Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship
Marshall’s Run In 2024 SBC Championship Ends In Semis
4/25/2024 4:00:00 PM | Men's Golf
Thomas wins his match 3&2, but Herd can’t overcome ULM
Championship Central | Match Play Scoring
MADISON, Miss. – Marshall junior Clayton Thomas earned a victory in Match Play with a 3 & 2 result over ULM's Louis Anceaux, but the Herd could not overcome the Warhawks in a 3-1 loss in the 2024 SBC Match Play Semifinals at Annandale Golf Club on Thursday.
With the loss, the team portion of the Spring 2024 season comes to a close.
"Today was a really good day," Marshall Men's Golf coach Matt Grobe said. "The guys played really well, but we ran into a hot team. ULM was impressive today and threw a lot of birdies at us. The guys responded well and fought hard but just couldn't make up enough ground."
Thomas was 1-down through eight holes but turned the match around on the par-5 18th – his ninth hole of the day. The junior from Proctorville, Ohio secured an eagle on the hole, which gave him momentum that he never relented.
All square at the turn, Thomas went to work to earn the Herd's initial point in Match Play, birdieing No. 3 and adding cushion with a par on No. 5 to go 2-up.
With the pressure on Anceaux, Thomas birdied No. 6 to put the match on the brink, then closed it out with a two-putt par on the par-5 7th hole to earn the win.
Marshall's Tyler Jones was all square with ULM's Melan Dhaubhadel after 14 when ULM secured the win with a 3 & 2 victory by Theis Poulsen over the Herd's Ryan Bilby.
Cameron Jarvis dropped a match to ULM's Mikkel Schmit, 7 & 6, and Joseph Kalaskey also fell to ULM's Ylan Guerin Pozzalo, 5 & 4, in Match Play.
The result did not diminish the week's accomplishments of the Thundering Herd with Ryan Bilby being named a 2024 SBC All-Tournament Team selection after finishing 3rd in stroke play while Tyler Jones also earned a T-7 finish after a strong final day.
Marshall advanced to the 2024 SBC Match Play semifinals as one of the top four teams during 54-hole stroke play over the first three days of the 2024 SBC Championship.
"Match Play was a great experience for our guys and hopefully we learned a little bit about the format for the future," Grobe said.
The semifinal effort showed the league's best one-year turnaround from 2023 to 2024 as the Herd improved from a 13th place finish in the 2023 SBC Championship to a tie for 3rd in 2024.
For all the latest information about Marshall Men's Golf, follow @HerdMGolf on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
Players Mentioned
