Oklahoma State headed home with a regional title; Penn State comes up a little short

   Three days of tremendous golf at six sites all around the country produced mostly chalky results, but one there was one big surprise in California and, as always, disappointment from coast to coast for those whose seasons ended Wednesday a little short of the ultimate goal.

   Let’s take it from the top. Oklahoma State, No. 1 in the latest Golfstat rankings, will head for its home course, Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. for the NCAA Championship, which tees off May 25, with a regional title in its back pocket.

   The Cowboys posted a solid 1-over-par 285 for an 8-under 844 total on a really tough golf course, The Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course, for an eight-shot victory over Big Ten champion Illinois, ranked 12^th and seeded second behind Oklahoma State.

   The Fighting Illini finished up with a 6-over 290 over the 7,364-yard, par-71 Scarlet Course layout for an even-par 852 total. It was another 15 shots back to No. 24 UNLV, which carded an 8-over 292 for a 15-over 867 total.

   Another Big Ten entry, No. 35 Northwestern, fired a clutch 1-over 285 to grab fourth at 16-over 868 and No. 13 Texas Tech grabbed the final ticket to Karsten Creek, also posting a solid 1-over 285 for an 18-over 870 total.

   A return trip to the NCAA Championship was not meant to be for No. 37 Penn State. The Nittany Lions had their best round of the tournament, a 5-over 289, but it wasn’t to overtake Texas Tech as they finished sixth, seven shots out of that fifth-place finish they needed at 25-over 877.

   The five teams that finished ahead of Penn State were all ranked higher than the Nittany Lions and were all seeded higher than them. They needed to be a little bit better.

   Oklahoma State was led by Matthew Wolff, a freshman from Agoura Hills, Calif., and Zach Bauchou, a junior from Forest, Va., who finished tied for second, two shots behind individual champion Kyle Mueller, a senior at Michigan from Athens, Ga., at 3-under 210.

Wolff and Bauchou both matched par in the final round with solid even-par 71s.

   The best score of the day for the Cowboys was turned in by Viktor Hovland, a sophomore from Norway who is the No. 7 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Hovland fired a 2-under 69 to finish in the group tied for seventh at 1-under 212.

   Kristoffer Ventura, a senior from Norway, finished in the group tied for 13^th at 2-over 215 after a final round of 3-over 74 and Austin Eckroat, a freshman from Edmond, Okla., rounded out the Oklahoma State lineup as he matched Ventura’s 74 to finish alone in 19^th at 5-over 218.

   Mueller surged to the individual title by matching the low round of the week on the Scarlet Course, a sparkling 5-under 66 that gave him a 5-under 208 total. It also landed him the lone individual berth to Karsten Creek up for grabs Wednesday.

   Illinois’ Nick Hardy, a senior from Northbrook, Ill. and No. 11 in the WAGR, led a group of three players tied for fourth at 3-under 210, a shot behind the Oklahoma State pair of Wolff and Bauchou. Hardy finished up with a 1-over 72.

   Joining Hardy in the tie for fourth at 210 were Northwestern’s Ryan Lumsden, a junior from England, who matched Mueller’s sizzling 5-under 66 in the final round, and Texas Tech’s Hurly Long, a senior from Germany who matched par in the final round with a 71.

   Senior Cole Miller, a Northwestern Lehigh product, finished out his Penn State career in style, firing a 2-under 69 that enabled him to finish in the group tied for 16^th at 3-over 216. It capped a brilliant two-year run of golf, a streak that I would date back to his victory in the 2016 Pennsylvania Amateur at Moselem Springs Golf Club and which included an individual regional title a year ago at Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, Wash.

   Junior JD Hughes, a Carlisle product, followed up Miller’s victory in the state amateur by claiming the crown last summer at White Manor Country Club. Hughes played well on the Scarlet Course, finishing alone in 18^th, a shot behind Miller at 4-over 217 after a final round of 1-over 72.

   Charles Huntzinger, a junior from Duluth, Ga., was typically solid, finishing up with a 2-over 73 to join the group tied for 28^th at 221. Ryan Davis, a sophomore from Berkeley Heights who was such a revelation in the run to Rich Harvest Farms a year ago, had a final-round 75 to finish in the group tied for 34^th at 223.

   Alec Bard, a sophomore from New Hartford, N.Y., struggled in Columbus, finishing in the group tied for 60^th at 233 after a final-round 78. But head coach Greg Nye has a solid foursome returning this summer from a team that was just outside the 30 that are headed for Karsten Creek.

