The Mountaineers ended pool play without a win on Tuesday morning, but after taking on UCF, they are starting to resemble the historic team they were in the spring.
West Virginia continued the Big 12 Match Play Championship in Hockley, Texas on Tuesday, picking up a 3-1-1 loss to Houston and 3-2 victory over UCF. The Mountaineers are now 1-2-1 in team matches ahead of their final round on Wednesday with Colorado.
After tying No. 24 Utah in the first team match on Monday, West Virginia held the third place spot in Pool C ahead of winless Houston. Despite the apparent upper hand, WVU fell to the Cougars to take last in the four-team group.
Freshman Ryan Leach, who golfed against Utah on Monday but sat out against BYU, returned to the course against Houston to round out the starting lineup with seniors Todd Duncan, Max Green, and Pierce Grieve and junior Kaleb Wilson.
Leach fell by five holes to junior Hudson Weibel. Grieve fell to 2023 All-AAC team selection Wolfgang Glawe by three holes and Duncan fell by two to 2024 All-Big 12 Rookie Team selection Grant Doggett. Both golfers left one hole not played in the match.
Junior Kaleb Wilson, who has yet to lose a match in the tournament, tied for the second time this week. Wilson never led in the match but tied senior Jacob Borow with a par on hole 14 to stay even with him for the final three holes.
Despite the loss, West Virginia had one shining moment against Houston, that being a win from its reigning team Player of the Year, Max Green. Green struggled in the first two invitationals this fall as well as in both matches on Monday but won his first of the week on Tuesday by two holes over senior Laurenz Schiergen.
In the win over UCF, Green picked up another victory, this time by three holes over junior Clemente Silva. Green never trailed in the round. Head coach Sean Covich was proud of Green for finding his groove on Tuesday and is optimistic that his success will continue.
“I’m proud of Max. He’s gaining some momentum with his game again,” Covich said.
While Green’s return to the top seems inevitable, West Virginia still must credit its current state to Wilson, who also won by three holes against UCF. Wilson trailed junior Chase Haygood after one hole, posting a bogey on hole 17, but tied the match up two holes later.
Wilson’s match stayed tied for five holes straight before winning holes eight, nine, and 10 to gain the three-hole lead he kept for the remainder of the match. Covich also gave credit to Wilson’s success on Tuesday.
“Kaleb has been a leader for us this week and all this semester, honestly,” Covich said. “I’m proud of our fight in the afternoon to win the match versus UCF.
Pierce Grieve was WVU’s third winner, taking his match by three holes as well and trailed just one hole in the match. Duncan fought back from a five-hole deficit but fell by two holes, and junior Carson Kammann, who replaced Leach in the second match, fell by three despite leading for five of the first seven holes.
After the win, the Mountaineers returned to third place in the pool standings over Houston. They play their final match at Houston Oaks on Wednesday morning against the last-place team in Pool D, Colorado.
Photo from WVU Golf
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