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Vanderbilt to face Texas A&M in SEC Men's Title Match
John Augenstein drained the winning putt of Vanderbilt's semifinal match <br>(Photo by Steven Colquitt of the SEC)
John Augenstein drained the winning putt of Vanderbilt's semifinal match
(Photo by Steven Colquitt of the SEC)

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, SC (April 23, 2017) - Vanderbilt posted the lowest score of the tournament on Saturday and snared the top seed for the match play portion of the 2017 Southeastern Conference Men's Golf Championship at Sea Island Golf Club.

The Commodores finished 54 holes of stroke play at 11-under 829, including a blistering 8-under 272 in the final round. Vanderbilt was paced by 4-under 66s from Patrick Martin and Theo Humphrey and a 1-under 69 from Matthias Schwab.

"What a fun day out there today," Vanderbilt coach Scott Limbaugh said. "I am extremely proud of how the guys played and set the tone from the start. I thought we did a great job of not getting complacent and instead we played hungry. Theo and Matthias did an outstanding job getting out first and setting the tone for our team. Obviously, we are proud of Patrick. He stayed patient early in his round, which really allowed him to free up after making a long par putt on No. 9. His back nine was just outstanding golf and propelled our team to the top, which is a very big deal and a great step for us."

For the first time, the SEC is utilizing an 8-team match play to determine its team champion. The eight squads advancing on Saturday were Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Missouri and Ole Miss.

Two rounds of match play are slated for Sunday. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., the matchups will be Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri, Florida and South Carolina, and LSU and Alabama. The four winners will advance to the second round of match play Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

The final two winners will play for the SEC Championship on Monday starting at 7:30 a.m.

Also on Saturday, Florida's Alejandro Tosti needed two extra holes and a lengthy putt to fight off Martin for the SEC medalist title.

"He's worked so hard and made some changes he needed to make, and for it to pay off with an SEC Championship is amazing," Florida head coach J.C. Deacon said of Tosti. "I'm really, really happy for him. Just an unbelievable win for him. He's got all the tools and he's starting to use his mind to his advantage. Really, really special for him to win."

Tosti, the 36-hole leader after Friday's two rounds, and Martin finished regulation at 10-under-par 200. Playing in the final group of the day, Martin closed with a 4-under 66 and Tosti signed for a 3-under 67.

On the second hole of the playoff, as Tosti surveyed a 27-foot putt, Martin punched out of a greenside bunker to within eight feet. Tosti struck his attempt firmly and pumped his fists as it found the bottom of the cup. Martin was unable to connect on his putt and extend the playoff, lifting Tosti to the title.

"That putt was my longest one of the day," Tosti said, smiling from ear to ear. "I played 20 holes today without a bogey, so that's really good. I feel really good about my mental effort. I hit a bad tee shot on 18, but I did not let it affect me."

-Editors Note: Article is by Steve Colquitt of SEC.com

Results: SEC Championship
1ArgentinaAlejandro TostiArgentina80064-69-67=200*
2ALPatrick MartinBirmingham, AL50066-68-66=200
T3TXChandler PhillipsHuntsville, TX40067-70-67=204
T3MSBraden ThornberryOlive Branch, MS40069-66-69=204
T5GAGreyson SiggAugusta, GA40071-66-68=205

View full results for SEC Championship

ABOUT THE SEC Championship

54-hole stroke play tournament crowns an individual champion, then eight teams advance to match play to determine the SEC team champion.

View Complete Tournament Information

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