The seventh-seeded Longhorns faced No. 14 Washington State in the third round of the Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championship on Monday. After consecutive losses against Duke and Alabama on Sunday, the Longhorns found themselves in the depths of the consolation bracket.
They fell even deeper in Monday’s round, losing to the Cougars by a score of 2-2-1. In match play tournaments, five players from each school face off over 18 holes, and points are awarded to whichever team’s player can defeat their opposition. The two points mark the most Texas has earned in this tournament, after being swept in the first round by Duke and only earning one point against Alabama in the second round.
Monday’s round showed signs of improvement for senior Bobby Hudson and sophomore Cody Gribble, as the pair was able to gain a point each for Texas. Sophomore Johnathan Schnitzer took his matchup to the very end but eventually lost after a deciding one-hole playoff. Junior Dylan Frittelli trailed the entire round and was not able to make up the ground for a point. Sophomore Julio Vegas held a short lead against his opponent, Washington State’s Hank Frame, but ultimately failed to win.
With three straight losses, the best Texas can finish is 15th place out of 16 teams. The Longhorns’ next match is against conference foe Baylor, which is the No. 13 seed. The Bears have also lost their first three matches, all in nearly the same fashion as the Longhorns have.
The championship match will be between Illinois and Duke, the No. 4 and No. 10 seeds, respectively. Top-seed UCLA will take on East Tennessee State for seventh place.
