Maybe the Big Ten was underrated. I’m almost certain
Illinois, the Big Ten champion, was underrated at No. 23 in the latest Golfstat rankings. Or maybe playing the
conference championship in tough conditions at the A.W. Tillinghast gem that is
Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course was the perfect preparation for
the cauldron of an NCAA regional.
The Fighting Illini finished up with a 16-under-par 272 at
TPC of Myrtle Beach Wednesday to earn a five-shot victory over Big Ten rival
Ohio State, ranked 46th, and claim their fifth regional team title
in the last seven years in Murrels Inlet, S.C.
Illinois was seeded fourth and, along with No. 20 Texas
A&M, which claimed top honors in the Pullman Regional, was the
lowest-seeded team to claim a regional team crown. Seeded eighth, Ohio State
was one of the lowest seeds to get out of the regionals to the NCAA
Championship, which tees off May 24 at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville,
Ark.
The Fighting Illini were led by Michael Feagles, a junior
from Scottsdale, Ariz. who fired a 7-under 65 over the 6,950-yard, par-72 TPC
of Myrtle Beach layout to capture the individual regional crown with a 15-under
201 total.
Feagles helped Illinois end up with a 25-under 839 total as
the Fighting Illini went wire-to-wire. Ohio State closed with an 8-under 279 to
earn runnerup honors with a 20-under 844 total.
No. 3 Wake Forest, the top seed out of the Atlantic Coast
Conference, was another five shots behind Ohio State in third place at 15-under
849 after posting a final round of 6-under 282.
A couple of teams from the West, No. 10 California, the
second seed, and No. 34 UNLV, seeded sixth, grabbed the final two tickets to
The Blessings, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The Golden Bears
finished strong with a 10-under 276 to end up a shot behind Wake Forest at
14-under 850. The Rebels closed with a 4-under 284 to end up six shots behind
California at 8-under 856.
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a freshman from Belgium and the
Big Ten co-champion at the Cricket Club, backed up Feagles as he finished up
with a 4-under 68 to share fourth place in the individual standings with Ohio
State’s Caleb Ramirez, a senior from Blythe, Calif. at 9-under 207.
Tommy Kuhl, a freshman from Morton, Ill., came up huge for
the Illini, carding a 2-under 70 to join the group tied for 20th place at
even-par 216. Varun Chopra, a sophomore home boy from Champaign, Ill., also
contributed a clutch 3-under 69 in the final round to join the group tied for
27th at 1-over 217.
Rounding out the Illinois lineup was Giovanni Tadiotto, a
junior from Belgium who carded a 4-over 76 in the final round to land among the
group tied for 60th at 226.
Oregon’s Edwin Yi, a senior from Beaumont, Texas, fired a
6-under 66 to finish second, a shot behind Feagles at 14-under 202 and earn the
one individual ticket that goes to the top finisher from a non-advancing team.
Florida State’s Jamie Li, a junior from England, matched the
7-under 65 posted by Feagles to finish alone in third at 11-under 205, three
shots behind Yi.
Ohio State’s Ramirez closed with a 2-under 70 to join
Illinois’ de Chassart in the tie for fourth at 9-under 207.
In the Louisville Regional, Oklahoma State showed why it’s
been ranked No. 1 all season, why the Cowboys have to be favored to repeat as
the national champion at The Blessings.
Oklahoma State, the Big 12 champion, fired a final round of
7-under 277 in the final round at the University of Louisville Golf Club in
Simpsonville, Ky. to roar past No. 12 Auburn, the second seed, and win an NCAA
regional for the 14th time and for the fourth year in a row.
Auburn finished up with a 5-over 289 over the 7,217-yard,
par-71 University of Louisville layout to end up four shots behind the Cowboys
in second place with a 10-under 842 total.
No. 25 Baylor, the fifth seed, matched Oklahoma State’s
final round of 7-under 277 to finish three shots behind Auburn in third place
at 7-under 845. It was another 14 shots back to host Louisville, ranked 21st
and seeded fourth, in fourth place at 7-over 859.
The final ticket to The Blessings went to the least heralded
great golf program in the country, No. 13 North Florida, the third seed that
closed with a 1-under 283 to finish a shot behind Louisville in fifth place at 8-over
860.