   In the Kissimmee Regional, No. 8 Florida, seeded second, was the runaway winner with a remarkable final round of 17-under 271 over the Reunion Resort’s 7,154-yard, par-72 Watson Course that gave the Gators a 42-under 822 total. 42-under.

   Another Florida school, Central Florida, possibly a little underrated at No. 52 and seeded 10^th, wasn’t bad in the final round either, the Knights firing a 10-under 278 to finish 12 shots behind Florida in second at 30-under 834.

   Vanderbilt, ranked fifth and the top seed, showed its championship mettle with a final round of 11-under 277 to finish third at 22-under 842. No. 17 North Carolina fired a final round of 10-under 278 to take fourth at 21-under 843 and No. 29 Kent State earned the final ticket to Karsten Creek with a final round of 4-under 284 that enabled it to finish fifth at 20-under 844.

   Haverford School product Cole Berman and Big East champion Georgetown hardly embarrassed themselves in South Florida as the Hoyas finished 13^th in the 14-team field, posting a final round of 11-over 295 for an 18-over 882 total.

   Andy Zhang, a sophomore from Reunion, Fla., led the way for the Gators, adding an individual regional title to his individual triumph in the SEC Championship. Zhang fired a final round of 5-under 67 for a 13-under 203 total.

   And he needed to be good in the final round because teammate Chris Nido, a freshman from Miami, came charging up the leaderboard with a spectacular final round of 9-under 63 to finish a shot behind Zhang in second at 12-under 204.

   John Axelson, a freshman from Denmark, added a final-round 70 for the Gators to finish in the group tied for sixth at 9-under 207. Gordon Neale, a senior from Dove Canyon, Calif. and Alejandro Tosti, a senior from Argentina and No. 14 in the WAGR, both landed in the group tied for 26^th at 2-under 214. Neale carded a final-round 72 while Tosti gave the Gators a third sub-70 round Wednesday with a 3-under 69.

   UCF’s Kyler Tate, a junior from Winter Garden, Fla., headed the group of three players tied for third behind Florida’s Nido at 10-under 206. Tate followed up his sizzling 7-under 65 in the second round with a final round of 2-under 70.

   Joining Tate at 206 were Vanderbilt’s Patrick Martin, a junior from Birmingham, Ala. who finished up with a sparkling 5-under 67, and North Carolina’s Austin Hitt, a sophomore from Longwood, Fla. who carded a 2-under 70 in the final round.

   Leading the way for Georgetown was Eduardo Blochtein, a sophomore from Delray Beach, Fla. who had a final round of 2-over 74 to finish in the group tied for 45^th at 1-over 217. Classmate Patrick DiPasquale of Rochester, N.Y. had Georgetown’s best score in the final round, a 1-over 73 that left him the grojp tied for 58^th at 221.

   The trio of seniors who led Georgetown to two Big East titles in the last three years finished their careers Wednesday.

   Jack Musgrave of Chesterton, Ind. carded a 2-over 74 to finish in the group tied for 61^st at 222, Berman posted a 75 to finish alone in 67^th at 224 and Sam Madsen of Madison, Wis. matched Musgrave’s 74 to finish in the group tied for 70^th at 227.

   It was not their best, but the fact that Georgetown was still playing golf in a national regional for the second time in three years is a testament to what they brought to the program.

   In the Raleigh Regional, No. 16 Texas was as impressive as Florida was in South Florida, as the Longhorns, behind individual champion Doug Ghim, a senior from Arlington Heights, Ill. and No. 3 in the WAGR, finished up with a sizzling 15-under 269 for a 39-under 813 total over the 7,273-yard, par-712 Lonnie Poole Golf Course at North Carolina State.

   No. 28 Duke had a final round of 7-under 277 for a 22-under 830 total, but had to settle for runnerup honors, 17 shots behind Texas. No. 36 N.C. State, playing on its home course, had a final round of 5-under 279 to finish third, a shot behind the Blue Devils at 21-under 831.

   Apparently somebody forgot to tell Augusta that it was ranked 111^th and seeded 12^th in Raleigh because the Jaguars punched their ticket to Karsten Creek with a final round of 14-under 270 that left them in fourth place at 20-under 832, a shot behind the Wolfpack.

   Grabbing the final ticket to Karsten Creek was No. 21 Arizona State, which carded a final round of 18-under 834.

