Oklahoma State won its record 12th NCAA Regional title
(Oklahoma State photo)
AUSTIN, TX (May 17, 2017)--What better way to exact revenge on a conference rival than by beating them on their home course?
Oklahoma State did exactly that on Wednesday, coming from behind to clip the Texas Longhorns by two shots at the University of Texas Golf Club in the NCAA South Central Regional.
The Longhorns entered the day with a four shot lead over the Cowboys, whom they had beaten weeks earlier at Prairie Dunes in Kansas. Then, it was Texas who came from behind in the final round to win their fifth straight Big 12 Championship.
But Oklahoma State put together four rounds in the 60s, led by Zachary Olsen, Viktor Hovland and Zach Bouchou with 67s and Kristoffer Ventura with a 69. Texas also played well,
with Scottie Scheffler shooting 66 and second-round leader Doug Ghim posting a 67, but two Longhorns bogeyed the final hole and in the end that was the difference.
Scores were low at UT Golf Club as the course was set up for lots of birdies and an exciting finish. Ten of the fourteen teams in the field broke par, and 25 players shot in the 60s. But as low as the scores were, one stood out above the rest.
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Nick Voke
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Nick Voke of Iowa State absolutely torched the UT Golf Club, firing a course-record 10-under 61 that beat the field by four shots and included eight birdies and an eagle. Voke, who also had the low round on day two with a 67, must have been thinking 59 as he needed to birdie the final two holes to get to that magical number. In the end, lapped the field with a 54-hole score of 14-under 199 and a five shot win over Doug Ghim of Texas.
Voke's round was joined by three other rounds in the 60s for the Cyclones, who posted a tournament-low 21-under-par 263 which put them in third and safely through to the NCAA Championship.
Ole Miss started the day inside the top five, and produced a solid six-under 278 that put them in fourth and on to the championship.
The low five teams and the low individual not on a qualifying team advance to the NCAA Championship, to be held at Rich Harvest Farms in Elk Grove, IL, May 26-31.
Going into the final round, the race for the top five was tight. Arizona State took a three shot lead over the College of Charleston for the fifth and final spot into the championship, with North Carolina State, Wake Forest, and Georgia Southern all just another shot back. Will Zalatoris of Wake Forest and Steven Fisk of Georgia Southern were the low individuals not otherwise on a qualifying team, at one-under 141.
The College of Charleston faded with a 289, as did Georgia Southern with a 292. Wake Forest (eight-under 276) and North Carolina State (seven-under 277) tried to make a move, but Arizona State matched them, shooting an eight-under 276 with four under-par scores. The Sun Devils advanced as the fifth place team, four shots clear of Wake Forest.
Zalatoris was able to secure the lone individual qualifying spot with a 69 for a three-under 210 total, one shot ahead of Jacob McBride of North Carolina State. Fisk shot 71 to finish two behind Zalatoris.
The folowing teams and individual advanced to the NCAA Championship:
- Oklahoma State, Texas, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Arizona State
- Will Zalatoris, Wake Forest
ABOUT THE NCAA Division I Central Regional
54 hole men's NCAA Regional from which the
low
teams advance to the NCAA Championship.
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