WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Over the course of a season, there are moments. Moments that define a team's character and spirit. Sometimes those moments transcend belief, logic, hope and anything you previously thought was possible in the sport. On Friday night, the University of North Georgia men's golf team had its moment.
In the semifinals of medal match play in the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championship, the Nighthawks were down to their last strike. They needed a hail mary, had pulled the goalie, were forced to make a buzzer beater. You can insert any other last-second sports cliches as you see fit. What really happened was, UNG needed perfection.
As graduate student Will Chambless, the anchor in head coach Bryson Worley's five-man lineup, stood on the tee at the par-4 26th hole, the Nighthawks needed a myriad of things to go their way in the final three holes.
While UNG had just gone on an outrageous three-hole run on these very same holes a little over 24 hours prior, there was less confidence it would happen again. The attitude among the crowd was not, "they did it yesterday, they can do it again," but instead, "they did it yesterday, can they really do it again?"
Chambless placed a quality drive into the fairway and stuck his approach shot to seven feet for birdie. Down 1 at the start of the hole, Chambless flipped the scoreboard by nailing the birdie putt and working his match back to all square heading to the par-5 17th.
Up ahead, junior Hughes Threlkeld was finishing his round against West Texas A&M's Jorge De La Concepcion. On the 18th tee, Threlkeld was still riding high after his comeback two holes prior to shift the momentum in his match.
Concepcion got ahead early on Threlkeld and really never looked back. He held a three-shot lead on the 13th hole and the fact that Threlkeld might lose his match started to sink in. However, Concepcion fell apart at 14. On the par-5, he recorded a double-bogey seven while Threlkeld made par. Suddenly a three-shot mountain became a one-shot mole hill.
Like a cheetah stalking its prey, Threlkeld finally saw an opportunity, a window to claw back in his match. He hit the gas. On the next hole, the par-3 15th, Threlkeld landed his tee shot 15-feet from the pin while Concepcion was a ways further from the cup. Threlkeld drilled the birdie putt and as Concepcion made par, erased the three-shot margin in a matter of two holes. The all square match was bound for the tee box at 16.
Threlkeld parred 16 while Concepcion bogeyed. The wheels were falling off for the freshman. Threlkeld kept his cool and took advantage of his opponent's misfortune. He parred again at 17 and headed to 18 with a one shot lead. All he needed to do was maintain his lead, and he would clinch a win in the first match of the semifinals for UNG.
Threlkeld did just that as he and Concepcion both recorded fours at the par-4 18th to finalize a one-stroke win for Threlkeld. Both players finished the round over par but medal match play doesn't care whether you're above or below par. That was the beauty for the Nighthawks, Threlkeld's win, whether it came by one stroke or ten, was worth the same amount: one point. One crucial point.
Behind Threlkeld was another savior in UNG's run to match play, junior Myles Jones. The Cumming, Ga. native sank back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 on Thursday to help lift the Nighthawks into the eight-team bracket. On Friday, he was a stroke down with two holes remaining.
On 17, Jones struck a beautiful drive to the center of the fairway, opening up a lane for him to go at the tempting 17th green in two. He did so, but a slightly errant approach shot landed him in a green side bunker. Jones got out of the bunker with about eight feet left to the hole. He sank the birdie, putting the pressure on West Texas' Pablo Rebolleda who had a nine-foot putt to maintain his one shot advantage. Rebolleda missed and the pair left 17 all square.
They went shot-for-shot down the final hole at Orange County National Golf Center. Eventually, the two made par and ended the match in a draw, each shooting a one-under 70 on the day.
With two matches in the clubhouse, UNG had secured one win and one tie. However, bad news lurked just behind Jones. Graduate student Jack Vajda trailed the Buffaloes' Luis Palomo by three strokes. Palomo was soul-crushingly lights out from the very first hole on Friday.
From around 160-yards out on the par-4 first, the sophomore holed out from the fairway for eagle. Vajda, despite making a quality par, began his day in a two-shot hole. While he battled back time and again, Palomo kept making incredible shots. After Vajda stuck his tee shot on the par-3 13th to 10-feet, Palomo holed out from the front bunker for birdie. On 17, Vajda landed a beautiful shot on the green in two to set up an eagle. Palomo hit the flag stick from about 90-yards away after having to layup.
