Change, Georgia, bad combination
Published: 5/29/2009 3:30 PM
Last Modified: 5/29/2009 3:30 PM
Apparently, changing NCAA Championship formats does not work out well for Oklahoma State. Especially when Georgia is involved.
For the second time in the last two decades, the Bulldogs played a significant role in denying a national championship for the OSU athletic program. On Friday, Georgia knocked off the Cowboys men's golf team in the match play quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in Toledo, Ohio.
Using match play to decide the team championship was implemented this year for NCAA men's Division I golf. In previous years, the team and individual titles were decided after 72 holes of stroke play. This year, the individual title was decided after 54 holes of stroke play. The top eight teams after the 54 holes of stroke play qualified for the single-elimination match-play event to crown the team champ.
OSU earned the top seed in match play with the best team score in stroke play with a 3-under par 849, besting second-seed Arizona State by 13 shots. If the old tournament format was still used, the champions hallway inside the Karsten Creek clubhouse would be making preparations to place OSU's 11th national championship trophy.
But in match play, anything can happen. OSU found that out Friday morning against Georgia. The Bulldogs and Cowboys were widely regarded as the top two teams in college golf this season. But the Bulldogs stumbled in Thursday's third and final round of stroke play and hung on to earn the last spot in the match-play field.
Given new life, Georgia delivered a 3-2 win to eliminate the Cowboys from title contention. The last match saw Georgia senior Brian Harman birdie the final three holes to down OSU sophomore standout Rickie Fowler 1-up to earn the match victory.
The OSU golfers today now know how the 1990 OSU baseball team felt. That Cowboys baseball team cruised through its bracket of the College World Series to qualify for the finals, where it faced Georgia. The hot-hitting Cowboys were stymied that day in Omaha and fell 2-1. That was the third year a new format was used for the CWS.
Prior to 1988, the College World Series utilized a double-elimination format for the tournament. Then in 1988, CBS paid the NCAA a nice television rights fee to televise the finals. There was a catch, however. CBS wanted the final to be a one-game, winner-take all event. The format changed in 1988 to have two four-team brackets play double elimination with the bracket winners meeting in the championship final.
In both 1988 and 1989, the championship participants each had a loss in their respective bracket. But in 1990, OSU went undefeated in its bracket, while Georgia had to defeat Stanford in a winner-take all showdown in its bracket before facing the Cowboys in the championship game.
Many OSU followers still believe if the CWS format had not changed, that 1990 team would have found a way to beat Georgia in a rematch and finally give coach Gary Ward that national title that always eluded him.
Maybe a football victory on Sept. 5 over Georgia in Stillwater will go a long ways to ease those pains the Bulldogs have inflicted on OSU teams over the years.
--- Matt Doyle
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
