The Seattle University men’s golf team will head to the final match of the Cypress Ridge Match Play Championship for the second consecutive year after claiming two match play wins Thursday at Cypress Ridge Golf Club in Arroyo Grande, Calif.
The Redhawks won two matches against teams from host school Cal Poly Thursday to win the right to defend their title in the tournament. They started off the day facing the A squad of Cal Poly, earning points in four matches with the Mustangs en route to a 3-2 victory.
Will Holdridge (Lynden, Wash.) earned the biggest win of the round, beating opponent Camden Price 5&4 in the second position. Rob Seibly (Spokane, Wash.) also took less than 18 holes to beat his opponent, taking the match against Grant Martens 3&2. Seibly played as the number one golfer for Seattle U.
Two Redhawks halved their matches against Cal Poly A, as Colter Morton (Pocatello, Idaho) and David Torres (Armenia, Colombia) both earned half-points for Seattle U’s score. Morton competed against the Mustangs’ Scott Patterson in the fourth position, and Torres faced Johnny Castles in the fifth slot.
Jordan Beals (Enumclaw, Wash.) played all 18 holes in his match with Cole Nygren in the third position, but lost to Nygren 2UP.
In the tournament’s semifinals Thursday afternoon, Seattle U faced Cal Poly’s second squad in the tournament, Cal Poly B. The Redhawks took an early 2-0 lead thanks to wins by Torres and Morton. Torres dispatched his opponent, Brandon Shaw, 2UP in the fifth spot, while Morton needed just 14 holes to beat Derrick Strain 5&4 at the fourth position.
The Mustangs fought back with two straight points of their own in the next two matches. Beals fell 3&2 to Jordan Wright in the third spot, while Holdridge took his match all 18 holes before losing 1UP to Mark Wyllie .
The semifinal match with Cal Poly B came down to the match in the first position, Seibly versus Cal Poly’s Alex Romo. That match wasn’t much a contest, however, as Seibly also needed only 14 holes to claim a 5&4 win, his second of the day.
The Redhawks will face CSU Bakersfield in the final match on Friday, March 29. The Roadrunners advanced to the final by beating Fresno State via a tiebeaker in round one and cruising past Weber State 4-1 in the other semifinal contest.
SU won the event last year when it was known as the Cal Poly Lamkin Grip Cup. The Redhawks beat Fresno State 3-2 in last year’s final match, also played at Cypress Ridge. Seibly is the only member of this year’s squad to have played in last year’s tournament as well.
Friday’s championship match, contested between Seattle U and CSU Bakersfield will tee off at 9:15 a.m., again at Cypress Ridge Golf Club.
First Round
CAL POLY A SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
1 Grant Martens 1 Rob Seibly 3&2
2 Camden Price 2 Will Holdridge 5&4
3 Cole Nygren 2UP 3 Jordan Beals
4 Scott Patterson Half 4 Colter Morton Half
5 Johnny Castles Half 5 David Torres Half
2.0-L 3.0-W
Semifinals
CAL POLY B SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
1 Alex Romo 1 Rob Seibly 5&4
2 Mark Wyllie 1UP 2 Will Holdridge
3 Jordan Wright 3&2 3 Jordan Beals
4 Derrick Strain 4 Colter Morton 5&4
5 Brandon Shaw 5 David Torres 2UP
2.0-L 3.0-W