USC Heads South For NCAA Regionals
May 16, 2011 | Men's Golf
May 16, 2011
The No. 17 USC men's golf team, led by 2011 Pac-10 Championships medalist Martin Trainer, 2010 Freshman All-American T.J. Vogel and 2010-11 All-Pac-10 second teamer junior Steve Lim, is coming off the team Pac-10 title as it gets set for the 2011 NCAA San Diego Regional, Thursday through Saturday (May 19-21), at the The Farmers G.C. in Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.
The San Diego region is one of six 13 and 14-team sites. The top five teams from each region will advance to the NCAA Championship final, scheduled for May 31-June 5 at Karsten Creek in Stillwaker, Okla. Oklahoma State is the host for the final.
USC is the No. 3 seed in the 13-team San Diego Regional. The other teams include UCLA, Texas, San Diego, Ohio State, UNLV, North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Tulsa, SMU, Pacific, San Francisco and Cleveland State.
Play will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday and Friday on the par 72, 6,947-yard course and at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday off the 1st and 10th tees.
Live results of the event will be available at Golfstat.com.
The Trojans, under fifth-year head coach Chris Zambri, are looking to qualify for their fifth straight NCAA finals. Featuring a mixture of one junior and a host of sophomores and freshmen in the regular starting lineup, USC has posted four consecutive top 3 finishes, including wins in two of the past three events.
Two weeks ago, USC won its Pac-10-best 19th team title with a playoff win over Oregon while sophomore Martin Trainer captured Troy's 21st individual crown with a seven-hole playoff win. The Trojans' other win this season came in a 14-stroke victory at the 2011 ASU Thunderbird Invitational, its first team title since 2009. Four Trojans finished in the top seven, led by freshman Jeffrey Kang, who was third.
In addition to the two recent wins, USC claimed third at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play and was second at the Western Intercollegiate.
USC's 2011 Pac-10 Honors
With his 2011 Pac-10 title and three April top 5 finishes, sophomore Martin Trainer not only earned All-Pac-10 first team honors last week but was also tabbed the Pac-10s April Golfer of the month. Joining him on the Pac-10 team were second teamers junior Steve Lim and freshman Jeffrey Kang and honorable mention selection sophomores Sam Smith and T.J. Vogel.
Player Updates
Sophomore Martin Trainer is USC's hottest golfer and is coming off of a win at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships, his fifth top 10 finish this year and his third straight in the top 5. He leads the team in stroke average (72.32) and his eight rounds in the 60s are tied for team high ... He had to go seven playoff holes to win his first collegiate title at the 2011 Pac-10s, sinking a five-foot putt to force extra holes not only for himself but for USC as well. Then, on the seventh consecutive trip down the 18th hole, his seventh straight par was finally good enough to win his playoff against Oregon State's Alex Moore. He finished regulation play at 5-under 275 (68-68-69-70) ... In addition to winning the individual title and helping USC take the team title, he also earned an amateur's exemption into the PGA Tour's Reno-Tahoe Open in August ... He warmed up for the Pac-10s by tyinf for fourth at the ASU Thunderbird, where he carded a 4-under 209 (74-66-69), and tying for fifth at the Western Intercollegiate at even 210 (70-69-71). His 66 at the Thunderbird was a season best. He also had two top 10 results in the fall, a tie for seventh at the Gifford Intercollegiate at 2-over 215 (73-70-72) and a tie for eighth at the Bill Cullum Invitational at even 216 (71-71-74). He also tied for 21st at the Del Walker Invitational at 8-over 218 (69-75-75) and tied for 26th at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational at 14-over 224 (74-78-72). At the Callaway Collegiate Match Play, he finished 3-1.
Junior Steve Lim is Troy's active leader in rounds in the 60s (18) and currently is second on the squad in stroke average (72.32). In three fall events, his best effort was a sixth place finish at 3-under 213 (69-69-75) at the U.S. Collegiate Championship. He tied for fourth at the ASU Thunderbird with a 4-under 209 (70-68-71), his top result of the spring. He opened the spring slate with a tie for 22nd at the Amer Ari Invitational at 4-under 212 (70-73-69), tied for 27th at the USC Collegiate Invitational at 5-over 218 (69-81-68) and tied for 17th at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters at 6-over 22 (75-74-73). At the Callaway Collegiate Match Play, he finished 3-1 ... At the Pac-10 Championships, Lim tied for 28th at 9-over 289 (72-74-70-73).
Sophomore T.J. Vogel, a 2011 All Pac-10 honorable mention pick after earning 2010 first team honors, is third on the Trojans in stroke average (72.89) and finished the fall with a pair of top 5 finishes, tying for fourth at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational at 5-over 215 (68-74-73) and taking second at the U.S. Collegiate Championships at 7-under 209 (74-69-66). He also tied for 20th at the Gifford Intercollegiate. He has cooled off in the spring slate and is still looking for his first top 20 finish since the fall. He has 10 career rounds in the 60s.
