Big 12 champion Texas, No. 2 in the latest Golfstat rankings and the top seed in
the region, completed a rampaging run through the NCAA Regional at the
Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. Wednesday and made it clear it will
be a force to be reckoned with at the NCAA Championship.
The Longhorns cooled off with an 8-under 280 in the final
round for a mind-boggling 45-under 819 total over the 7,190-yard, par-72
Vanderbilt Legends layout to beat hard-charging host Vanderbilt, ranked ninth,
by 11 shots.
Vandy needed a 20-under 268 in the final round to finish at 34-under 830. Houston, ranked 35th,
made a big move with a final-round of 16-under 272 to get a share of third
place with No. 14 LSU at 25-under 839. LSU posted a final-round of 9-under 279.
Virginia grabbed the final berth to the NCAA Championship,
which tees off May 27 at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., with a
final-round 286 and a 22-under 842 total.
Houston’s final-round surge was led by Michael Perras, a
sophomore from Deer Park, Texas who fired a 6-under 66 to grab the individual
title by two shots with a 16-under 200 total.
Red-hot Texas was led by Doug Ghim, a sophomore from
Arlington Heights, Ill. whose final-round 69 gave him a share of second at
14-under 202. He was joined at figure by James Madison’s Ryan Cole, a junior
from Mount Airy, Md. who matched Ghim’s final-round 69 to finish tied with him
at 202. More importantly, Cole grabbed the one individual berth to the NCAA
Championship that goes to the low score from a non-advancing team.
Texas ended up with four players in the top 10 as Taylor
Funk, a redshirt sophomore from Ponte Vedra, Fla. and the son of PGA
Tour/Champions Tour veteran Fred Funk, and Gavin Hall, a junior from Pittsford,
N.Y., finished tied for sixth at 9-under 207 and Beau Hossler, a junior from
Mission Viejo, Calif. and a member of the 2015 U.S. Walker Cup team, finished
tied for ninth at 8-under 208. In Tuesday’s final round, Funk had a 1-over 73,
Hall had a 4-under 68 and Hossler posted a 1-undeer 71.
Vanderbilt was led by Theo Humphrey, a sophomore from
Greenwich, Conn. who finished alone in fourth place in the individual chase at
11-under 205 after a final-round 69.
Big East champion Georgetown had a final-round 293 to finish
12th in the team standings at 13-over 877. The young Hoyas gained
valuable experience playing in the big leagues of Division I golf.
The Hoyas were led by Sam Madsen, a sophomore from Madison,
Wis. who matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish tied for 29th
at 2-under 214.
Sophomore Cole Berman, the reigning BMW Philadelphia Amateur
champion and a former Haverford School standout, also matched par in the final
round with a 72 to finish tied for 45th at 1-over 217. Harrison
Rhoades, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C., finished tied for 51st at
2-over 218 after a final-round 71, Jack Musgrave, a sophomore from Chesterton,
Ind., finished tied for 70th at 228 after a final-round 78 and Kevin
Jackson, a freshman from Atlanta, finished tied for 72nd at 232
after a final-round 78.
In the regional at Blackwolf Run’s Meadow Valley Course in
Kohler, Wis., Big Ten champion Illinois, ranked fourth and the top seed in the
region, overtook Florida in the final round to claim its fourth straight
regional team title.
The Fighting Illini carded a final round of 7-under 281 over
the 7,123-yard, par-72 Meadow Valley Course to finish at 11-under 863, four
shots clear of the 16th-ranked Gators and No. 21 Arkansas. Florida had a
final-round 292 and Arkansas carded an 7-under 281 as the teams finished tied
for second at 7-under 857.
Florida State, ranked 10th, and No. 28 Baylor
finished tied for fourth at 6-under 858 to grab the last two berths to the NCAA
Championship. Florida State had a final-round 284 while Baylor staged a
remarkable final-round surge with a 14-under 274 that included 17 birdies on
its final nine holes.
Illinois was led by two senior stalwarts as Charlie
Danielson of Osceola, Wis. and Thomas Detry of Belgium finished tied for third
in the individual standings, each carding a 2-under 70 in the final round to
both land at 4-under 212.
It was a pretty good day for the Big Ten as Ohio State’s
Tee-k Kelly, a senior from Wheaton, Ill., grabbed the individual title, firing
a final-round 69 for a 7-under 209 total. The victory also earned Kelly the
regional’s one individual berth to the NCAA Championship.
Florida was led by Alejandro Tosti, a sophomore from
Argentina who matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish alone in
second place, a shot back of Kelly at 6-under 210.
No. 33 Penn State had its best round of the tournament, a
4-under 284, to finish ninth at 874.
Senior JD Dornes, a former Manheim Township standout,
wrapped up his collegiate career in style with a 3-under 69 that left him in a
tie for 12th at 1-under 215.
Charles Huntzinger, a freshman from Duluth, Ga., matched par
with a 72 in the final round to finish tied for 21st at even-par 216, sophomore
Cole Miller, a Northwestern Lehigh product, posted a final round of 1-under 71
to finish tied for 29th at 1-over 217, Chris Houston, a senior from
Gilford, N.H., had a final-round 73 to finish 67th at 227 and Geoff
Vartelas, a senior from Cromwell, Conn., had a final-round 75 to finish 75th at
239.
In the regional at Ol’ Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa,
Ala., No. 5 Georgia, the top seed in the region, led a parade of five Southeast
Conference teams to the NCAA Championship.
The Bulldogs carded a final round of 6-under 282 over the
7,514-yard, par-72 Ol’ Colony layout to finish with a 16-under 848 total that
left them four shots clear of No. 17 South Carolina. The Gamecocks finished
with a 5-under 283 for a 12-under 852 total.