Palomo ended the day shooting a five-under 66 to beat Vajda by three strokes.
With Vajda in the clubhouse, two matches remained on the course. Both teams had secured one win, one loss and one tie. At the time, UNG senior Noah Zediker was down one stroke heading into 18. Chambless was all square in his match on 17.
With Palomo beating Vajda by five strokes, a tie would do no good for the Nighthawks. The tie breaker in medal match play goes to the team with the lowest aggregate score and the math had already been done. The decision was final. The Nighthawks needed Zediker to win 18 and force a draw in his match. If and only if that happened, would Chambless (barring a loss at 17) have a shot to win the match on 18 for UNG.
Whispers raced through the crowd of Nighthawk faithful in attendance. Group chats with text updates from around the course littered cell phones among the faction. Worried looks and statements of "it's not looking good" were exchanged. West Texas was playing well and UNG would need a near-miracle to beat the Buffs.
"West Texas is phenomenal," said Worley. "They are one of the grittiest teams I've ever seen. How they were the eighth seed, I have no idea."
On 17, Chambless landed inches short of the green in two. Miraculously, his ball landed on the up slope of the fringe and somehow stayed there, drawing up an eagle putt from just off the green. While the putt didn't fall, Chambless tapped in for a birdie. It was now Wyatt Provence's turn to make a putt. His was scarier than Chambless'.
The freshman had impressed many already today. Despite being a first-year collegiate golfer, Provence had already been crowned a National Champion as the individual winner of the stroke play portion of the event. Against Chambless, he wowed many with his shot-making ability, aggressive attitude and toughness to challenge an All-American opponent.
As he eyed a 10-foot, downhill putt, no one would've been surprised if this freshman caved under the pressure. No one would have blamed him had the putt slid by and he dropped a shot. No one would get the chance.
As he aimed just outside the right edge of the cup, Provence waved the putter and the ball tracked nicely towards the cup. Before it got there, he took one big step forward. He walked it in. A gutsy move to pull in the National Semifinals, but one that demanded and earned him some respect.
The focus shifted towards 18. There, both Zediker and his counterpart, Santiago Caride had hit their tee shots to the left side of the hole. Zediker surprisingly found a small cutout of fairway just before a cluster of grass bunkers. This gave him a necessary chance to be aggressive and go at the pin. He had no choice, but finding the fairway assist with the task was critical. Caride was in one of the small grass bunkers in the left rough.
Zediker hit his shot. A nice high draw for the lefty that while it didn't land close to the pin, was on the dance floor. He had a birdie putt and that's all that mattered.
Caride went next. He one upped Zediker, sticking his shot in the center of the green as well, but his was pin-high. He was closer. The gaggle of West Texas players and fans let out a cheer from behind the 18th green. A staffer pulled out an iPhone and begain live streaming on instagram. The Buffs had a win and a National Championship birth in their sights.
In Zediker's sights was a relativelty straight, 25-foot, downhill, must make putt. There was no other option. He had one place to go and it was in the hole.
Zediker and assistant coach Ryan Hogan scanned the putt. First from behind. Then from the opposite end before checking again on the side to see the slope. One more peek from the back, then it was go time.
Right off the face it was clear that Zediker hit the ball hard. After all, there was no reason to leave it short. By the same token a batter in baseball wants to at least "go down swinging", Zediker was going to get that ball to the hole by any means necessary.
"I just recalled all the moments in college golf and I wanted it to end well, I didn't want it to end there," said Zediker. "Told myself 'don't leave it short', and just hammered it."
The ball drilled the back of the cup and dropped down for the birdie. While the crowd roared, Zediker was calm. The moment was never too big for a senior that simply didn't want to see his career come to an end. He embraced Hogan, watched Caride miss his own birdie putt and carded a one-under 70 in the round to draw Caride. One win, one loss, two ties. One match left to be decided.