While Viktor Hovland, a junior from Norway and the No. 1
player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), was the highest finisher for
Oklahoma State, landing among a group of four players tied for second at
6-under 207, some of his teammates came to life in the final round. Four of the
five Cowboys in the lineup are ranked in the top 50 in the WAGR.
Hovland, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and low amateur
in last month’s Masters, closed with a solid 2-under 70 to finish a shot behind
individual champion Tripp Kinney, a junior at Iowa State from Waukee, Iowa.
Austin Eckroat, a sophomore from Edmond, Okla. and No. 47 in
the WAGR, fired a 4-under 67 to finish among the group tied for sixth at
4-under 209. Zach Bachou, a senior from Forest, Va. and No. 18 in the WAGR,
carded a solid 3-under 69 to land in the group tied for 12th at
2-under 211.
Matthew Wolff, a sophomore from Agoura Hills, Calif. and No.
4 in the WAGR, bettered par with a 1-under 71 to finish among the group tied
for 18th at 1-under 212. Rounding out the Oklahoma State lineup was
Hayden Wood, a senior from Edmond, Okla. who finished in the group tied for 35th
at 5-over 218 after closing with a 2-over 74.
Kinney, who had surged into the lead on the strength of a
6-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round, closed with a 1-over 72 to claim
individual honors with a 7-under 206 total. He also earned the one individual
ticket to The Blessings that goes to the lowest finisher among the
non-advancing teams.
Joining Oklahoma State’s Hovland in the foursome tied for
second at 6-under 207 were host Louisville’s Matthias Schmid, a sophomore from
Germany, Arizona’s Trevor Werbylo, a sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., and
Connecticut’s Jimmy Hervol, a senior from Hopkinton, Mass. competing as an
individual.
Schmid and Werbylo each matched par in the final round with
a 71 and Hervol closed with a 1-under 70.
In the Athens Regional, No. 16 Georgia, the third seed,
completed a wire-to-wire victory on its home course, the University of Georgia
Golf Course in Athens, Ga., with its second consecutive 4-under 280 for a
seven-shot victory over No. 9 Duke, the second seed.
The Bulldogs, out of the tough Southeastern Conference, were
led by individual champion Davis Thompson, a sophomore from Auburn, Ala. who
fired a final round of 4-under 67 over the 7,253-yard, par-71 University of
Georgia layout for an 8-under 205 total that was two shots clear of the field.
Duke closed with a 2-over 286 to finish second with a
1-under 851 total. Another SEC power, No. 4 Vanderbilt, the top seed, finished
up with a 1-under 283 to end up two shots behind Duke in third place at 1-over
853.
No. 60 SMU outperformed its No. 10 seeding as the Mustangs
earned a ticket to the NCAA Championship. They closed with a 1-under 283 to
finish 15 shots behind Vanderbilt in fourth place at 16-over 568. SMU and
Georgia Southern in the Stanford Regional shared the honor as the lowest seeded
teams to advance as Georgia Southern was also seeded 10th.
No. 22 Liberty, the fourth seed, earned the final ticket to
the NCAA Championship out of the Athens Regional with a final round of 4-over
288 that left it in fifth place with a 12-over 870 total, two shots behind SMU.
Georgia's Spencer Ralston, a junior from Gainesville, Ga., had shared
the individual lead with his teammate Thompson, but slipped back with an
even-par 71 that left him alone in third place at 4-under 209.
Freshman Trent Phillips, the younger of Georgia’s Phillips brothers
from Inman, S.C. and No. 43 in the WAGR, closed with a 2-under 69 to land among
the group tied for 10th at 1-over 214. Will Kahlstorf, a freshman
from Watkinsville, Ga., struggled in the final round with a throw-out 81, but
finished among the group tied for 46th at 11-over 224.
Junior Trevor Phillips, the older of the Phillips brothers,
picked up Kahlstorf, posting a solid 2-over 73 to finish alone in 56th
place at 226.
Vanderbilt’s Will Gordon, a senior from Davidson, N.C. and
No. 16 in the WAGR, fired a final round of 3-under 68 to earn runnerup honors
in the individual chase, two shots behind Thompson at 6-under 207.
Western Kentucky’s Billy Tom Sargent, a redshirt senior from
Georgetown, Ky. competing as individual, earned the individual ticket to The
Blessings after finishing in a tie for fourth with Nevada’s Stephen Osborne, a
junior from Reno, Nev., at 3-under 210.
