Chattanooga Men’s Golf Advances to NCAA Finals
LEADERBOARDS: http://www.golfstatresults.com//public/index.cfm?tournament_id=1465
STILLWATER, Okla.---The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team discovered that the third time is definitely the charm. Making its third straight regionals appearance, Chattanooga advanced to the NCAA Finals by virtue of finishing third in the South Central Regional at Karsten Creek Golf Club.
“I am pretty speechless,” said Head Coach Mark Guhne. “To come this far, this fast...I am just so happy for our seniors (Jonathan Hodge and Ben Rickett). They have been there from the start with me and we would not be going anywhere without them.
“This was a team win,” added Guhne who is in his fourth year as the Mocs mentor. “Everyone contributed at least two rounds and we found a way to survive and advance on a tough, tough golf course.”
The Mocs shot a final round 309 (+21) to complete their 54 holes at 907. No. 4 Oklahoma State was the runaway winner shooting 17-over par 881 with a final round 296.
No. 9 Arkansas came in second at 903 (+39), just four ahead of UTC. No. 16 TCU shot 914 (+50) to tie for fourth with Northwestern for the last two berths into the final at 914 (+50). The duo finish just three shots clear of No. 21 LSU at 917. Baylor’s Cody Paladino and LSU’ John Peterson were in a playoff to join the five teams as the low individual on a non-advancing team. The results of that can be found here (http://www.golfstatresults.com//public/index.cfm?tournament_id=14650).
Fredrik Qvicker’s 75 (+3) led the Mocs on this day. He did so with a birdie-less round scoring 15 pars and three bogeys playing steady golf the entire day. Qvicker finished tied for 21st at 227 (+11).
Jonathan Hodge and Derek Rende were two and three for Chattanooga. Hodge played his final 18 at four-over par 76, while Rende was one shot behind him at 77 (+5). Each had two birdies with Hodge’s coming on two and 11, while Rende registered his on one and 11. Rende tied for 46th at 236 (+20), while Hodge tied for 60th with a 241 (+25).
Ben Rickett and Stephan Jaeger had off days, but battled hard throughout to keep the Mocs in prime position. Rickett shot 81 (+9), while Jaeger came in at 83 (+11). The duo finished tied for low UTC golfer in 13th at 226 (+10).
The NCAA Finals is May 26-30 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. There will be 54 holes of stroke play in which 30 teams will be pared down to the top eight finishers which advance to match play. Two days of match play will determine the NCAA Champion.
“We are not going there just to show up and say we’ve been there,” said Guhne. “We are going there with a purpose. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the effort this week.”
Fulford Paces Eagles to 10th Place Finish in NCAA Southeast Regional
Spencer Fulford paced Georgia Southern carding three sub-par rounds.
SORRENTO, Fla. ? Junior Spencer Fulford carried the Georgia Southern golf team to a 10th place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional posting three sub-par rounds in the tournament at the Red Tail Golf Club. Fulford carded his lowest round on the final day of competition Saturday (May 16), recording a 5-under par 66 to finish fifth in the tournament as Georgia Southern made a run for a top five finish shooting a 9-under 275 on the day. The Eagles shaved six strokes off its second round scorecard and marked the lowest round of the season for the team that finished the tournament with an 847 (-5) total.
“I’m happy with our performance the last two days. After the first day, we could have just packed it up. But we didn’t and I’m proud of the guys for going out and grinding the last two days. We shot 12-under for the final two rounds,” said head coach Larry Mays. “We really redeemed ourselves after our opening round. We stumbled out of the gates on the first day, but dug hard and looked real hard inside. We proved we have some character by going out, playing hard and putting up some good rounds.”
UCF held first place for the entirety of the tournament, finishing 34-under par. UCF, along with Georgia, Arizona, South Carolina and Iowa represented the top five of the Regional and earned the advancement to the NCAA Championship to be held May 26-30 in Toledo, Ohio. In addition, Corey Nagy of Charlotte earned the individual advancement, finishing fourth at 9-under 204.
