NCAA golf: BYU finishes second at regionals, advances to NCAA finals
Completing a remarkable turnaround, BYU’s men’s golf team finished second at the NCAA Morgan Hill Regional in California on Wednesday to easily qualify for next week’s NCAA Finals.
After standing in ninth place after Monday’s opening round, the WCC tournament champion Cougars rose to fifth on Tuesday and then second on Wednesday, just five shots behind regional champion Mississippi State.
The No. 18 Bulldogs shot 1-under 863, while the No. 43 Cougars finished at 4-over 868; third-place Florida State, ranked No. 7 in the country, shot 871.
Baylor (873) and WCC runner-up Pepperdine (875), ranked sixth, rounded out the top five.
The top five teams from each of the six regionals qualify for the finals May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
However, since BYU does not compete on Sundays for religious reasons, the Cougars will play their “Sunday” round solo on Wednesday, May 25. The NCAA has been making the exemption for BYU’s men’s and women’s golf teams for several years.
Also Wednesday, BYU’s Zac Jones finished in a three-way tie for fourth at 1-under 215. Florida State’s Luke Clanton was medalist of the regional at 6-under 210 after firing three consecutive 70s.
Utah’s Javier Barcos, competing as an individual, finished 8-over and in a four-way tie for 41st.
Wednesday, the Cougars got a significant boost when former Skyline High star Tyson Shelley shot a 4-under 68 after he had struggled a bit the previous two rounds.
They also counted David Timmins’ 71, a 72 by Max Brenchley, and one of the 73s carded by Jones and Carson Lundell. Brenchley tied for 17th, while Timmins and Lundell tied for 20th and Shelley tied for 37th.
Coaches Bruce Brockbank and Todd Miller have it rolling in Provo; this will be BYU’s fourth NCAA Men’s Golf Finals appearance in the last five years.
Meanwhile, at the Las Vegas Regional, two-time Utah State Amateur champion Preston Summerhays placed third at Bear’s Best Golf Club, coming in at 19-under 197. The Sun Devils won the team title.
Utah Valley golfer Brady McKinlay, competing as an individual in the Las Vegas Regional, shot a 9-under 207 to finish tied for 22nd.
Source: Deseret News
