The 2011 Men’s NCAA Golf Championships concluded on Sunday with an unusual winner yet again. The Augusta State Jaguars won its second consecutive title after beating rival Georgia in match play at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They are the first team to repeat since Houston in 1984-1985 season.
Not only did Augusta State have to play through Georgia, but they also had to beat the #1 team in the country (Oklahoma State) in a rematch of the 2010 finals, in this year’s semifinals and another in-state rival, Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals.
But that’s only the beginning of another Cinderella season the Jags had. At the end of the season, the Jags knew that their reign was ending. Junior Patrick Reed had announced he was going pro and seniors Mitchell Krywulycz, Carter Newman, Olle Bengtsson and Henrik Norlander were graduating to go onto bigger and better things. And if that wasn’t enough, it was announced on Saturday that head coach Josh Gregory was headed back to his alma mater, Southern Methodist University in the fall. Augusta State’s starting five and their head coach were headed out after NCAAs and at that moment, the Jags knew they had to put this final season together and win it again.
After it was all said and done, the Jags had won a national championship. Reed and Newman went undefeated throughout match play. Newman had won the decisive point against Oklahoma State to send Augusta State to the finals, while Reed won big against U.S. Amateur Champion Peter Uihlein 8&7 in the semifinals and also won 2&1 against Harris English in the final match to clinch the national championship point.
These five players and their head coach deserve all the credit in the world for bringing a little-known school to the top of the Division I golf world, two years in a row.
