CARLSBAD, Calif. — Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun got up-and-down for birdie from a back bunker on the 21st hole Tuesday to beat Adam Wallin of Ohio State and send the Tigers into the championship match against Florida State, with both teams seeking their first title in NCAA men’s golf. The Seminoles reached their first championship match by beating Georgia Tech in another semifinal decided in extra holes when Tyler Weaver outlasted Kale Fontenot in 19 holes.
Koivun denied Wallin a second remarkable comeback at La Costa. Wallin came from 2 down with two holes left to beat former NCAA champion Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt in 19 holes in the quarterfinals earlier Tuesday. Koivun was 2 up with two to play when Wallin hit his approach to 6 feet for a conceded birdie on the 17th, and Koivun took bogey on the par-5 18th hole with Wallin in tight for birdie to force extra holes.
Both players made pars on the 16th and 17th, and Wallin’s pitch from light rough on the 18th went just long into the collar. He missed his birdie attempt, and Koivun blasted out to 4 feet for the winner. “We’re playing for so much here.
I don’t want to let anyone down,” Koivun said. “Coming down the stretch, I made some hiccups. I was definitely feeling the nerves.
” It was the fourth match to go 21 holes since the NCAA went to match play in 2009. British Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht, the top-ranked amateur in the world ranking, was back in the lineup for Georgia Tech after missing thr.