Georgia Southern headed to NCAA Championship

Nationals will be held June 1-6 in Chattanooga at The Honors Course.

 

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Georgia Southern saved the best for last. On the final day of the NCAA Southeast Regional, the Eagles carded their lowest round of the tournament with a 2-over 282 and finished tied for fourth place, earning one of the five coveted spots advancing them to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Championship will be held June 1-6 at The Honors Course.

 

This is the fourth team advancement to nationals for Georgia Southern under head coach Larry Mays and the 19th overall, including individual and team appearances. The last advancement to the championship occurred in to 2005.

 

“It was a special day and it feels great,” said Mays. “I challenged the guys last night and told them we needed all of them in the ballgame today. And they all stepped up. We’ve been talking about having that special round all year and to do it on a day we needed it more than ever was extremely special.”

 

On the final day of competition, Georgia Southern shaved 11 strokes off its second round score and jumped from eighth place into a highly sought-after top five finish. The Eagles, teeing off on the back nine for the final round, were led by  a senior, junior and freshman over the final 18, each carding even par 70s. The final two Eagles rounding out the lineup posted 2-over 72s for the best GS round of the tournament at the Capital City Crabapple Golf Club, a par 70, 7,137 yard course.

 

For the tournament, Georgia Southern collected a team total 863 (+23). Tying with Arizona State for fourth, the Eagles and Sun Devils will be joined by No. 1 seeded Oklahoma State, Clemson and host Georgia Tech, advancing to the national stage in Chattanooga.

 

Contending for the top spot on the individual leaderboard all tournament, Logan Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.) took second place with a 2-under par 208. Going off the tenth tee, Blondell took the turn at 1-under using two bogeys supplemented with three birdies. The junior moved to even with a bogey on hole three and parred the remainder of the course for a solid finish. Blondell finished only two strokes behind the top individual, Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State, using rounds of 69-69-70.

 

Senior Spence Fulford (Rocky Mount, N.C) claimed part of 27th place using three rounds of 2-over 72s. Fulford carded his final round with a 2-over front nine and even back nine after swapping a birdie and bogey on holes five and six. He launched birdies on holes five and 13.

 

Recording a nearly flawless round, freshman Florian Sander (Bregenz, Austria) improved each round, slicing five strokes from day one. Sander hit a birdie on 13 before moving back to even with a bogey two holes later. The Eagle then parred the next seven holes before trading a birdie and bogey on five and six, remaining even. The freshman closed out the round with three pars to finish tied for 36th.

 

Matt Deal (Statesboro, Ga.) sandwiched two rounds of 2-over 72 around a second round 79. Deal fired a birdie on 13 and recorded two bogeys over the final three holes on the front nine for a 2-over tally. The senior proceeded to par the course for his final score and a tie for 58th.

 

The final competitor for Georgia Southern finished tied for 65th showing the most improvement on the final day. Senior Ryan Zabroske (Alpharetta, Ga.) shaved 10 strokes off his second round with a 70 on the day three. Zabroske owned three birdies and three bogeys on the round. Standing at even through two holes on the back nine, the senior erased consecutive bogeys with consecutive birdies on holes five and six to move back to even par.

 

“A lot of teams faltered today, but we stayed strong. We had a nice crowd here supporting us and we put together one of the best rounds as a team this tournament,” stated Mays. “We have a special group of guys this year and I’m extremely proud of them. We’ve accomplished so many things both on and off the course -- it feels great to bring this team to nationals. We’ve been close all year to getting that special round and today it all came together.”

 

 

 

 

Furman finishes 11th at NCAA Southeast Regional, Reeves cards final-round 67

 

Alpharetta, Ga. -- Junior Austin Reeves fired a final round three-under par 67 to help the Furman men’s golf team to a share of 11th place at the NCAA Southeast Regional at the Capital City Club’s par-70, 7,182-yard Crabapple Course on Saturday.

 

Reeves (79-72-67=218), a Greenville, S.C., native and Eastside High School product, birdied three of his final six holes to propel Furman to an eight-over 288.  After shooting 79 in the opening round, Reeves played the final two rounds at one-under par.

 

Senior Daniel Bowden (71-73-72=216) capped the 54-hole tournament with a two-over 72 to finish at six-over in his final collegiate event.  The Easley, S.C., native tallied birdies at No. 5 and No. 8 for the Paladins who started the final round on the back nine.

 

Anthony Aloi (77-79-74=230) carded a final round 74 and Garland Ferrell and Jack Ulrich each shot 75 to round out the Paladins third round scores.

 

Furman (292-294-288=874), which carded its best round of the three-day event, finished one tied with Coastal Carolina (293-302-279=874) for the 11th spot on the 13-team field one stroke behind Mississippi and five strokes back of ninth place Wake Forest.

 

Oklahoma State (282-282-277=841) claimed the regional title by two strokes over second place Clemson (283-278-282=843) with Georgia Tech (287-286-272=845) capturing third place.  Arizona State and Georgia Southern edged Brigham Young by a single stroke to secure a tie for fifth and earn the final two spots advancing to the NCAA Championship June 1-6, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

 

Peter Uihlein (68-70-68=206) of Oklahoma State captured individual medalist honors at four-under par.  

 

Full results and statistics available at www.golfstatresults.com.

