DESTIN, FL – The University of Rochester golf team completed a busy week down at the Sandestin Resort on Wednesday, competing in the University Athletic Association Match Play Championship at the Raven Golf Club.
 
Rochester, the #3 seed in the conference tournament, dropped its semifinal matchup against #2 seed and fifth-ranked Carnegie Mellon University by a 4-1 score. In the afternoon consolation match against New York University, the Yellowjackets were edged by a 3-2 score.
 
Sophomore Josh Pethel was named to the All-Tournament Team for the Yellowjackets, as he picked up Rochester's lone point in the semifinals. His match was a 3&1 win (up three holes with one hole remaining) over CMU's Andrew Wang.
 
Pethe jumped out to a 2-up lead after five holes, only to see Wang respond with three straight hole wins to grab a 1-up lead. The lead remained after 11 holes, but Pethel recorded three straight birdies on holes 12 through 14 to quickly jump in front by two. Wang got back within one after an eagle on the 15th hole, but Pethel won the next two holes for the victory after 17 holes were played.
 
Other results from the morning included Brendan Frain and Kerry Wang falling 3&2, Arjun Aujla dropping a 4&2 decision and Tom Liu being defeated 6&4.
 
The afternoon matches in the championship and consolation rounds were tight throughout, with darkness ultimately ending play before definitive winners could be called.
 
Rochester trailed 2-1 with two matches all square through 18 holes. A decision was made that those tied matches would be halved, with NYU squeaking out the win.
 
Aujla won UR's point in the consolation round, winning 2&1 over Kevin Kim. The Yellowjacket first-year trailed after two holes, but won two straight points on holes three and four to grab the lead. After Kim responded with a win on hole five, Aujla took the next two holes to surge in front for the remainder of the match.
 
His lead built to as many as 3-up after nine holes, eventually sitting two up with just one hole remaining, clinching the win.
 
Liu's match versus Ethan Yang was only separated by one in either players favor for the entire duration of the match, with Liu recording a par on hole 15 to pull even, tying the remaining holes for the halve.
 
Wang's match against Max Zhang was a similar situation, with the UR senior building a 2-up lead on the front nine. After Zhang battled back to take a 1-up lead through 14, Wang birdied the 15th hole to pull even and tie the match.
 
Other consolation match results saw Pethel fall 2&1 and Frain losing his point 4&3.
 
In the UAA title match, the top two seeded teams were declared co-champions as top-ranked Emory and defending NCAA Division III champion CMU each won two matches before darkness halted play in the tiebreaker match after 21 holes.
 
The conference tournament wraps up Rochester's fall schedule, with UR next scheduled to compete on March 10-11 at the Hampden-Sydney College Tiger Invitational.