The Auburn men’s golf team will compete in the NCAA Championship May 28-31 after finishing sixth in the NCAA East Regional.
The event will be held at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, Kampen Course in West Lafayette, Ind.
“Five of the guys going to the Championship have seen the course before,” Auburn Coach Ryan Cabbage said. “This gives the players a good comfort level, and they are able to practice with the course in mind. They are able to prepare accordingly, and this leads to confidence.”
The 7,431 yard, par 72 course was ranked one of the best in the nation for collegiate play.
The NCAA East Regional tournament was held at Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. May 15-17.
Of the 27 teams competing for a spot at the Championship, only the top 10 were chosen.
“I felt good about our play at regionals,” senior Steven Groover said. “We played solid and did what we went there to do, and that was to qualify for the National Championship.”
Dense fog delayed play for over two hours, but the Tigers came out ready.
Auburn finished with a final round of 282 after three days of play.
“We have been preparing for this Championship since the moment we left the NCAA’s last year. We are ready to compete and give it everything we’ve got,” junior Glenn Northcutt said.
Northcutt finished 6 under at Regionals, tied for eighth individually.
Northcutt has the second lowest career regional strokes average in Auburn history at 91.44.
The Tigers came in to the final round at 10-under-par.
Senior Gordon Strother’s eagle on the fifth hole and Northcutt’s on the 11th put the Tigers in qualifying position.
Helping to hold Auburn at 12 under, Seniors Patton Kizzire and Gordon Strother gave the Tigers three pars and two birdies in the final round, with a finish of 23rd and 65th respectively.
Senior Jay Moseley, a First Team All-SEC selection, finished 47th overall (69-214).
“We are really excited about being able to compete in the championship,” Moseley said. “Four of us are seniors, so this will be our last chance. We have put in a lot of work the last couple of years, so we will give it our best and see what happens.”
Moseley and Kizzire also recently made it into sectional qualification for the U.S. Open.
A total of 29 other teams, including fellow East Regional qualifiers Georgia, Mississippi State and UAB, will compete for the Championship title this week.
Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.