   That left the top two seeds in Raleigh, No. 4 Georgia Tech, the ACC champion, and No. 9 California on the outside looking in. The Yellow Jackets finished a shot behind Arizona State in sixth at 27-under 835 while the Golden Bears finished 10^th at 7-under 845.

   Ghim, the low amateur at last month’s Masters, was routinely spectacular, finishing up with a second straight 5-under 66 after opening up with a 7-under 64, for a 17-under 196 total.

   Scottie Scheffler, a classmate of Ghim’s from Dallas and the low amateur in last summer’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills, had three rounds in the 60s, finishing up with a 3-under 68 to end up alone in fourth at 11-under 202. Oh yeah, Ghim and Scheffler were teammates on the U.S. team that defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 19-7, to win the Walker Cup Match last summer.

   Steven Chervony, a junior from Boca Raton, Fla., finished in the group tied for 16^th at 4-under 209 with a final round of 2-under 69. Spencer Soosman, a sophomore from Westlake Village, Calif., had a final  round of 1-under 71, a score the Longhorns were able to toss, to finish in the group tied for 26^th at 2-under 211.

   Apparently Drew Jones a redshirt freshman from Decatur, Texas, felt like he wasn’t pulling his weight after rounds of 75 and 74. So he went out and matched Ghim’s 5-under 66 to finish in the group tied for 47^th at 2-over 215.

   Augusta’s Broc Everett, a sophomore from West Des Moines, Iowa, couldn’t quite keep up with Ghim and settled for runnerup honors at 14-under 199 after finishing up with a 2-under 69. N.C. State’s Benjamin Shipp, a sophomore from Duluth, Ga., took third, posting a 1-under 70 in the final round on his home course for a 12-under 201 total.

   In the Bryan Regional, nobody could keep up with No. 2 Texas A&M, the top seed playing on its home course, the 7,121-yard, par-72 Traditions Golf Club layout. The Aggies rattled off their third consecutive 9-under 279 – consistent much – to finish at 27-under 837.

   No. 14 Clemson started the day just a shot behind Texas A&M and shot a 1-under 287, but had to settle for second at 18-under 846. No. 11 Baylor matched Clemson’s 1-under 287 to finish third at 7-under 857.

   No. 26 UCLA took fourth with a final round of 2-over 290 for a 2-over 866 total and No. 23 Kentucky grabbed the final ticket to Karsten Creek as the Wildcats posted a clutch final round of 3-under 285 for a 10-over 874 total.

   Texas A&M was led by Chandler Phillips, a junior from Huntsville, Texas and No. 15 in the WAGR who captured the individual title with a final round of 3-under 69 that gave him an 11-under 205 total. Teammate Brandon Smith, a sophomore from Frisco, Texas, had matched Phillips shot for shot the first two rounds, but carded a 2-under 70 in the final round to finish tied for second, a shot behind Phillips at 10-under 206.

   Andrew Paysse, a senior from Temple, Texas, gave the Aggies a third finisher in the top eight as his final  round of 1-under 71 gave him a 5-under 211 total and left him in the group tied for eighth.

Dan Erickson, a sophomore form Whittier, Calif., had a final round of 3-under 69 to finish in the group tied for 14^th at 1-under 215. Rounding out the Texas A&M lineup was Walker Lee, a freshman from Houston, who ended up in the group tied for 32nd at 221 after a final-round 73.

   Sharing second in the individual standings with A&M’s Smith was Clemson’s Doc Redman, a sophomore from Raleigh who is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. Redman fired a 3-under 68 in the final round to join Smith at 10-under 206.

   Mississippi was denied a trip to Karsten Creek as a team, but the Rebels’ Braden Thornberry, a junior from Olive Branch, Miss., will get a chance to defend his individual title as he finished fourth at 9-under 207 after a final round of 2-under 70, to grab the one spot at nationals to the top regional individual not on an advancing team.

   Thornberry, No. 2 in the WAGR, and Redman were teammates on the winning U.S. Walker Cup team last summer.

   In the Norman Regional, defending NCAA team champion Oklahoma, ranked third and the top seed, pulled out a one-shot victory on its home course, the 7,452-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club layout.

   The Sooners carded a final round of 5-under 283 for a 14-under 850 total. No. 39 Brigham Young and No. 27 North Florida closed fast to share second place, a shot behind Oklahoma at 13-under 851.  The Cougars fired a 10-under 278 in the final round with the Ospreys posted an 8-under 280.

