STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford men's golf played host to Ivy League foe, Harvard, on Friday afternoon, using four individual match wins to earn a 5.5-2.5 win over the Crimson at Stanford Golf Course.
Jake Beber-Frankel def. Bryan Fang, 4&2
After an even first seven holes to start the round, Beber-Frankel won four of the next nine holes to clinch the first team point of the afternoon for the Cardinal. It was a rocky round for the senior as he scored three birdies as opposed to five bogeys and two double bogeys on the scorecard, but some timely pars on the 13th, 15th, and 16th holes was enough to seal the victory for the Miami native.
Anton Ouyang def. Darren Choi, 2&1
Stanford's second team point of the day came shortly after on the par-three 17th where Ouyang tied the hole to seal the match win. Ouyang found himself 1-down through the first 12 holes after four bogeys and a double-bogey in that stretch, but four consecutive birdies on holes 12-16 allowed the sophomore to claim the lead down the stretch and give the Cardinal its second match win of the afternoon.
Dean Greyserman def. Adam Xiao, 1 up
A pair of birdies and a par in the opening three holes put Greyserman in control in the early going as he held a two-stroke advantage. It remained a back-and-forth affair throughout the afternoon as back-to-back birdies from Xiao on the 11th and 12th allowed the Harvard senior to move 1-up up until the 17th hole, but Greyserman capitalized on back-to-back double bogeys by his opponent on the final two holes to reclaim the lead on the final green and give Stanford a 3-0 advantage.
Jonathan Hartano def. Ethan Gao, 1 up
Matching scorecards for the majority of the front nine, three bogeys on holes 5, 6, and 11 after the turn put Gao 3-down through the first 12 holes. The freshman would battle back by winning four of five holes from the 12th-16th to earn a late one-hole advantage, but two bogeys in the final two holes opened the door for his Harvard counterpart and the freshman suffered Stanford's first loss of the afternoon.
Kush Arora tied Diego Saavedra Davila
The most-even matchup of the afternoon resulted in the first tied match between the two schools, as Arora captured the half-point to put the Cardinal within striking distance of the win. Both golfers were knotted through the first nine holes, with a par on the 11th giving Arora a one-hole lead down the stretch. While the freshman shot a solid 1-under on the back nine, back-to-back birdies from Saavedra Davila on the 16th and 17th allowed him to pull even late and the round ended in a tie.
Sean-Karl Dobson def. Kevin Sze, 1 up
After a slow start put him in an early 3-down deficit after six holes, Dobson cleaned up the scorecard with a bogey-free stretch from holes 6-16, highlighting by a birdie on the par-3 8th, winning five holes in that stretch to go 2-up through 16. Sze gained a hole back on the 17th, but Dobson sealed the deal with a par on the final hole to clinch the win for Stanford.
Karl Vilips tied Jeff Fang
A first-hole eagle highlighted a 1-under stretch in the first 10 holes for Vilips as he jumped out to 2-up lead, but struggles on the greens for the senior resulted in four bogeys on the back nine, leading to Fang taking a one-hole lead after 16 holes. On the par-3 17th, Vilips dropped his tee shot within five feet of the cup to draw back to even, and the pair matched the 18th hole to the second tie of the afternoon.
Barclay Brown tied Brian Ma
In the feature match of the day with Brown and incoming Stanford transfer Brian Ma, it was the Englishman who claimed a three-hole lead through six thanks to an opening hole birdie a pair of Ma bogeys on 2nd and 5th. Brown continued his consistent play with ten consecutive pars, but Ma climbed with birdies on the 11th and 16th. The duo split the final two holes of the round, resulting in the third and final tie of the day.
Stanford is set to return to action on March 28-30 as it plays host for The Goodwin, welcoming 31 programs to TPC Harding Park for 72 rounds of tournament action.