SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Duke junior
Ian Siebers wrapped up his time at the NCAA Championship on Monday afternoon, shooting a 2-over, 72, in the fourth and final round of stroke play at the Grayhawk Golf Club. Siebers finished inside the top 50 on the individual leaderboard, in a tie for 40th place overall at 6-over, 286, for the tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Ian Siebers started his fourth round on No. 10, playing alongside individuals from Arkansas and Colorado.
- The Bellevue, Wash., native two-putted for par on the opening hole after a tricky downhill birdie putt rolled just past the cup.
- He played his next two holes at 2-over after bogeys on No. 11 and 12.
- Siebers steadied his round with pars on the next three holes and then got back to even-par with back-to-back birdies on the par-3, 16th and short, par-4, 17th. He rolled in a 30-foot putt on the 16th and then hit his driver just short of the 17th green. His pitch shot nearly holed out for eagle but set up a short birdie putt, which the junior calmly sank.
- Two more bogeys over a span of his next five holes moved Siebers back to 2-over coming off of the fourth green. He made five more pars to wrap up his round, including a key up-and-down on No. 6 and two-putt pars from distance on No. 7 and 8, with his birdie putt on No. 9 just sliding by to set up a closing par.
NOTES
- After his four rounds at the NCAA Championship, Ian Siebers finishes the season with a stroke average of 71.70 and an average score to par of +0.4.
- Siebers finished the week with 11 total birdies after carding two more in the fourth round.
- His birdie on No. 16 was one of just 10 made on that hole in the final round of stroke play.
- Siebers ends the season with a total of 120 birdies made, one shy of his career high of 121, a mark set last season.
QUOTES
- "Today was a fun day. I didn't get off to the greatest start with the putter but steadied the ship in the middle. Grabbing those birdies on 16 and 17 was nice. Didn't make much on the back nine but hit a lot of good shots to close the tournament." – junior Ian Siebers on his fourth-round performance
- "The overall experience was great as well, with it being my first championship appearance since I've been [at Duke]. The course played tough and we learned a lot about ourselves as a team. Looking forward to being back together and giving it another run next year!" – Siebers on the overall team experience at the NCAA Championship this week
- "True champions tend to 'show up' on the biggest of stages. And that's what Ian [Siebers] did this week. His maturity and the savvy aspects of his planning, as well as execution, shone through this week. … He handled the golf course and the environment valiantly and was a great representative for our program this week. It was a lot of fun having his teammates observe that poise and execution as they cheered on in watching the final round." – Duke head coach Jamie Green on the overall performance of Siebers
- "It's an interesting dynamic because you're out there most of the week with just an occasional appearance from a coach and then all of a sudden, you've got this guy walking along with you the whole time. I tried not to get too into his business unless I felt like it was a shot where he needed a little input." – Duke assistant coach Bob Heintz on spending the round walking with Siebers
- "I think those two [birdies on] 16 and 17 were the most fun, obviously. Learning from other putts … the 16th green is very confusing, so getting to see another putt first and then learning from it and having the thrill of 'alright, I got it right'. And then on 17, I was really pleased because I pushed him into hitting driver and it gave him a good angle from the right side there. And he almost made it. He's got fantastic hands around the greens." – Heintz on his favorite parts of Siebers' round from a coaching perspective
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