   Southeast Conference champion Auburn, ranked 10^th and seeded second, and SEC rival Arkansas finished tied for fourth at 3-under 861 to grab the final two tickets to Karsten Creek. The Tigers matched par with a final round of 288 while the Razorbacks fired a clutch 8-under 280.

   Florida State and Virginia from the ACC came up just short, the Seminoles finishing sixth at 862 and the Cavaliers another shot behind them in seventh at 863.

   Oklahoma was led by Quade Cummins, a redshirt sophomore from Weatherford, Okla. who finished alone in third place at 8-under 208, three shots behind individual champion Travis Trace, a senior at North Florida from Jacksonville, Fla. Cummins closed with a 5-under 67.

   Blaine Hale, a junior from Dallas, was a shot behind Cummins in fourth at 7-under 209. Hale held the individual lead after two rounds, but cooled off with a final-round 73.

   Oklahoma got a solid 3-under 69 from Garett Reband, a sophomore from Fort Worth, Texas, in the final round that enabled him to finish alone in 11th at 4-under 212.

   Oklahoma’s two best players, Grant Hirschman, a senior from Collierville, Tenn., and Brad Dalke, a junior from Norman, Okla. and the runnerup in the 2016 U.S. Amateur, were not at their best on their home course.

   Hirschman finished up with a 2-over 74 to join the group tied for 39^th at 221 while Dalke posted an 81 to finish in the group tied for 62^nd at 228. Both are veterans of last year’s title run and know what it takes.

   Trace surged to the individual title on the strength of a sizzling 7-under 65 in the final round that gave him an 11-under 205 total. BYU’s Patrick Fishburn, a senior from Ogden, Utah, was the runnerup, a shot behind Trace at 10-under 206 after a final round of 3-under 69.

   In the Stockton Regional, No. 43 Kansas, seeded eighth, pulled off a stunner, firing a final round of 7-under 281 at The Reserve at Spanos Park, a 7,239-yard, par-72 layout, for a 20-under 844 total that edged No. 18 Stanford by a shot.

   It will be the Jayhawks’ first trip to the NCAA Championship since 2000 and it is the first regional team title in school history.

   Stanford closed fast with an 11-under 277, but couldn’t catch Kansas and settled for second at 19-under 845. No. 55 Iowa State, another Midwest upstart that just would not go away, had a final round of 3-under 285 to finish third, two shots behind the Cardinal at 17-under 847.

   No. 7 Alabama, seeded second, had a solid 1-under 287 in the final round for a 15-under 849 that assured the Crimson Tide a trip to Karsten Creek with a fourth-place finish. And somehow No. 30 Oregon, which has played in the Final Match in each of the last two years, grabbed the final ticket to Karsten Creek, the Ducks firing an 8-under 280 in the final round behind individual champion   Norman Xiong, a sophomore from Canyon Lake, Calif. and No. 4 in the WAGR, to finish fifth at 12-under 852.

   No. 6 LSU, the top seed, failed to advance, the Tigers finishing sixth, five shots behind Oregon at 7-under 857.

   Kansas was remarkably balanced in the final round with two 69s, a 70 and two 71s.

Leading the way for the Jayhawks was Andy Spencer, a sophomore from Leawood, Kan., whose final round of 2-under 70 left him in the group tied for fifth at 8-under 208. Daniel Sutton, a senior from England, had one of the 71s and finished in the group tied for ninth at 5-under 211.

   The older of New Zealand’s Hillier brothers, Charlie, a junior, carded a 3-under 69, to finish in the group tied for 19^th at 2-under 214. The other 69 came from Daniel Hudson, a senior from LaGrange, Ill. who finished in the group tied for 23^rd at 1-under 215. Also in that group at 215 was the younger of the Hilliers, Harry, a freshman, who checked in with a solid 1-under 71 in the final round.

   As good as Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas are, regional champions all, the showings of Kansas and Iowa State in Stockton is a real testament to the depth of talent in the Big 12 this season.

   Xiong, who won three matches and halved another in that U.S. Walker Cup success last summer, fired a  6-under 66 in the final round to claim the individual title with a 15-under 201 total. Stanford’s Brandon Wu, a junior from Danville, Calif., added a final-round 68 to a pair of 67s to finish second, a shot behind Xiong at 14-under 202.

   Alabama’s Wilson Furr, a freshman from Jackson, Miss., and Texas El Paso’s Charles Corner, a senior from Canada, shared third place at 9-under 207. Furr finished up with a 2-under 70 while Corner carded a third straight 3-under 69 to earn the individual berth out of the regional to Karsten Creek.