Lobos Advance to NCAA Championships with Third Place Regional Finish
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –– The New Mexico men’s golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship for the third straight season with a third-place finish at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The Lobos shot 12-under during Wednesday’s final round at Seminole Legacy Golf Club to finish third at 14-under, earning one of the five tickets to the finals.
The NCAA Championship will be held May 23-28 at OMNI La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., and will feature a field 30 teams, the top five finishers from each of this week’s six regionals. The Lobos will be making their 45th overall appearance at the NCAA Championship.
Joining the Lobos at La Costa from the Tallahassee Regional are Florida State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Augusta. The host Seminoles won the regional at 29-under, with Ole Miss second at 20-under. The Lobos were third at 14-under, while Georgia was fourth at 7-under and Augusta was fifth at 3-under.
“The guys played great and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” said head coach Jake Harrington. “They accepted the challenge. I told them to go win the day. We were one shot off of doing that, but it sure feels like we did. It is a great feeling to go back to La Costa. Carson, our senior, gets to finish his career the right way. We needed the entire team. Clark didn’t have his best game today, but he kept us in position over the first two days. The other guys stepped up today, and that’s what we needed.”
The Lobos opened the day in fourth place at 2-under, before shooting 12-under during the final round, one shot off the best round of the day. UNM’s four scoring players shot 9-under over final nine holes, combining for nine birdies and no bogeys.
New Mexico was led on Wednesday by Carson Herron and Mesa Falleur, who each shot a final round 4-under 68. Herron was the Lobos’ top individual finisher, coming in T-11th on the individual leaderboard at 3-under. Wyatt Provence also had a top-20 individual finish, coming in T-16th at 2-under after shooting a final round 3-under 69. Oliver Cage also shot in red numbers on Wednesday, carding a final round 71. Clark Sonnenberg rounded out the lineup with a 79 in the final round.
The field of 30 will play the first three rounds of the NCAA Championship May 23-25 at OMNI La Costa Resort and Spa. The top 15 teams will make the cut and play the final round of stroke play on May 26. The top eight teams from stroke play will advance to match play, which will crown the national champion. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be May 27 and the final on May 28. Golf Channel will televise the action live for the final three days (Monday-Wednesday).