TicketsSALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Cincinnati men’s golf team battled but ultimately dropped a 3-2 decision to top-seeded Oklahoma State Tuesday at Big 12 Match Play at The Country Club of Salt Lake. Rain halted the afternoon session of bracket play, which will pit the Bearcats against Baylor at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
In the first two matches of pool play Monday, the Bearcats split the morning session against Arizona, 2.5-2.5, before topping UCF, 3.5-1.5, in the afternoon.
Sophomore Brayden Miller, who split his two matches Monday, ran away with a 6&4 victory over Oklahoma State’s Ethan Fang. Miller, who was 2-up through six, eagled the par-5 eighth before birdies at the par-4 ninth and 10th extended the lead to 5-up on his way to the dominant win.
Freshman Aidan Wilson also picked up his second victory of pool play in a thrilling win over Oklahoma State’ Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson. A Wilson bogey at the par-3 third led to a Fahlberg-Johnson win before the Bearcats’ freshman birdied the following hole to knot the match. Fahlberg-Johnsson birdie the par-4 ninth to take the lead once again and doubled his advantage with a birdie at the par-3 15th. However, Wilson Answered to win the final three holes, including birdies on 17 and 18, for the 1-up victory.
Junior Leo Wessel suffered his first defeat of pool play as Oklahoma State’s Gaven Lane won 1-up. Wessel won their second hole of the day, the par-3 third with a birdie, and held a 2-up lead after making par at the par-3 11th. However, Lane won the following two holes to even the match. Things stayed knotted until a Wessel bogey at the par-3 first hole, their final hole of the round, gave Lane the narrow victory.
Fifth-year Ryan Ford was unable to get anything going in his final pool stage match against the Cowboys’ Preston Stout. Stout birdied four of his first six holes on his way to a 5-up lead, eventually closing out Ford 6&5.
Freshman Eli Wessel got his first start in pool play but dropped a 7&5 decision to Oklahoma State’s Eric Lee. Wessel made birdie at the long par-3 first to take a 1-up lead, but he made double at the par-4 second as the match was evened. Lee took the lead with a birdie at the par-5 fourth on his way to the win.