As a two-time runner-up within the State Newbie, College of Utah golfer Blake Tomlinson is understood for coming shut in large occasions. Tomlinson did it once more Wednesday, when his top-10 end in an NCAA regional match contributed to some of the significant performances at school historical past.
The Utes positioned fifth, six strokes forward of their closest pursuers, to say the final berth within the NCAA Championship awarded on the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Membership in Norman, Okla. Utah superior to the NCAA finals for the primary time since 1988, predating the regional qualifying format.
Utah completed final within the Pac-12 match in every of its first seven years of convention membership, together with Tomlinson’s freshman yr of 2018. The Utes can be one in all 5 Pac-12 faculties within the NCAA finals, because of this system’s outstanding enchancment in coach Garrett Clegg’s six-year tenure.
Making the NCAA finals “has been our aim all yr,” Clegg stated, however “not too long ago we haven’t been enjoying in addition to we might have preferred. [Wednesday] we bought off to a tough begin, however we turned it on within the center stretch of our spherical.”
Clegg stated of Tomlinson, “Blake did an unimaginable job main us this week. He performed nice golf and was rock stable in [the] ultimate spherical.”
(Mark Doescher) After capturing one of many 5 qualifying spots on the 2022 Norman regional, the Utah golf group has reached the NCAA finals for the primary time since 1988.
BYU will go to nationals for the eleventh time in Bruce Brockbank’s 30 years as coach – and the primary time with a five-player lineup of Utah highschool graduates. The Cougars comfortably certified in third place as senior Carson Lundell took medalist honors at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, Calif.
Combine within the Utah ties to regional champions Georgia Tech and Arizona State, and Wednesday ranks as one of many greatest days in native school golf in 40-plus years, since Utah State’s Jay Don Blake was the 1980 NCAA particular person champion and BYU received the ‘81 group title.
The 30-team NCAA Championship begins Might 27 at Grayhawk Golf Membership in Scottsdale, Ariz., with one variable: BYU will tee off by itself the day gone by, quite than compete within the scheduled third spherical on Sunday, resulting from college coverage. The Cougars performed that manner in 2018. What counted as their third spherical turned out to be a lot worse than their scores of the opposite two days they usually tied for twenty sixth place, with a robust group led by Peter Kuest, Patrick Fishburn and Rhett Rasmussen.
The NCAA match begins on a Friday, with 72 holes of stroke play previous the Tuesday-Wednesday match-play portion that accommodates the Golf Channel’s schedule.
Utah’s first look within the NCAA finals in 34 years (the ‘88 group robotically certified because the Western Athletic Convention champion) got here by way of a clutch ultimate spherical in Norman. The Utes began the day with a one-stroke lead over sixth-place South Carolina, which pale with a 5-over-par ultimate spherical.
With 4 of 5 gamers’ scores counting in every spherical, Utah used a 70 from Farmington Excessive College graduate Braxton Watts, a 72 from Tomlinson and 73s by Javier Barcos and Tristan Mandur for an even-par whole. State Am champion Martin Leon closed with a 77, however his opening-round 73 was necessary.
Tomlinson eagled the par-5 No. 18 (his ninth gap) Wednesday after two early bogeys and performed solidly for 3 days. The senior from Skyline HS confirmed his development from a 77-77 end of final Might, when the Utes missed an opportunity to advance of their first regional look since 1992.
In California, Lundell (69-68-68) received the person title by one stroke. The Lone Peak graduate posted an 11-under par whole. David Timmins (69-68-70) of Brighton positioned fourth. The Cougars additionally counted a 69 from Skyline product Tyson Shelley and a 70 from Davis alumnus Cole Ponich within the ultimate spherical. BYU shot 23 beneath par within the final two rounds, utilizing Lone Peak alumnus Max Brenchley’s 70 on Tuesday.
Arizona State, coached by former BYU golfer Matt Thurmond, received the Stockton regional by 10 strokes over Stanford, with BYU one other shot again. Solar Satan freshman Preston Summerhays, a two-time State Newbie winner, posted 72-70-67 to tie for tenth. Huge Sky Convention champion Weber State completed final among the many 14 groups in Stockton.
At Columbus, Ohio, Georgia Tech rallied to tie Oklahoma State for the group title. Weber HS alumnus Connor Howe (73-68-71) tied for seventh individually, ending third amongst his Tech teammates. Bruce Heppler, a graduate of Dixie HS and BYU, is the Yellow Jackets’ longtime coach.
“Simply the 5 scores that we had have been super,” Hepper stated of the ultimate spherical, noting Howe’s comeback from a double bogey. “All people stayed within the recreation the entire day.”
Clegg and Brockbank are additionally homegrown Utahns; every performed golf for the varsity the place he now coaches.