For the Eagles, Fulford displayed his best showing in the final round with a 5-under par 66, marking a collegiate career low round for the Rocky Mount, N.C. native. Fulford fired off an eagle on the 526-yard, par 5 hole four to spark his flawless performance. The Eagle carried a -2 tally through hole 15 before consecutive birdies pushed him to 4-under on the back nine.
Fulford responded to a bogey on four by launching two birdies on his final three holes to finish 5-under for the day. The Eagle finished the tournament with a collegiate low three-day total 8-under 205 as he jumped from a 15th-place tie after two rounds to finish solely in fifth place. Fulford missed an individual NCAA Championship advancement by one stroke.
“Spence played a great tournament, just missing a nationals bid. But this performance should give him confidence through the summer and going in to next year,” said Mays.
Sophomore Joe Monte fired off a personal best tournament round 68 (-3) thanks to five birdies, three on the back nine. Monte launched birdies on the first and final holes of the front half sandwiched around a double bogey. The Chantilly, Virginia native turned at 3-under and secured his 68 with an even-par front half. The Eagle shaved off seven strokes from his opening round to finish tied for 44th on the leader board with a 2-over 215.
Senior Boca Raton, Fla. native Ryan LeFevre also showed his best round on the final day, posting a sub-par 1-under 70. The Eagle opened the day with a birdie on hole 10 and finished the back nine at 1-under with a bogey on 12 followed by a birdie on 17. LeFevre finished strong on the front half with seven pars, one bogey and a birdie on hole 7 to secure a 1-under tally. Completing the tournament at 7-over 220, LeFevre jumped nine spots to finish in a 60th place tie.
Logan Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.) turned in a tournament total even-par 213 with an even slate Saturday. The sophomore’s final round composed of five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey alongside nine pars. Blondell was 3-under on the back nine, but stumbled on the front to finish +3 to balance out the even-par tally. The sophomore secured a tie for 38th place with his three rounds.
Senior Drew Lethem completed the competing five Eagles for Georgia Southern in the Regional. Lethem shot a 1-over 72 final round as he pared every hole except bogeys on holes 3 and 11 and a birdie on 17. The Camdenton, Missouri native was 216 (+3) for the tournament, finishing in a 47th place tie on the leader board.
The NCAA Southeast Regional marked the eighth overall appearance by Georgia Southern in an NCAA Regional and seventh in the nine season tenure of head coach Larry Mays. The Eagles finished the 2008-09 season with the regional. The season witnessed three tournament crowns, three individual titles, a second place finish at the Southern Conference Championship, the SoCon Player of the Year in Logan Blondell, the SoCon Coach of the Year and the eighth NCAA Regional bid.
“Overall it was a good year. We competed hard all year and really did some good things in the right direction. This was one of the best groups of guys I’ve been around in years. We had a lot of fun this year. It was a very rewarding year.”
NCAA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL ? TEAM RESULTS
1.UCF 268-277-273=818 (-34)
T2.Georgia 282-275-272=829 (-23)
T2. Arizona 270-277-282=829 (-23)
T2. South Carolina 273-287-269=829 (-23)
5. Iowa, U. of 283-278-276=837 (-15)
6. Florida State 277-286-280=843 (-9)
T7. Charlotte 273-285-286=844 (-8)
T7. Georgia State 282-280-282=844 (-8)
9. Kentucky, U. of 281-279-285=845 (-7)
10. Georgia Southern 291-281-275=847 (-5)
11. Augusta State 282-293-279=854 +2)
12. Indiana Univ. 294-284-277=855 (+3)
13. Campbell 293-281-288=862 (+10)
14. Loyola College 284-302-302=888 (+36)
NCAA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL ? GEORGIA SOUTHERN RESULTS
5. Spencer Fulford 70-69-66=205 (-8)
T38. Logan Blondell 73-69-71=213 (E)
T44. Joe Monte 75-72-68=215 (+2)
T47. Drew Lethem 73-71-72=216 (+3)
T60. Ryan LeFevre 77-73-70=220 (+7)