FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 29th, 2018

NOTABLE QUOTES: NCAA MEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS – TEAM MATCH PLAY SEMIFINALS

NCAA Men’s Golf Championships

Team Match Play, Semifinals

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Karsten Creek Golf Club

Stillwater, Okla.

 

Semifinal Match Results

Oklahoma State (1) defeated Auburn (5) 3-2

Alabama (6) defeated Duke (2) 5-0

 

Wednesday’s Championship Match

**Oklahoma State will compete against Alabama for the 2018 NCAA Men’s Golf National Championships on Wednesday. Live coverage of the championship match will air on Golf Channel from 4-8 p.m. ET.**

 

Golf Channel / Wednesday NCAA Championships Programming Schedule (all times ET)

Golf Central Pre Game           2-4 p.m.

Championship Match           4-8 p.m.

Golf Central                            8-9 p.m.

 

On Oklahoma State vs Alabama in Wednesday’s championship

Curt Byrum – “Alabama comes out of today with a lot of momentum after sweeping Duke 5-0, but you’ve got Oklahoma State, they were the best team in the country the entire season, playing on their home turf, and are going to be really tough to beat. And they don’t seem to be letting the nerves get in the way.”

 

PGA TOUR winner and Oklahoma State alum Scott Verplank speaking with Golf Channel’s Chantel McCabe during the semifinals

Scott Verplank – “If you carry the orange bag on your shoulder and you put the work in around here, where we have a great tradition of winning here at Oklahoma State golf, it means a lot. It becomes a brotherhood. We are friends, from these kids now to people how are 50-60 years old that play here. It’s a cool family.”

Verplank – “They [Oklahoma State] look really good to me. I haven’t gotten to see them that much this year, so I wanted to check out all of the guys. They all look like professionals to me. I’m really proud of our young guys who are playing so well. I know Austin, he is from Edmond so I have played with him a little bit. But I wanted to see Matthew Wolff play. They are impressive.”

Verplank – “You come here to play golf, win golf tournaments and go play on the PGA TOUR. This crowd, this golf course and the whole atmosphere really helps with that.”

 

On Oklahoma State defeating Auburn 3-2

Steve Burkowski – “If you think that there are people out here today, wait until tomorrow.”

Bob Papa – “Oklahoma State bussed fans to Prairie Dunes in 2014. They will not need to do that tomorrow. It is going to be raucous here at Oklahoma State.”

Arron Oberholser– They have an incredible amount of depth. This pretty much marks the hallmark of every Oklahoma State team that I have ever seen since I got to college golf in 1993-94 when I was a freshman at San Jose State. You’ve heard the legend and the folklore of Oklahoma State golf, and it is alive and well here at Karsten Creek.”

Notah Begay – “There is just an energy out there. They have got huge support from the local community. The OSU nation is out strong and they have a lot of admiration and respect for these golfers. It is tough to play on your home track as the number one ranked team. They are coming out and doing what they had to do and they are putting themselves in the position to do what they set out to do at the beginning of the year. That is to win the national championship.

Byrum – “Bauchou won that first hole right out of the gate and never trailed.”

 

Oklahoma State’s Zach Bauchou with speaking with Golf Channel’s John Cook following his match

Zach Bauchou – “My short game was really good out there today. The chip shot at 10 was really nice. I had a really tough approach shot just to get it to where I was, was a pretty good shot. The chip and the putt was nice. The bunker shot on 9 was ok, but the putt was good. When you make a nice putt like that it makes your bunker game a lot better.”

 

Alabama’s Austin Eckroat speaking with Golf Channel’s Billy Ray Brown

Austin Eckroat – “Whenever you have a big lead you are not sure if you should press and keep going to just play conservative and maintain a lead. I think I did a pretty good job of a happy medium. It is just hard to close out a match, especially with someone as good as Brandon [Mancheno], who was putting a lot of good shots together.”

Eckroat – “It will be fun. They have got two freshman in their starting lineup too. It will be kind of fun. I have grown up with Wilson and Davis, and I’ve been watching the older guys for a long time, so it will be a good match.”

 

Oklahoma State Head Coach Alan Bratton speaking with Golf Channel’s John Cook after the semifinals

Alan Bratton – “I think it’s great. That was the goal at the start of the week. We had several goals. We got the first one, we got through stroke play. We won our first match, we won the second match so that is three down. Obviously we can finish off the ultimate goal tomorrow.

Bratton – “The depth of our team just showed today. We have had a different guy step up every day and play a big part in the success that we’ve had. The assignment tomorrow is to go beat the guy in front of you.”

 

On Alabama defeating Duke 5-0

Byrum – “That is a dominating performance that gives a lot of momentum going into that championship tomorrow.”

Burkowski – “Talk about momentum. It is a snowball, an avalanche coming down the mountain for the Crimson Tide.”

Papa – “Alabama was in complete control today.”

Begay – “Davis Riley just kicked it in on the back nine and never looked back.”

Burkowski – “Good couple of weeks for Alabama golf here at Karsten Creek.”

Burkowski – “A great season for the Duke Blue Devils, Certainly not the way they wanted to end but, but to consider what they did in Stillwater, how they finished the second half of the season, a lot to be proud of.”

Oberholser – “They [Alabama] showed up this afternoon and all five of them just played lights out.”

Begay – His [Alabama Coach Jay Seawell) players just went out and they out executed the teams that were on the other side of the draw.”

 

Alabama’s Lee Hodges speaking with Golf Channel’s Billy Ray Brown following his match

Lee Hodges – “Just patience. Had to keep the golf course in front of me. Played really well all day. The golf course is brutal. It will punch you in the mouth time after time. I just tried to stay patient and make some putts.”

Hodges – “Coach Seawell has been telling us the truth. He has been telling us that some teams are going home and some teams are going to keep on playing. Hopefully we are going to keep on playing.”

Hodges – “It would be fun to play Auburn obviously, but both are great teams and we are going to have our hands full with whomever we play against.”

 

Alabama’s Davis Riley speaking with Golf Channel’s Notah Begay following his match

Davis Riley – “I just told myself to be patient. I knew I was playing really well. I hit it great this morning. I was just trying to keep a rhythm into the afternoon just keep doing what I was doing. Coach said same rhythm, fairways and greens and wear it out a little bit. Luckily I hit a good shot here and capped it off the right way.”

Riley – “I actually didn’t know. I saw a scoreboard on 9, but it didn’t tell me much. I saw Lee sitting up here on the 17th tee. I knew that he was up here at the turn so I was thinking maybe he won his match, but I wasn’t 100 percent, so all I could do was win my match and talk to the guys.”

 

Alabama Coach Jay Seawell speaking with Golf Channel’s Chantel McCabe following his match

Jay Seawell – “They played great today. All five. Every match. So proud. Only a few people get to do this. I’m excited they get to. I’ve been able to do this. They haven’t. This is their time. They deserve this opportunity that is going to be with them tomorrow. We get to play manual 7 team. We are going to turn the page and there is a tee time and Alabama will be in it. I’m really proud of these guys.”

Seawell – “I think it prepared our guys for what each day is like. It is a grind also. We played seven rounds in six days like we do here. They get the understanding on the early mornings, the all-day golf, in the match play and in the team. We probably became a team that week. The more we played, the more they believed in each other. I think today, where we are today, is because of that.”

 

Burkowski – “You think Jay Seawell is invested in the group he has in Tuscaloosa?”

Byrum – “He has already won two national championships and he was getting emotional because of what it means for his young men.”

 

-NBC Sports Group-