Men’s Golf Closes Big Ten Match Play Championship

Friday, February 9

Palm Coast, FLA

All Day

Rutgers University

Big Ten Match Play Championships

Men’s Golf Closes Big Ten Match Play Championship

Feb 10 | Men's Golf

Final Results

Scarlet Knights halve with Indiana to highlight day two action in Palm Coast, Florida

PALM COAST, Fla. – Freshman Oliver Whatley picked up an individual victory against Indiana and halved against Northwestern while sophomore Adam Gray and freshman Christopher Gotterup also earned wins against the Hoosiers to highlight action for Rutgers men's golf Saturday during day two of the Big Ten Match Play Championship in Palm Coast, Florida.

Round 4 recap. @oliverwhatley goes undefeated this week, finishing with 1 win and 3 halves.

Northwestern 5.5
Rutgers 0.5 pic.twitter.com/Aiq57Yhhxm
— RU Mens Golf (@RUMensGolf) February 10, 2018

The Scarlet Knights split six matches with Indiana in the third round of the championship, with the Hoosiers winning the overall match on a tiebreaker. RU dropped its 11^th-place match with Northwestern, 5.5-0.5, to close out the conference event, held at the Hammock Beach Resort.

"I think it was a mission accomplished for us, as we produced four matches against four really good opponents," said head coach Rob Shutte. "We faced adversity and had close losses which will help us in the long run. The quality of play from the teams we faced was outstanding, so I'm proud of how the guys performed down here this weekend."

Michigan State and Purdue finished as co-champions of the Big Ten Match Play Championship, while Wisconsin placed third.

With the third round shortened to nine holes due to fog in the morning, RU produced three individual victories against Indiana. Whatley continued his strong play on Saturday, as the rookie had two birdies and four pars during his nine holes to win 1 Up over Jack Sparrow.

Round 3 recap. @Chris_Gotterup, @agraygray123, and @oliverwhatley all win. Indiana wins in a tiebreaker.

Indiana 3
Rutgers 3 pic.twitter.com/r2F96UsGAJ
— RU Mens Golf (@RUMensGolf) February 10, 2018

Gotterup fired off four birdies and two pars during his third-round 2 Up victory over Brock Ochsenreiter, while Gray shot two under with two birdies and six pars to win 2 Up over Trevor Ranton.

Whatley shot a three-over par 75 in his final 18 holes against Northwestern, highlighted by his three birdies on holes nine, 14 and 17. Whatley finished the weekend with an individual victory and three halved matches, as the Rockville, Maryland, native produced 16 birdies during his four match play outings.

Gotterup carded a one-over-par 73 with five birdies, senior captain Matt Holuta shot an even 72 with four birdies, and senior Jack Panagos added three birdies on the front nine the showcase RU's strong overall performance against Northwestern, who entered the tournament ranked No. 44 in the country by Golfstat.

Rutgers returns to action from Feb. 24-26 at the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson, Arizona.

Round 3: Rutgers 3, Indiana 3 (Indiana wins on tiebreaker)
Match shortened to nine holes due to fog
Jake Brown (IU) 3&2 over Toks Pedro (RU)
Christopher Gotterup (RU) 2 Up over Brock Ochsenreiter (IU)
Brendon Doyle (IU) 2dn over Matt Holuta (RU)
Oliver Whatley (RU) 1 Up over Jack Sparrow (IU)
Ethan Shepherd (IU) 2 Up over Putt Sridama (RU)
Adam Gray (RU) 2 Up over Trevor Ranton (IU)

11^th-Place Match: Northwestern 5.5, Rutgers 0.5
Harrison Murphy (NU) 2 Up over Jack Panagos (RU) (Thru 16)
Ethan Farnam (NU) 1 Up over Matt Holuta (RU)
Sam Triplett (NU) 1 Up over Christopher Gotterup (RU)
Oliver Whatley (RU) Halved Luke Mille (NU)
Eric Mcintosh (NU) 4 Up over Adam Gray (RU) (Thru 13)
Everton Hawkins (NU) 6&4 over Toks Pedro (RU)

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers men's golf, follow the program on Twitter (@RUMensGolf) and on Instagram (rutgersmensgolf).