ETSU finishes seventh at NCAA San Diego Regional, Kristjansson on to NCAA Championship
SAN DIEGO – It was a bittersweet day for junior Gudmundur Kristjansson and the ETSU men’s golf team.
Kristjansson advanced to the NCAA Championship after finishing in sixth place at 3-under-par 213, but the Buccaneers missed the cut after dropping to seventh in the final round of the San Diego Regional on Saturday afternoon at The Farms Golf Club.
Kristjansson, the first ETSU men’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA Championship since Rhys Enoch in 2010, advanced out of the regional after placing as the top individual from a non-qualifying team. The Buccaneer junior, who totaled 11 birdies in the 54 holes this weekend, registered three on the front nine in Saturday’s final round but posted three bogeys on the back nine to finish at 1-over 73. Kristjansson held off Wichita State’s Grant Bennett, Mississippi’s Blake Morris and St. Mary’s Perry Cohen to finish as the top golfer from a non-advancing team as the trio finished 2-under-par 214 for the tournament.
Kristjansson will be heading to Bradenton, Fla., individually, as ETSU – who began the day in fourth place and was sitting in second midway through the final round – shot 9-over down the stretch to finish 16-over-par 880 (289-294-297) for the regional. In the end, the Bucs missed the cut by six strokes, as No. 25 Virginia was the last team in at 10-over-par 874.
Oklahoma won the regional after finishing the three-day tournament at 21-under-par 843 (284-275-284), while No. 3 Arizona State, No. 10 Georgia Tech and No. 29 Georgia also finished in the top five to secure spots in the NCAA Championship. The 14th-ranked Sooners shot a 4-under 284 in the final round and the Sun Devils carded the lowest round of the day at 6-under 282.
Arizona State’s Jon Rahm began the day in first place and never relinquished his lead as he earned medalist honors after finishing at 10-under-par 206 (73-64-69). Rahm, the No. 2-ranked golfer nationally, held off Oklahoma’s Max McGreevy and Michael Gellerman by two shots.
Meanwhile, senior Rhys Pugh led the Blue and Gold on Saturday as the Welshman fired a 2-under 70 in his final collegiate round and tied for 40th at 8-over-par 224 (81-73-70).
Juniors Chris Hickman and Adrian Meronk, along with sophomore Mateusz Gradecki, all posted a 5-over 77 in the final round. Meronk, the 16th-ranked golfer, tied for 49th (9-over-par 225), while Gradecki tied for 55th (10-over-par 226) and Hickman tied for 57th at 12-over-par 228.
The NCAA Championship is held May 29-June 3 at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Western Carolina’s Poston finishes second, moves to NCAA Championship
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Western Carolina senior J.T. Poston rallied on the 54th hole of regulation Saturday afternoon to move into a tie for the final qualifying position for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, forcing a sudden-death playoff with Lipscomb’s Dawson Armstrong. Two holes later, the Catamount senior had made WCU school history.
After both individual competitors shot par on the first playoff hole, Poston was a stroke better than Armstrong on the second hole with a bogey to become the first Catamount men’s golfer to advance out of the regional event to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
On the decisive second playoff hole, both Poston and Armstrong hit into the bunker off the tee. With the green protected by a water hazard, Poston pulled it left of the green but Armstrong hit it into the water. Once on the dance floor, Poston two-putted to win the playoff.
Both Poston and Armstrong, playing as individuals, finished behind medalist Maverick McNealy (207) of Stanford, the top-ranked golfer in the nation according to GolfStat rankings. The top-finishing individual not on one of the five qualifying teams earns a berth in the championship tournament.
Poston finished the Chapel Hill Regional tournament regulation in a tie for the runner-up spot, the best-ever by a Catamount men’s golfer. His second-place showing surpassed Matt Cook’s 14th-place tie back in the 2008 NCAA East Regional. Poston’s three-day score of 7-under-par 209 was one stroke shy of Cook’s program-low of 208 carded in the 2008 regional.
The 2015 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship is scheduled for May 29 through June 3 at The Concessions Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Poston sat in the lone individual transfer spot for much of the three-round event, leading after 36 holes with the WCU’s second-best two-round score at an NCAA postseason event (168). However, four bogeys on the final day coupled with the tremendous last round of 7-under-par 65 carded by Armstrong, Poston came down the stretch amongst three looking to be the top individual.
Poston opened Saturday’s final round on the back nine in the last pairing for a second consecutive day. He bookended his opening nine holes with bogeys, charting a birdie on the par-4 11th to make the turn at 1-over-par. After four straight holes of even-par on the front nine, a third bogey of his final round moved him to 2-over-par and into a tie for third in the individual standings.
Not wanting his collegiate career to come to a close, Poston birdied the par-5 sixth to pull back into a tie for the transfer position at 7-under-par. Yet, a fourth bogey on the par-3 eighth set up high drama for the Hickory, N.C., product, as he needed a birdie or better on the final hole of his round to at least tie Armstrong to force a playoff. Under pressure, Poston got the needed birdie on the final hole to move back into the second position on the leaderboard, tied with Armstrong to force the extra holes.
For Poston, Saturday’s playoff marked the second consecutive tournament in which he had to go to beyond regulation to determine the outcome. At the 2015 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship, Poston sank a long birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to claim consecutive conference individual medalist honors.
In second place entering the final 18 holes, No. 50 Charlotte rallied with a 9-under-par final round to claim the regional tournament team championship by five strokes over 11th-ranked Stanford, 845-850. Top-ranked Florida State finished third, eight strokes off the lead at 853, with No. 37 Florida (855) and No. 36 Clemson (859) rounding out the top five teams, each advancing into the NCAA Championship field.
Mercer’s Rule wraps up career at NCAA Chapel Hill Regional
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Mercer University standout Trey Rule put the finishing touches on his collegiate career, as he wrapped up play at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional on Saturday afternoon.
The Eatonton, Ga., native finished collegiate career as arguably the greatest golfer in program history. He became the first Mercer player to make three straight NCAA Regional appearances, while also earning the program’s inaugural All-America honor. A three-time all-conference selection, Rule was named the 2014 Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Year.
The senior carded a 3-over-par 75 in the final round of the event to finish 58th overall. He opened the day with his best start of the weekend, recording a birdie on the par-4 11th hole, but would finish his first nine holes with a double-bogey and a bogey. Rule picked up a pair of birdies to start the back nine before ending his round with a bogey and a double-bogey for a 1-over 37 in the final nine holes of play.
Charlotte claimed the team title, while Stanford, Florida State, Florida and Clemson also advanced to the next round of play. Western Carolina’s JT Poston was named the individual qualifier after defeating Lipscomb’s Dawson Armstrong in a playoff.