, Brett Roberts and Gray Albright leave as one of the most decorated senior classes in program history. Anderson, Kjettrup and Roberts each made their fourth NCAA Championships appearance, while Albright enjoyed a historic season capped by an All-ACC Team selection.
Sophomore Luke Clanton recorded one of the best single seasons in program history, and figures to enter next year as one of the most accomplished returning players.
Clanton Named Division I PING First-Team All-American
During Wednesday's National Championship, Clanton was announced as a Division I PING First-Team All-American in partnership with the GOLF Channel.
Clanton joins Wenyi Ding of Arizona State, Mats Ege of East Tennessee State, Nick Gabrelcik of North Florida, Ben James of Virginia, Jackson Koivun of Auburn, Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt, 2024 NCAA Division I Individual Champion Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech, Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford, and Brendan Valdes of Auburn.
The Hialeah, Fla., native has enjoyed one of the most decorated single seasons in FSU history, becoming the first Seminole ever to win three consecutive tournaments.
Final Results
Jackson Koivun (Auburn) def. Brett Roberts (FSU), 5&4
Tyler Weaver (FSU) def. Josiah Gilbert (Auburn), 2&1
Cole Anderson (FSU) def. Carson Bacha (Auburn), 1UP
Brendan Valdes (Auburn) def. Frederik Kjettrup (FSU), 4&3
J.M. Butler (Auburn) def. Luke Clanton (FSU), 2&1
Quotes
–Florida State head coach Trey Jones
On the emotions of his team after the loss: "There's no words for it. You can't say 'I've been there before' or 'it will be okay.' They don't want to hear that. You only get so many chances at a national championship. You're very fortunate and blessed to have the opportunity to win one, but it didn't go our way. They are hard to win, and golf is hard. It's a game if you win two or three times on the PGA Tour, you've had an incredible year. It just didn't go our way today."
On the experience at Omni La Costa: "I would love this to be a permanent site. That was the number one team in the country (Auburn) from a ranking standpoint, and the teams that made the final eight were all top-five and top-10 teams. The course separated the field and that's what coaches want. The hospitality from the resort standpoint and the San Diego community could not have been better. The positives of having a permanent site are that they can tweak anything that needs to be fixed a little bit, and those are things they can control. It's an honor to be here."
Thoughts on his team advancing to the championship match: "This group of seniors just finished fifth, 20th, third and second. There's not a whole lot of classes in the history of college golf that have had a better run. And we will definitely reflect on that."
How special is this group of players to you: "It's a group that I know where they are going to be, I know the attitudes they are going to have, and it's just been a blessing to coach them."
–Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton
On his team: "All five of us out there playing today was a goal we were looking for over the last 364 days. To fall just short is really hard to handle, especially with the guys who are leaving. Those guys are brothers to me. I really wanted to give them a national championship."
Reflecting on advancing to the championship match for the first time in program history: "It's a little hard to think about that right now. Making it to the championship match against a great team as well was awesome. It's just hard to see those guys leave without a ring on their finger. I promise you this, we'll win next year."
Experience at the NCAA Championship: "We had an unbelievable week. The golf course is brand new, and they made it perfect for us. It was challenging and tough. The way they treated us was amazing here, and the spectators were awesome. It was a good week."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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