Sargent, who had closed with a final round of 1-under 70,
outlasted Osborne on the third hole of a playoff when he sank a 20-foot par
putt. Osborne matched par in the final round with a 71.
Kansas State junior Roland Massimino, the 2014 PIAA Class AA
runnerup as a senior at New Hope-Solebury, competed as in individual and
finished in the group tied for 46th at 224 after a final round of
2-over 73, hist best round of the week.
In the Austin Regional, Texas, like Georgia, went
wire-to-wire on its home course, The University of Texas Golf Club in Austin,
Texas, in a dominating 20-shot victory over Big 12 rival TCU. The No. 6
Longhorns were the top seed in Austin and the Horned Frogs, ranked 30th,
were seeded fifth.
Texas accounted for two of the three individual co-champions
as Steven Chervony, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla., and freshman phenom Cole
Hammer of Houston landed on 9-under 204 along with TCU’s Stefano Mazzoli, a
senior from Italy.
Chervony and Hammer each carded a 5-under 66 over the
7,355-yard, par-71 University of Texas layout while Mazzoli lit it up to the
tune of a 7-under 64 in the final round.
The hot rounds by Chervony and Hammer helped Texas post a
9-under 275 in the final round for a 25-under 827 total. TCU matched the
Longhorns’ 275 in the final round, but it was only good enough to earn runnerup honors for the
Horned Frogs at 5-under 847.
ACC power Clemson, ranked 16th and seeded fourth, took third place, the Tigers
closing with a 1-under 283 to finish four shots behind TCU at 1-under 851.
West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, ranked 18th
and seeded third, carded its second straight 6-over 290 to finish seven shots
behind Clemson in fourth place 6-over 858.
No. 7 Southern California, the second seed, grabbed the
final ticket to the NCAA Championship as the Trojans closed with a 2-under 282
for an 8-over 860 total, two shots behind Pepperdine.
The heroic bid by SEC champion Arkansas, ranked 31st
and seeded sixth, to advance to an NCAA Championship being played on its home
course came up five shots short as the Razorbacks finished sixth at 13-over 865
after a final round of 8-over 292.
Texas’ freshmen Coody twins out of Plano, Texas, Pierceson
and Parker, backed up Chervony and Hammer as Pierceson Coody carded a 2-over 73
to land among the group tied for eighth at 2-under 211 and Parker Coody posted
a 2-under 70 to finish in the group tied for 11th a 1-under 212.
Rounding out the Texas lineup was Spencer Soosman, a junior
from Westlake Village, Calif. who closed with a 3-over 74 to finish in the
group tied for 20th at 4-over 217.
Pepperdine’s Joe Highsmith, a freshman from Lakewood, Wash.,
was hanging around the top of the leaderboard all week and finished alone in
fourth place at 6-under 207, three shots behind the top three, after a final
round of 2-under 69.
Sam Kim, a junior from Irvine, Calif., sparked the late
surge by Southern Cal as he carded a final round of 2-under 69 to finish alone
in fifth place at 4-uneder 209.
The home folks in Fayetteville will have one player to root
for as Arkansas' Julian Perico, a freshman from Peru, nabbed the individual ticket to The
Blessings. The hero of the Razorbacks’ stunning run to the SEC title, Perico
finished in a tie for sixth at 3-under 210 after matching par in the final
round with a 71.
In the Pullman Regional, Texas A&M, seeded fourth,
outlasted No. 32 and sixth-seeded Brigham Young by two shots in a wild shootout
at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.
The Aggies closed with a solid 10-under 270 over the
7,232-yard, par-70 Palouse Ridge layout for a 33-under 807 total. It was the
third regional team title in the history of the Texas A&M program, but the
second in a row. Brigham Young, behind individual champion Rhett Rasmussen, a
junior from Draper, Utah, fired a scorching 14-under 266 in the final round for
a 31-under 209 total.
No. 5 Oklahoma, the top seed, carded its third straight
10-under 270 to finish a shot behind Brigham Young in third at 30-under 810.
ACC champion Georgia Tech, ranked eighth and seeded second, also closed with a
10-under 270 to finish fourth at 22-under 818, eight shots behind Oklahoma.
In the only playoff for a final ticket to the NCAA
Championship, No. 17 South Carolina, the third seed, finished fifth after
defeating upstart Colorado State, ranked 41st and seeded seventh.
