IU defeated by OSU, Iowa during match play in Fla.

The goal of match play is to defeat your opponent, which junior Corey Ziedonis said is essentially down to a strategy of bringing the pressure.

“I like that you’re only playing against one person, and you know where you stand at all times during the match,” Ziedonis said. “You know what to do.”

The Hoosiers were unable to fully push the pressure against No. 6 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Match Play Championship on Feb. 10 and second seed Iowa on Feb. 11 in consolation play at the Concession Golf Club.

IU was among the top three seeds that lost in the quarterfinals, which included first seed Illinois and second seed Iowa. Senior co-captain Chase Wright and freshman Andrew Fogg notched two wins for the squad against Ohio State, but the Buckeyes took the match with three.

Wright topped Ohio State senior Alex Redfield one-up with four birdies on the day, taking the match with a par 4 on the final hole. Fogg took a 3-1 victory against Ohio State freshman Logan Jones. The IU freshman took the lead on his front nine and maintained his pace to finish ahead of Jones through the remainder of the round. Fogg said his wins on 17 and 18 helped with the momentum to keep him going.

“Biggest thing is to keep on fighting even if you’re not playing well because the team needs you,” Fogg said.

Senior co-captain David Erdy halved his match, while juniors Brant Peaper and Ziedonis, as well as sophomore David Mills, fell short in their rounds.

The squad competed Saturday in the consolation bracket against Iowa. They lost in a combined margin of victory tiebreaker after the teams finished three to three.

Erdy made one of the wins for the Hoosiers, who took the lead from Iowa freshman Joseph Winslow at the seventh hole to finish 3 and 2 for the match. Since he had an injury coming into the weekend, Erdy said he wanted to play it safe and not force
anything.

“My plan was to keep the ball in front of me and not take too many unwanted risks,” Erdy said. “I wanted to put the pressure on the other player and keep the ball in the fairway and force him (Winslow) to make shots. Fortunately for me, he didn’t, and I was able to coast to victory.”

Peaper and Ziedonis prevailed against their opponents to take the remaining two wins for IU. Florida-native Peaper tallied three birdies en route to his 3 and 1 victory against Iowa senior Chris Brant.

Ziedonis never trailed behind Iowa senior Brad George throughout his one-up win.

Ziedonis said the momentum shifted after he made bogey from the hazard on 15 and George missed his putt for par. The junior followed up with a birdie on 16 to turn the match in his favor.

The men’s golf team will return to the Concessions Golf Club from March 18-20 for the Collegiate Match Play Championship. Erdy said the key to beating the course is to understand the speed.

“It all revolves around the greens, since they’re quirky in spots,” Erdy said. “The course isn’t that demanding off the tee, but you have to find the position and understand where you can miss.”