Oklahoma State defeats Virginia, wins 12th men's golf national title

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Eric Lee beat Josh Duangmanee, 2 up, to give Oklahoma State its 12th NCAA men’s golf title and first in eight years, with the Cowboys beating Virginia, 4-1, on Wednesday at La Costa.

Lee, a sophomore who played at California as a freshman, took the lead with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th, then chipped to 5 feet on the par-5 18th and finished off Duangmanee with a conceded birdie after the Virginia player missed a 15-foot birdie try.

Lee scored for the winning point a day after making a 6-foot par putt on the 19th hole to lift fourth-seeded Oklahoma State past Mississippi in the semifinals. The Cowboys beat Bedlam rival Oklahoma in the quarterfinals.

On a cloudy afternoon with the temperature in the mid-60s, Swedish freshman Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson, Gaven Lane and Ethan Fang also won matches for Oklahoma State.

Fahlberg-Johnsson won the opening match, beating Maxi Puregger, 3 and 1. Lane, in the fourth match, gave the Cowboys their second point with a 4-and-3 victory over Paul Chang. With the championship decided with Lee’s victory, Fang’s match against Bryan Lee ended after 15 holes with Fang, 1 up.

Ben James, the No. 4 player in the amateur world ranking, won the lone match for Virginia, topping Preston Stout, 3 and 2. The Cavaliers were trying to win their first team title.