Steady Kansas one of seven Big 12 schools in men’s golf finals
In becoming one of four Big 12 schools to win one of the six NCAA men’s golf regionals and one of seven Big 12 schools to advance to the finals, Kansas was a model of steadiness and consistency.
KU’s team score for the three days was -7, -6, -7. For comparison purposes, second-place Stanford scored -3, -5, -11. All five KU golfers finished in the top 23 in the 75-man regional. Stanford had just two in the top 23.
Eleven of the 13 teams in the Pacific Regional in Stockton, California, had at least one eagle during the tournament. Kansas and Southern California were the lone exceptions.
All 15 rounds played by KU’s five golfers fell in the 67-to-74 range and 11 of the 15 were in the 69-to-72 range.
| Name | Class | Hometown | NCAA Regional score | NCAA Regional tidbits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Spencer | Sophomore | Leawood | 69-69-70–208 | 3.77 average on par-4 holes lowest in regional. |
| Daniel Sutton | Senior | Birmingham, England | 67-73-71–211 | Opening-day 67 team’s best score for tournament. |
| Charlie Hillier | Junior | Te Puke, New Zealand | 72-73-69–214 | KU’s low scorer on final day. |
| Harry Hillier | Freshman | Te Puke, New Zealand | 74-69-72–215 | Averaged team-best 4.5 on par-5 holes. |
| Daniel Hudson | Senior | Lagrange, Illinois | 73-71-71–215 | Team-best 1-under on par-3 holes. |
The regional round of tournament amounted to a resounding endorsement for the Big 12.
Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State won a regional, and Baylor, Iowa State and Texas Tech also will be among the field of 30 at the NCAA men’s golf championships at Oklahoma State’s home course, Karsten Creek, May 25-30.
This is the first time the Big 12 has had seven schools advance to the finals. TCU, which finished eighth in the Pacific Regional won by Kansas, was the only Big 12 school in the NCAA tournament that did not advance.
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