SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Holding a one-shot lead on the 18th tee, Fred Biondi put a towel over his head, took a couple of deep breaths and tried to soak up the second.
An extended wait earlier than the most important tee shot of his life might have derailed the Florida senior. He as an alternative used it to his benefit.
Composed all afternoon, Biondi shot a 3-under 67 and rallied from a five-shot deficit to earn Florida’s third particular person males’s NCAA golf championship on Monday.
“I used to be making jokes with my coach, speaking about random issues to maintain my thoughts off it,” Biondi mentioned. “As soon as my time is up, I’ve to step up, commit and hit one.”
He did all day.
Biondi shot 2-under 35 on the entrance 9 at Grayhawk Golf Membership regardless of a double bogey on No. 7. The senior from Brazil was three again after a bogey on No. 12, however birdied the par-4 14th.
Biondi closed with 4 straight pars, two-putting from 50 toes on No. 18 to complete at 7 beneath. He joins Bob Murphy (1996) and Nick Gilliam (2001) as nationwide champions at Florida whereas incomes a visit to subsequent 12 months’s Masters if he stays an novice.
“I simply tried to type of keep calm and keep affected person,” Biondi mentioned. “You are going to make errors on the market and I really feel like if I keep affected person, I’ve a greater probability of popping out on high.”
Steelman had a three-shot lead after 15 holes, however closed with three straight bogeys to open the door for Biondi. Steelman shot 73 to complete at 6 beneath.
Illinois’ Jackson Buchanan simply missed a 20-foot birdie on No. 18 that may have tied him with Biondi. He shot 67 to complete at 6 beneath.
“This season has been phenomenal,” Buchanan mentioned. “There have been some ups and downs, however it was nice.”
North Carolina earned the No. 1 seed in match play, and top-ranked Vanderbilt struggled, lacking match play by 9 pictures. Arizona State beat Stanford in a playoff for the ultimate match play spot.
Steelman was 6 over by means of his first six holes at Grayhawk a 12 months in the past and had three birdies in 4 rounds to complete 76th.
Realizing what to anticipate, Steelman conquered Grayhawk’s Raptor Course within the opening spherical this 12 months, rolling in six birdies throughout a bogey-free 64 for the first-round lead. He went 68-69 the following two days, taking a four-shot lead into the ultimate spherical.
Steelman noticed his in a single day lead reduce in half with a double bogey on the par-4 sixth, however adopted with birdies on Nos. 8 and 11 to take a three-shot lead at 9 beneath.
Then he unraveled.
Steelman three-putted from the perimeter on the par-3 sixteenth and took one other bogey on No. 17 when his tee shot stopped in a divot and he could not rise up and down from a greenside bunker.
That dropped him right into a tie with Biondi at 7 beneath.
After a protracted wait on the 18th tee. Steelman crushed a drive on the transformed par 5, however practically pushed his second shot into the water proper of the inexperienced. He left his chip shot about 10 toes brief and missed the putt, falling one behind Biondi.
Biondi remained regular whereas Steelman faltered. He two-putted for par on Nos. 16 and 17, then hit a large drive on the 520-yard par-4 18th. He watched his method shot bounce onerous to the left facet of the inexperienced and made a 4-foot par putt for the title.
“It is a powerful, powerful ending stretch right here, however I knew if I simply put good swings on it and see what occurs,” Biondi mentioned.
It labored out fairly effectively.