 

T11     Furman          292     294     288     874

T26     Daniel Bowden   71      73      72      216

T35     Austin Reeves           79      72      67      218

T49     Garland Ferrell 69      77      75      221

T53     Jack Ulrich             75      72      75      222

T72     Anthony Aloi            77      79      74      230

 

Three Chattanooga seniors complete careers at NCAA Southwest Regional

Four-year seniors Derek Rende and Fredrik Qvicker (Quicker) along with third-year senior and recent graduate J.T. Clendenin ended a sterling run

 

SANTEE, Calif. --- A sad reality sank in for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team at the NCAA Southwest Regional Saturday afternoon.  It had very little to do with its dream to finish in the top five and play in the National Championship at The Honors Course June 1-6.  No, it went a little deeper.

 

Three seniors who will each leave their mark on the program played their final collegiate round.  Derek Rende and Fredrik Qvicker started their careers at UTC while J.T. Clendenin transferred in three years ago.

 

“You talk about impact,” said head coach Mark Guhne.  “When Derek and Freddy started here in the fall of 2006, we had not been to regionals and the program had just one Southern Conference title (1987).  After four years...four regionals, three SoCon championships and one trip to the finals.

 

“J.T. came on board in 2007 and with his strong play in the Spring of 2008, we make it into the top 15 in the nation,” added Guhne.  “I am so proud of all three of these men and it goes deeper than golf.  They are great young men and it’s been a privilege to get to work with them, watch them grow and succeed.”

 

It was not the way the team wanted to end the season as it finished 12th with a 54-hole total of 912.  That was four shots out of the top 10 behind Missouri and Arizona at 908.

 

No. 1 Oregon (870) won the regional with a two-under 286 today providing a 10-shot cushion over No. 13 Augusta State at 880.  Cal, No. 12 UNLV and No. 24 Tennessee tied for third at 886 and rounded out the qualifying teams for championship week in Chattanooga.

 

Rende and Steven Fox tied for the Mocs’ low final round with 76s (+4).  Fox, a true freshman, led Chattanooga overall ending up tied for 21st (223).  Rende (228) tied for 49th.

 

Sophomore Stephan Jaeger, the SoCon Player of the Year, tied for 45th after a 79 gave him a total of 227.  Qvicker (234) and Clendenin (248) tied for 63rd and 74th, respectively.

 

Nick Delio of Cal State Northridge not only won medalist honors shooting 213 (-3), but he also claimed the individual berth for nationals.  He won the regional by a stroke over Oregon’s Daniel Miernicki (214).  Jared Becher of Nevada and Tarquin McManus of Arizona were runners-up to Delio for the individual nod finishing at even-par, 216.

 

“It’s sad to say goodbye, but that’s part of life,” Guhne said.  “They will go on to bigger and better things and we will continue to root them on and support them.  They’ve put this program on the map and I am excited about the level of players we are bringing in to build upon their legacy.”

 

LEADERBOARD

1) No. 1 Oregon	294-290-286	870 (+6)
2) No. 13 Augusta State	303-286-291	880 (+16)
T3) Cal	294-292-291	886 (+22)
T3) No. 12 UNLV	294-294-298	886 (+22)
T3) No. 24 Tennessee	294-296-296	886 (+22)
6) UCF	295-301-297	893 (+29)
T7) New Mexico State	296-302-297	895 (+31)
T8) San Diego State	304-294-301	899 (+35)
T8) UC Irvine	303-297-301	899 (+35)
T10) Missouri	300-302-306	908 (+44)
T10) Arizona	307-297-304	908 (+44)
12) Chattanooga	304-299-309	912 (+48)
13) Oral Roberts	304-302-317	923 (+59)
Mocs:
T21) Steven Fox	75-72-76	223 (+7)
T45) Stephan Jaeger	74-74-79	227 (+11)
T49) Derek Rende	79-73-76	228 (+12)
T63) Fredrik Qvicker	76-80-78	234 (+18)
T74) J.T. Clendenin	82-87-79	248 (+32)

 

 

Wofford men’s golfers conclude competition at NCAA Southeast Regional

ATLANTA, Ga. – Men’s golfers Mark Joye and Garrett Medeiros finished competition at the NCAA Southeast Regional in Atlanta on Saturday.

Freshman Joye turned in his best round of the weekend with a score of 72 in the third and final 18 holes. His final score of 227 put him 67th individually. Senior Medeiros carded a 74 on Saturday for a three-round total of 219, tying for 41st individually. By competing in the tournament, Joye and Medeiros became the first golfers in Wofford history to advance to an NCAA Regional tournament.

Oklahoma State, paced by individual medalist Peter Uihlein, played consistent golf for the third straight day to win the NCAA Southeast Regional here Saturday at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course.

The Cowboys, the regional’s No. 1 seed, won an NCAA regional for a record eighth time and lead a group of five teams from the Southeast Regional that will advance to the NCAA Championships June 1-6 at The
Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The biggest suspense in the individual race came once the team and individual champion had been determined. Brigham Young’s Robbie Fillmore beat Mississippi’s Jonathan Randolph on the fifth hole of a sudden death playoff to advance as an individual to the NCAA Championships. The top individual from each regional, from a team that did not qualify, advances to the NCAA Championships.

For complete individual and team scores, go to www.golfstat.com.