CARLSBAD, Calif. — Nick Clinard quickly shouted out his star player’s name. Alan Bratton was quick to follow suit.
Those sitting amongst the arena-style bullpen listening to the Auburn and Oklahoma State coaches picking their lineups for the afternoon semifinal round at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship were hoping it would happen. The coaches weren’t going to steal the chance for one of the biggest matches in college golf history.
World No. 1 Jackson Koivun, the two-time Haskins Award winner and top-ranked collegiate player, was put into the No. 2 match spot for Auburn. Bratton countered with Preston Stout, the second-ranked college player who a day before won the NCAA individual title. Bratton could’ve picked someone else who he thought was a better matchup, saving his star for later down the lineup. But he knew something bigger was at stake.
College golf’s two best players were going to face off with a spot to the national championship on the line. In the history of NCAA match play, a match of tis magnitude had happened only once before, when Texas’ Jordan Spieth knocked off Alabama’s Justin Thomas 3 and 2 in the championship match at Riviera in 2012. The sequel was finally here.
Social media was begging for the match when the Tigers and Cowboys advanced into the semifinals. The anticipation added more eyes and made more people tune into the show Tuesday afternoon at Omni La Costa. And it was an absolute show.
The duo hit some good shots, great even. There were some poor ones, the product of a sixth competitive round of golf in five days and the stress of college golf’s longest day. Koivun went 3 up after 4 holes. By the turn, Stout trailed by only one. In those first nine holes, they tied only two of them.
On the back nine, Koivun chipped in for birdie on the 12th hole to double his lead. Stout got it back within one when Koivun three-putted on the 15th. The duo each were near the par-5 18th green in two, with Stout hoping to get up-and-down from the bunker to force extras, while Koivun wanted to do the same from right of the green to end the match.
As Koivun was lining up his third shot, his teammate Cayden Pope closed out his match on the 16th green about 200 yards away. That clinched the semifinal for Auburn, sending the top-ranked Tigers back to the NCAA Championship mach, knocking off the defending champs.
The star-studded showdown didn’t officially have a conclusion, though the scoring will give Koivun the 1-up win. The two players shook hands with the other’s coaches before dapping up and sharing a quick word before going their separate ways.
The two were teammates on the Walker Cup last fall. They’ve also played in the Junior Presidents Cup and other college events through the years. Tuesday was more than all of that. It cast a spotlight on college golf for 4 hours, the two best amateurs in the world battling it out with a spot in the national championship match on the line.
At the end of the day, fans got a show between college golf’s two best players. It was a special moment on the biggest stage in the sport and one that didn’t have to happen, but thanks to Clinard and Bratton did. There’s a good chance the TV ratings will reflect a big increase thanks to the social media chatter and interest in the showdown. It was a great Tuesday afternoon for the sport.
Ultimately, Koivun got the better of Stout, and it’s a shame we’ll never truly know how the match will finish. Stout likely believed he was getting up-and-down for birdie and going to force Koivun to do the same. Meanwhile, Koivun had confidence he was going to to the same and not give Stout a chance to win the hole.
Even without an ending, Jackson Koivun and Preston Stout delivered for college golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jackson Koivun, Preston Stout deliver showdown at 2026 NCAA Golf