PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL- Colorado Christian looked to defend their title on Friday as they took on West Florida in the championship match. The two teams battled to the bitter end, tying 2.5-2.5 in match play before WF won in a playoff hole tiebreaker to end the Cougars season as national runners-up.
MATCH PLAY FINAL VS. WEST FLORIDA
The top two teams in the nation battled it out on Friday as a National Champion was crowned.
Xavier Bighaus teed off first and battled against Fabian Wennerlof throughout the round. The two traded the lead throughout play, with no one gaining more than a stroke lead over the other. The two stood tied after 15 holes of play, but Xaviers' opponent took the one stroke lead on 16 and held him off for the victory by a shot as Bighaus fired a stellar 70 on the day with four birdies.
Sungyeop Cho came next as he faced off with the Argonauts' Eddie Lee. The two stayed tight throughout with Cho holding onto a slim lead for the majority of play. Sungyeop found himself down by a stroke with three holes to go, but he tied the match on hole 16 and birdied the last two holes to claim the impressive two stroke victory.
Sangha Park fell behind against Per Ekelund and could never quite make his way back as a 74 was not enough in the setback.
Adam Duncan was rolling early as he went up by three strokes after nine holes. His opponent TJ Thompson made a late charge, shaving a four stroke deficit on 12 to a tie on 17 as they both held serve on 18 to tie the match with a 70.
Peyton Jones played incredible golf as he remained undaunted against the #1 player for West Florida in Cooper Tendick. The junior only trailed once, staying consistent with a 73 as he won by a wide margin of four strokes as the teams' needed a playoff hole to decide the National Championship with a 2.5-2.5 tie.
The two teams sent their five starters to the par 5 tenth hole, with the top four scores counting towards a total team score to decide the championship. Jones and Duncan led off with three Argonaut players, and they performed admirably as they both birdied the hole. An incredible eagle from one of the WF golfers saw the teams both sit at -3 and -2 as CCU trailed by a stroke.
With Park, Cho and Bighaus firing away, the trio fired on the green and got close enough for birdie looks. Sungyeop holed out first as he chipped for a tap-in birdie. Bighaus was on the edge of the green, but he stayed cool and collected for an impressive birdie. Sangha had a decently long putt for birdie, and he barely missed the look for the par. The duo from West Florida remained steady, as the first birdied leaving a putt for the title. Unfortunately, the Argonauts sank the putt as they went -5 to claim the National Championship.
The 2024-2025 season was one of the most memorable seasons in program history as the team rose to new heights with 10 straight tournament victories. Winning their first NCAA Regional title and at one point boasting the #1-4 ranked golfers in DII, it was a historic year that saw the team make their second straight title match as they remained the #1 ranked team from the beginning to the end of the season. Despite the tough result to close the year, this team will go down in history as one of the best to ever play at CCU as their humble and Christ-glorifying mentality led them to incredible success throughout the memorable season. The team will look to make their way back to a third straight NCAA National Championship and continue their legacy of excellence next season.
