Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
It's already been a historic weekend for USC men's golf at the NCAA Championships in Bradenton, Florida, but the Trojans aren't quite finished yet. After defeating No. 2 Texas, 3-0, Tuesday morning and No. 4 Illinois, 3-1-1, in an epic semifinal match later that afternoon, USC is headed to its first ever NCAA Championship final to be played Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. PT.
Click here for a complete recap of Tuesday's quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
The Trojan trio of junior Bobby Gojuangco, sophomore Rico Hoey and freshman Sean Crocker got their team off to a strong start, winning each of their matches to secure the upset victory and USC's spot in its first ever NCAA match play semifinal.
In the afternoon, the Trojans were victorious underdogs once again, finishing one of the best days in program history by beating the top-seeded Illini. Gojuangco and Hoey won their second matches of the day, 3&2 and 2&1 respectively, leaving the outcome up to three of their teammates locked in tight duels. Freshman Jonah Texeira staged a comeback in his match, pulling even on the 18th after facing a three-hole deficit on the 14th. But it was senior Eric Sugimoto who ultimately clinched the Trojans' finals berth on 17 with a 3&1 victory.
According to Sugimoto, the Trojans' performance this weekend was foreshadowed by "flashes of brilliance" throughout the season. Now the team is finally putting all of the pieces together when it matters most, and is on the cusp of winning the program's first national title.
The championship final match begins at 7:30 a.m. PT and will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel starting at 8:30 a.m. Click here for the network's complete coverage of the NCAA Championships.
Check out Hoey's incredible shot from 180 yards out to win the 9th hole...
University Southern California Trojans
Wednesday, July 22
Wednesday, July 22
Wednesday, July 22
Wednesday, July 22