With everything on the line, it was almost poetic that Chambless and Provence hit near identical tee shots off 18. The two are very similar players. They play a modern, aggressive style of golf. One that doesn't conform to traditional strategy, nor the opponent on the other side of the match.
For example, on the short par-4 ninth hole, both players attempted to drive the green. Provence over drew his drive into the left rough off the back of the green, but still had a measly 30-yard pitch for eagle. Chambless, who trailed in the match at that point, hammered a drive that all on lookers lost in the sky. With a thud, everyone's attention was drawn to Chambless' ball that was nestling six feet from the cup for eagle. He made the putt and won the hole.
On 18, the two had short wedges into the green. Chambless needed a birdie. Provence just needed a push. Whoever could accomplish their goal would send their team to the National Championship.
Just off the fairway in the right rough, Chambless went first. He put his approach in the center of the green. It wasn't perfect, but he had the flat stick in hand with a chance to make birdie. Provence followed and landed his shot just beyond Chambless'. It was only fitting that the deciding moment in this back and forth bout between heavyweights would work out this way. each team's ringer had a birdie putt that could win the match for their squad.
UNG needed Provence to miss and Chambless to make. The freshman from West Texas would putt first.
A little slider from left-to-right with about four inches of break is what he saw before his eyes. While the experienced golf fans that comprise the UNG faithful knew not to cheer for a miss, they were delighted to see Provence leave his putt a few feet short. They had one last chance. Chambless had to make his putt.
The guy who finished tied for 60th place in stroke play at six-over-par (by far his worst performance of the season). The graduate senior who had come alive in the spring portion of the season to solidify himself as one of the best players in the country. That guy had a chance at redemption. Chambless is one of those unique breeds of players that feeds off the pressure of the big moment. The butterflies make him better. This was his opportunity to prove himself.
A miss and the season was over. A make and UNG would advance to the National Championship for the first time in program history.
Just like Zediker, Chambless was not going to leave it short. He struck the ball and it headed for the hole with some steam. A moment of bliss was quietly born during that ball's long trek to the hole. To an outsider with no stake in the match, it must've been beautiful. On one side was a team who on paper didn't belong here, but had already proven it has what it takes to perform on this kind of stage. On the other side, the No. 1 team in the country was looking to prove to itself more than anyone else just how good it really was. The orange Florida sun setting on it all added to the perfection of the moment. Then, chaos.
Chambless drained it.
The crowd erupted. Players stormed onto the green. Parents screamed in shock and awe. Vajda fell to a crouch while Worley hugged him from behind. Zediker and Threlkeld hugged like long lost brothers. Continuous high fives resembled the sound of an applause. Cheers quickly turned to tears. For the second day in a row, it looked like the Nighthawks were finished. A historic season, the best season in program history, was going to come up short. With the violent swing of emotions caused in that moment, tears were not only fitting, they were almost necessary. One couldn't help but watch and be genuinely amazed at what they just witnessed. This type of comeback was so unique and so improbable that the emotions that followed were equally unfounded. Back-to-back, must make, 20-plus birdie putts just don't happen. Let alone on the 36th hole of the day to save your season. Yet it did happen.
Chambless had done it. The Nighthawks had done it. They were moving on to the National Championship in glorious, improbable fashion.
According to golf.com, PGA Tour professionals have about a 10 percent chance to make a 25-foot putt. Not a 25-foot birdie putt or one that will either end or continue your college golfing career. A less than 10 percent chance at just a regular, 25-foot putt. While Zediker and Chambless are no slouches, they're not tour pros either. Percentages be damned when your season and career are on the line.
While discussing the win after the match, Worley couldn't help but get emotional. As he started to get choked up, he kept his composure upon a deep breath. With amazement, awe and a humbling sense of pride still in his voice, he summed it up rather succinctly. "They just find a way to get it done. They just do," said Worley. "It's pretty cool to watch."
Somehow, by some absurd stretch of the imagination, UNG is moving on yet again. The Nighthawks will face No. 5 Colorado Christian in the National Championship match tomorrow, Saturday, May 25 beginning at 9:30 a.m. If the past two days are any indication, the National Championship is going to be a good one.
