Championship Match Photo Gallery
Video - Entire 18th Hole
Video - Complete Final Match
Texas A&M claimed the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, winning 3-2 over the fourth-seeded Arkansas in match play at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. It is the first national title in the history of the program as the Aggies become the second Big 12 school to win a NCAA men’s golf championship (Oklahoma State 2000, ?02).
Junior Andrea Pavan (7 and 6) and sophomore John Hurley (6 and 4) won their matches at the second and third positions to put TAMU on the board. The Razorbacks answered at the four and five spots, to even the score at 2-2. Senior Bronson Burgoon sealed the win for the Aggies with a clutch birdie on the 18th hole to go one up and defeat the Razorbacks’ Andrew Landry.
Burgoon let a big lead slip away against Arkansas' Andrew Landry, losing four straight holes to square the final match of the day going into the 18th hole.
Landry hit a perfect drive down the middle of the par-4, but Burgoon pushed his tee shot into the right rough. Landry's approach came to rest on the front fringe about 30 feet from the hole.
Burgoon slashed his second shot out of the rough, the ball landed on the green and trickled toward the hole. It nearly went in the hole before stopping six inches from the cup. Landry had a chance to force a sudden death playoff, but pulled his long birdie putt left. Watch the final hole here.
A&M has made the NCAA postseason event for the past six-straight seasons, recording its best finish of 12th a year ago. Previous winners of the NCAA Championshp were determined by 72 holes of stroke play. The No. 7-seed Aggies are the first squad to successfully play through the new match-play format, upsetting No. 2 Arizona State (3-1-1), No. 6 Michigan (3-1-1) and No. 4 Arkansas (3-2) en route to their first national crown.
Since beginning play in 1996-97, the Big 12 has won 32 NCAA team championships. A&M’s win marks the 13th NCAA trophy won by a league school in the past five seasons, with at least one national crown won in each of the past 12 years and in all but one season for the Conference. It is also the first team NCAA title for Texas A&M in any sport since the Big 12 began play in ?96-97.