Golfers Fall to UCLA in Match Play Championship

Oct. 30, 2007

ATLANTA – Taylor Hall remained undefeated for the week by defeating Erik Flores, 1 up, but that was the only point Georgia Tech would claim as UCLA defeated the Yellow Jackets, 4-1, Tuesday in the championship match at the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play Championship at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.

The Bruins showed little rust in winning the title by capturing 15 of their 20 matches at The Oconee course. It was UCLA’s second tournament victory in as many weeks.

The runner-up finish was Tech’s fourth in five trips to the Callaway Golf Match Play Championship and concluded a solid fall schedule for the Yellow Jackets. Tech, which recorded a pair of third-place finishes and one sixth-place showing in its other three events, is off until early February.

James Lee posted UCLA’s first victory of the championship match, 3 and 2 over John Tyler Griffin, and was quickly followed by wins by Craig Leslie (3 and 1 over Paul Haley), Philip Francis (2 and 1 over Chesson Hadley) and Kevin Chappell (2 and 1 over Cameron Tringale).

Hall went 4-0 in the match play event to highlight the strongest stretch of his Tech career. He never trailed in his match Tuesday, winning the first hole and building his lead to three holes on three separate occasions before holding off a late charge from Flores. The junior from LaGrange, Ga., tied for 14th at the Brickyard Invitational and tied for 20th at the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate earlier this fall.

Tringale led, 1 up, at the turn in his match, but Chappell captured the 10th to pull even, then won the 12th and 17th holes to close out the match. Hadley and Haley led only briefly in their matches, while Griffin trailed from the start and never recovered.

2007 Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play Championship Oct. 28-30, 2007 Reynolds Plantation - Greensboro, Ga. 

Championship Match (4) UCLA def. (3) Georgia Tech, 4-1 Philip Francis, UCLA def. , Georgia Tech, 2 and 1 , Georgia Tech def. Erik Flores, UCLA, 1-up Kevin Chappell, UCLA def. , Georgia Tech, 2 and 1 Craig Leslie, UCLA def. , Georgia Tech, 3 and 1 James Lee, UCLA def. J.T. Griffin, Georgia Tech, 3 and 2