The Gamecocks closed with a scintillating 13-under 267 to catch Colorado State
at 21-under 819. Colorado State finished up with a 9-under 271.
Texas A&M was led by Walker Lee, a sophomore from
Houston who closed with a 3-under 67 to finish alone in sixth place in the
individual standings at 10-under 200. Chandler Phillips, a senior from
Huntsville, Texas and No. 10 in the WAGR, also fired a final-round 67 to land
among the group tied for seventh at 9-under 201.
Sam Bennett, a freshman from Madisonville, Texas, delivered
a third 3-under 67 in the final round that helped him climb into a tie for 12th
at 7-under 203. Brandon Smith, a junior from Frisco, Texas, gave the Aggies a
third sub-70 round as his 1-under 69 enabled him to join Bennett in the group
tied for 12th at 203.
Texas A&M inserted Josh Gilege, a junior from Eagle,
Idaho, into the lineup for the final round, replacing Dan Erickson, a junior
from Whittier, Calif., and Gilege posted a 2-over 72.
Rasmussen fired a second straight 7-under 63 to claim the
individual title with a 15-under 195 total.
UC-Santa Barbara’s Zach Smith, a senior from Pleasanton,
Calif. competing as an individual, was the runnerup, two shots behind Rasmussen
at 13-under 197 after a final round of 5-under 65. Smith earned the lone
individual berth to the NCAA Championship for a player from a non-advancing
team.
South Carolina’s Scott Stevens, a senior from Chattanooga,
Tenn., Oklahoma’s Blaine Hale, a senior from Dallas, and San Francisco’s Tim
Widing, a junior from Sweden competing as an individual, finished in a tie for
third at 12-under 198, a shot behind Smith.
Stevens closed strong with a sparkling 5-under 65, Hale, who
had jumped into the lead with a scintillating 8-under 62 in Tuesday’s second
round, cooled off with a 2-under 68 and Widing also finished strong, posting a
4-under 66.
In the Stanford Regional, it was another case of the host
team, No. 17 Stanford, the second seed, going wire-to-wire on its home course,
the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Calif., to capture the team title by 12
shots over Pac-12 rival Arizona State, ranked second and seeded first, and No.
26 North Carolina, the fifth seed.
The Cardinal, behind individual champion Isaiah Salinda, a
senior from South San Francisco, Calif. and No. 29 in the WAGR, closed with an
8-under 272 over the 6,727-yard, par-70 Stanford layout for a 23-under 817
total.
Arizona State and North Carolina posted matching 6-under
274s to share second place at 11-under 829. Georgia Southern, ranked 58th
and seeded 10th, punched its ticket to the NCAA Championship with a
final round of 2-under 278 that left it in fourth place at 6-under 834, five
shots behind the Sun Devils and the Tar Heels.
No. 14 LSU was eight shots behind Georgia Southern in fifth
place as the Tigers grabbed the final ticket to the NCAA Championship with a
2-over 842 total after a final round of 2-over 282.
Salinda, a U.S. Amateur semifinalist last summer at the
Pebble Beach Golf Links, fired a second consecutive 3-under 67 for a 10-under
200 total that gave him the individual title by three shots over a quartet of
players tied for second at 7-under 203 that included Stanford’s David Snyder, a
junior from McAllen, Texas.
Snyder posted a second straight 2-under 68 to end up at
7-under. Brandon Wu, a senior from Deerfield, Mass., closed with a 1-under 69
to land among the group tied for sixth at 6-under 204.
Henry Shimp, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., contributed a
2-under 68 in the final round to finish among the group tied for 43rd
at 6-over 216. One of the players joining Shimp at that figure was teammate
Daulet Tuleubayev, a freshman from Khazakhstan who finished up with a 3-over
74.
A pair of Arizona State players, Cameron Sisk, a freshman
from San Diego, and Chun An Yu, a junior from Taiwan, were in the group tied
for second at 7-under 203. Sisk got it going in the final round with a 5-under 65
while Yu closed with a solid 3-under 67.
Rounding out that foursome at 203 was North Carolina’s Ryan
Burnett, a freshman from Lafayette, Calif. who closed with a sparkling 7-under 63.
Utah’s Kyler Dunkle, a senior from Lankspur, Colo. competing
as an individual, carded a 2-under 68 to finish among the group tied for sixth
to earn a trip to The Blessings as the low individual from a non-advancing
team.
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