Host Alabama, ranked 19th, finished third at
7-under 857 after a final-round 281, No. 32 Kentucky was another shot back in
fourth at 6-under 858 following a final-round
283 and No. 8 Auburn finished fifth at 3-over 867 after a final-round
283.
Georgia was led by Greyson Sigg, a junior from Augusta, Ga.,
who fired a final-round 68 to claim the individual title with a 9-under 207
total. South Carolina’s Matt NeSmith, a senior from North Augusta, S.C. matched
Sigg’s final-round 68 to finish second, a shot back of Sigg at 8-under 208.
College of Charleston’s William Rainey, a junior from
Charlotte, N.C., also had a final-round 68 to finish third at 7-under 209 and
grab the individual berth to the NCAA Championship.
In the regional at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater,
Okla., No. 6 Oklahoma State, the top seed in the region, cruised to a 19-shot
victory over in-state rival Oklahoma, ranked 18th.
The Cowboys posted a final round of 7-over 295 over the
7,418-yard, par-72 Karsten Creek layout that played very tough to finish at
7-over 871. The Sooners had a final-round 890 to finish second at 26-over 890.
No. 7 Clemson finished third with a final-round 292 and a
901 total, No. 56 Louisville finished fourth with a final-round 296 and a 907
total and No. 31 Purdue grabbed the final berth to the NCAA Championship with a
final-round 308 and a 910 total.
Oklahoma State placed four players in the top six led by
individual champion Kristoffer Ventura, a sophomore from Norway who posted a
1-over 73 to finish at even-par 216.
The Cowboys’ Stratton Nolen, a sophomore from Austin, Texas,
struggled a little during a final-round 77, but finished third at 2-over 218,
Jordan Niebrugge, a senior from Mequon, Wis., finished fifth at 4-over 220
after a final-round 75 and Sam Stevens, a sophomore from Wichita, Kan.,
finished in a tie for sixth at 5-over 221 following a final-round 74.
Missouri-Kansas City’s Antoine Rozner, a senior from France,
had a final-round 76, but finished second behind Ventura in the individual
standings at 1-over 217 and grabbed the individual berth to the NCAA
Championship.
Oklahoma was led by Max McGreevy, a junior from Edmond,
Okla. who finished alone in fourth place at 3-over 218 after a final-round 75.
Most of the drama on this day was reserved for the regional
at the University of New Mexico Championship Course in Albuquerque, N.M.
Not so much at the top spot as No. 11 Arizona State
completed a wire-to-wire team victory, posting a final round of 6-over 294 over
the 7,555-yard, par-72 University of New Mexico Championship Course layout to
finish at 12-over 876.
TCU, the ninth seed, had a final-round 291 to take second at
888. No. 2 Southern California, the top seed in the region, took third at 895
after a final-round 293 and No. 15 South Florida, the American Athletic
Conference champion, finished fourth at 899 after a final-round 299.
The final berth to the NCAA Championship had to be decided
in a playoff after No. 22 San Diego State and No. 27 Texas A&M finished
tied for fifth at 904.
And it was pretty much decided on the first hole of the playoff when San
Diego State’s Gunn Yang, a sophomore from South Korea, holed a 7-iron shot from
218 yards away for a double eagle on the 544-yard, par-5 first hole at the
University of New Mexico Championship Course.
Arizona State also had the individual champion as Jon Rahm,
a senior from Spain, matched par with a final-round 72 for a 4-under 212 total
that bested the field by five shots.
USC’s Sean Crocker, a sophomore from Westlake Village,
Calif., finished second at 1-over 217 following a final-round 73. A pair of TCU
players – Paul Barjon, a senior from France, and Ryan Books, a senior from
Seattle – finished tied for third at 2-over 219. Barjon carded a final round of
2-under 70 while Books posted a 75.
As for the battle for the individual berth to the NCAA
Championship, well that got complicated.
Army’s Peter Kim, a senior from
Metuchen, N.J., finished at 5-over 221, but had to await the outcome of the
team playoff because Texas A&M’s Cameron Champ, a sophomore from
Sacramento, Calif., was also at 5-over 221, but would advance if the Aggies won
the playoff.
Well, San Diego State’s Yang took care of the team playoff,
sending Champ into a playoff with Kim for the individual berth. On the second
hole of the playoff, Champ made an eagle to punch his ticket to Eugene.
In the regional at The Gallery at Dove Mountain in Marana,
Ariz., No. 1 Stanford, the top seed, dominated to the finish, the Cardinal
firing a final round of 13-under 275 over the 7,258-yard, par-72 layout to finish with a 31-under 833 total.
Pac-12 rival Oregon, ranked 24th, actually was
one shot better than Stanford in the final round with a 14-under 274, but ended
up 14 shots back of the Cardinal in second at 17-under 847. Alabama-Birmingham,
ranked 37th, grabbed third at 7-under 857 following a final-round
283, No. 13 California finished fourth at 2-under 862 after a final-round 282
and Wake Forest got the final berth to the NCAA Championship by finishing fifth
at 1-under 863 following a final-round 282.
Stanford had a 1-2 punch at the top of the individual
leaderboard as Franklin Huang, a sophomore from Poway, Calif., claimed the
title, finishing at 12-under 204 after a final-round 68, and Maverick McNealy,
a junior from Portola Valley, Calif. and the reigning winner of both the
Nicklaus and Haskins awards, was the runnerup at 10-under 206 after a
final-round 67.
California-Riverside’s Matt Lutz, a sophomore from
Placentia, Calif., had a final-round 68 to finish third at 7-under 209 and
claim the individual berth to the NCAA Championship.
Helping the cause for Wake Forest was Kyle Sterbinsky, a
freshman from Yardley and a Peddie School product. Sterbinsky had a final round
of 2-under 69 to finish tied for 12th at 1-under 215.
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