Florida Gators
NCAA Regional Championship
Florida Men’s Golf Headed to NCAA Championship
Saturday, May 16, 2015 | Men's Golf
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of Florida men's golf team posted the second-lowest team score in the final round of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Saturday to guarantee its spot in the National Championship Tournament. The Gators shot 6-under 282 on Saturday to finish -9 (855) and in fourth place, as the top-five squads advanced.
A.J. Crouch opened the day with three straight birdies. He went on to finish with an even-par 72 for the day and a score of 3-under 213 for the tournament. His tie for ninth place marks his fourth top-10 performance of the season.
For the 10th time this year, J.D. Tomlinson earned a spot among the top 25. He shot -1 (71) on Saturday to finish tied for 13th with a total of 2-under 214.
After recording a +2 (74) in Round 3, Ryan Celano earned a share of 32nd place. His total of +2 (218) marked the freshman's best to-par tournament score of the year.
Ryan Orr carded his career-best round on Saturday, firing a 4-under 68 and recording an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. Like Celano, he finished tied for 32nd at +2 (218).
The third round of the NCAA Regional Championship was Eric Banks' best, as he shot a 1-under 71 to finish +5 (221).
Charlotte won the event with a 19-under 845, while Stanford's Maverick McNealy won the individual contest with a 9-under 207.
The low five teams and the low individual from a non-advancing team from each of the six regional sites advance to the NCAA Championship, which will be held May 29-June 3 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Florida joins Charlotte, Stanford, Florida State and Clemson as the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional teams headed to Bradenton. Western Carolina's J.T. Poston will make the trip to compete as an individual after winning a two-hole playoff against Dawson Armstrong of Lipscomb. The pair tied for second with a 7-under 209.
Head Coach JC Deacon:
On qualifying for the National Championship tournament:
“I don't even know how to put it. We've come so far from that first tournament where we were in last place after the first round by 12 shots. So much dedication and hard work and time has gone into this, and I'm just so happy for the guys, especially for the seniors getting to play in a national championship their last year and the freshmen getting to play in their first, and A.J. (Crouch) and Ryan (Orr) getting to play in their first, too.”
On Ryan Orr's team-best and career-best performance in Round 3:
“We've been kind of frustrated – both of us – all year because we couldn't really figure out why he wasn't breaking through because he was playing so well at home and doing everything he needed to do to shoot the scores. They just weren't showing up in tournaments. He just stuck with it, showed resilience and played his best round as a Gator on the most important day as a Gator.”
On qualifying for the NCAA Championship for the first time as head coach:
“I don't even know how to explain it. You get so caught up in the process and doing what you can do and control that when it happens and everything goes your way, it's so nice. I'm really happy for the guys. We all put a lot of time and effort into this and it's nice when you get results and positive feedback out of it. I'm just happy for The Gator Nation, and the future of this program is very encouraging.”
The Orange and Blue Crew:
| NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship – Florida Players After Round 2 | ||
| Place | Player | Score |
| T9. | -3 (69-72-72-213) | |
| T13. | -2 (70-73-71-214) | |
| T32. | +2 (69-75-74-218) | |
| T32. | +2 (73-77-68-218) | |
| T49. | +5 (78-72-71-221) | |
Tournament Field Results:
| NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship – | ||
| Place | Team | Score |
| 1. | Charlotte* | -19 (275-291-279-845) |
| 2. | Stanford* | -14 (290-275-285-850) |
| 3. | Florida State* | -11 (284-286-283-853) |
| 4. | FLORIDA* | -9 (281-292-282-855) |
| 5. | Clemson* | -5 (284-291-284-859) |
| 6. | Kennesaw State | +2 (287-286-293-866) |
| 7. | McNeese State | +3 (296-284-287-867) |
| 8. | North Carolina | +6 (286-289-295-870) |
| 9. | GRU Augusta | +7 (292-286-293-871) |
| 10. | Wake Forest | +10 (294-288-292-874) |
| 11. | Penn State | +15 (292-298-289-879) |
| 12. | Loyola – Maryland | +27 (300-293-298-891) |
| 13. | Miami (OH) | +33 (297-297-303-897) |
*Denotes teams advancing to the NCAA Championship
| NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship – | ||
| Place | Player (School) | Score |
| 1. | Maverick McNealy (Stanford) | -9 (70-67-70-207) |
| T2. | Dawson Armstrong (Lipscomb) | -7 (72-72-65-209) |
| T2. | J.T. Poston (Western Carolina)* | -7 (68-68-73-209) |
| T4. | Thomas Rowland (Charlotte) | -6 (71-72-67-210) |
| T4. | Victor Wiggins (Charlotte) | -6 (68-74-68-210) |
| T4. | Jimmy Beck (Kennesaw State) | -6 (71-70-69-210) |
| T7. | Austin Langdale (Clemson) | -5 (72-68-71-211) |
| T7. | Jack Maguire (Florida State) | -5 (70-69-72-211) |
| T9. | Billy Kennerly (Clemson) | -3 (67-74-72-213) |
| T9. | A.J. Crouch (FLORIDA) | -3 (69-72-72-213) |
| T9. | Cristobal Del Solar (Florida State) | -3 (72-73-68-213) |
| T9. | Hank Lebioda (Florida State) | -3 (69-73-71-213) |
*Denotes the golfer advancing to the NCAA Championship as an individual
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