STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) – Broc Everett made his first college golf title one to remember.
Given a second chance, on the 18th hole, Everett poured in a 15-foot birdie putt in a playoff to beat Brandon Mancheno of Auburn and win the NCAA men’s individual title Monday at Karsten Creek Golf Club.
“I was fortunate to get another chance – and a good look,” said Everett, a senior at Augusta.
Everett had a 10-foot birdie putt to win in regulation and missed it to the right. He closed with a 1-under 71 and joined Mancheno at 7-under 281. Mancheno, a freshman for the Tigers, got up-and-down from the right side of the green on the par-5 18th tor a 72.
In the playoff on No. 18, Mancheno went for the green with a long iron. He pulled it to the right, and the ball bounced next to a tree, leaving an impossible shot for the left-hander. Mancheno did well to chip it across the green into the rough, and he chipped that one to a few feet to save par.
Everett laid up from the rough and hit wedge to 10 feet behind the hole. He raised both arms when the putt fell into the center of the cup, and the celebration was on.
Augusta, which won the NCAA championship at Karsten Creek in 2011 with Masters champion Patrick Reed on the team, did not make the 54-hole cut for team competition. Everett advanced as an individual.
Mancheno made only one birdie over his last 12 holes, but that was on the 18th and it gave him a chance.
“It was a great learning experience for me. This was my first try, too, so I can’t be too upset with myself,” Mancheno said. “I put myself in a good position and I didn’t play good enough today.”
Doug Ghim, the U.S. Amateur runner-up last year at Riviera, closed with a 72 with a birdie on his final hole to finish in third, one shot out of the playoff.
Oklahoma State led eight teams into the match play portion of the championship that starts Tuesday and decides the team title. The Cowboys had the low team score by eight shots on their home course.
The other teams to advance were Duke, Texas Tech, defending champion Oklahoma, Auburn, Alabama, Texas and Texas A&M. The final eight features four Big 12 teams, three from the Southeastern Conference and one from the ACC.
