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MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – No. 2 seed Tennessee Tech topped No. 4 seed SIUE in the Match Play Final to win the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Golf Championship at RTJ at The Shoals.
It marks the fifth overall title for the Golden Eagles and first since 1990 (1951, 1954, 1955, 1990, 2024).
This marked the third year Match Play was used to determine the OVC Champion. In the morning’s semifinal matches TTU ousted No. 3 UT Martin 4-1 while SIUE upset No. 1 seed Little Rock 3-2.
After an hour break, the Tennessee Tech came back out to top the Cougars 3-2, in a match that came down to the final hole. With the match tied 2-2, Mark McDearman was the hero, holing out from 117 yards on Hole 16 to take the lead; he secured the victory with a putt on 18 to give the Golden Eagles its first title in 34 years.
With the victory, Tennessee Tech earned the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. The 2024 field will be announced on Wednesday, May 1 at 1pm CT on the Golf Channel.
The NCAA Regionals will be held May 13-15 in Austin, Texas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Rancho Santa Fe, California; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; West Lafayette, Indiana and Stanford, California. Following the Regionals the National Championship will be held May 24-29 at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s stroke play, Little Rock’s Archie Smith claimed medalist honors after carding a 54-hole total of 209 (-7). With his victory he earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
For the week the course played a par 72 with yardage running between 7,147 and 7,183 yards.
Match Play Results
Semifinal #1: No. 4 SIUE 3, No. 1 Little Rock 2
Alex Eickhoff (SIUE) def. Jansen Smith (LR), 1UP (1 extra hole)
Luke Ludwig (SIUE) def. Magnus Lomholt (LR), 1UP
Brady Kaufmann (SIUE) def. Matteo Cristoni (LR), 2&1
Rhett South (LR) def. TJ Baker (SIUE), 3&2
Archie Smith (LR) def. Anthony Ruthey (SIUE), 5&4
Semifinal #2: No. 2 Tennessee Tech 4, No. 3 UT Martin 1
Jackson Skeen (TTU) def. Jacob Uehlein (UTM), 4&3
Alex Broyles (TTU) def. Grant Phillips (UTM), 3&2
Luke Caldwell (UTM) def. Sean Anderson (TTU), 3UP
Mark McDearman (TTU) def. Jonathan Xoinis (UTM), 1UP
Haden Maxwell (TTU) def. Dax Isbell (UTM), 5&4
Final: No. 2 Tennessee Tech 3, No. 4 SIUE 2
Haden Maxwell (TTU) def. Alex Eickhoff (SIUE), 4&2
Luke Ludwig (SIUE) def. Sean Anderson (TTU), 4&3
TJ Baker (SIUE) def. Alex Broyles (TTU), 3&2
Mark McDearman (TTU) def. Brady Kaufmann (SIUE), 2UP
Jackson Skeen (TTU) def. Anthony Ruthey (SIUE), 5&4