Freshman Jeffrey Kang, a 2011 All-Pac-10 second teamer, has three top 5 finishes this year, including a tie for fifth at the Pac-10 Championships when he finished 1-under 279 (72-68-68-71) ... He notched a career-best third at the ASU Thunderbird, firing a 5-under 209 (71-69-68) for his best spring result. That result followed up his strong showing at the Callaway Collegiate Match Play, where he went 4-0. His previous best USC strokeplay finish was a tie for fourth at the Jack Nicklaus Invitational at 5-over 215 (73-71-71). He also tied for 23rd at the Western Intercollegiate, tied for 33rd at the U.S. Collegiate Championship and tied for 36th at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters. He is tied for first on the team with eight rounds in the 60s and is fourth in stroke average (73.16) .
Sophomore Sam Smith, a 2011 All-Pac-10 honorable mention pick, has been one of USC's top golfers all spring. He has three top 10 finishes this season and five in the top 20, including three straight in the top 13. At the 2011 Pac-10s, Smith was eighth at 2-over 282 (73-71-71-67). That followed a tie for 13th at the Western Intercollegiate at 4-over 214 (70-71-73) and a tie for seventh at the ASU Thunderbird at 2-under 211 (72-68-71). He tied for fourth at the Anteater Invitational at 2-under 214 (71-73-70) and also tied for 17th at the Amer Ari Invitational at 5-under 211 (66-69-76). He competed in two fall events, tying for 62nd at the U.S. Collegiate Championship and finishing 73rd at the PING-Golfweek Fall Preview.
Freshman Ramsey Sahyoun has played in seven events, his best finish a tie for 18th at the Gifford Intercollegiate at 7-over 229 (79-69-72). He tied for 29th at the USC Collegiate Invitational at 6-over 219 (71-77-71) and tied for 40th at the ASU Thunderbird at 7-over 220 (74-72-74) ... He was part of USC's 2011 Pac-10 team title, tying for 45th at 18-over 298 (72-75-75-76).
Senior Bo DeHuff tied for eighth at the Bill Cullum Invitational at even 216 (70-73-73) and tied for 28th at the Anteater Invitational among five outings.
Sophomore Stewart Hagestad registered a season-best tie for 12th at the Anteater Invitational at 5-over 221 (75-71-75) and followed it with a tie for 14th at the USC Collegiate Invitational at 2-over 215 (72-72-71).
Listed below are the teams and individuals selected to participate in the 2011 NCAA Regional. Teams winning automatic qualification are designated by their conferences in parentheses.
COLORADO REGION: Colorado National Golf Club, Erie, Colo.; Hosted by University of Colorado-Boulder
Teams (seeded in the following order)
1. Oklahoma State (Big 12)
2. Georgia
3. Auburn
4. Arizona State
5. Clemson
6. Chattanooga
7. TCU
8. North Florida
9. New Mexico State (WAC)
10. Northwestern
11. Colorado State
12. San Jose State
13. Denver (Sun Belt Group)
Individuals
1. Michael Whitehead, Rice
2. Gabe Maier, Wyoming
3. Steven Lecuyer, Central Arkansas
4. Derek Plucienski, Southern Mississippi
5. Michael McGowan, North Carolina
6. Geoff Gonzalez, Cal Poly
7. Jarred Bossio, Idaho
8. Andrew Wyatt, Nebraska
9. Cody Schweinefus, Drake
10. C.G. Mercatoris, Robert Morris
SAN DIEGO REGION: The Farms Golf Club, San Diego, Calif.; Hosted by USD
Teams (seeded in the following order)
1. UCLA
2. Texas
3. USC (Pac-10)
4. San Diego
5. Ohio State
6. UNLV
7. North Texas
8. Middle Tennessee
9. Tulsa
10. SMU
11. Pacific
12. San Francisco (WCC)
13. Cleveland St. (Horizon League)
Individuals
1. Nick Delio, Cal State Northridge
2. Donald Constable, Minnesota
3. Travis Ross, New Mexico
4. Scott Smith, Nevada
5. Erik Van Rooyan, Minnesota
6. Bhavik Patel, Fresno State
7. Glen Scher, UC Santa Barbara
8. Jerry He, UC Irvine
9. Rick Lamb, Santa Clara
10. Donald DeNyse, Siena
INDIANA REGION: Wolf Run Golf Club, Zionsville, Ind.; Hosted by Indiana
Teams (seeded in the following order)
1. Alabama
2. Illinois (Big Ten)
3. Iowa
4. Stanford
5. Wake Forest
6. Tennessee
7. Indiana
8. Florida State
9. Michigan
10. Charlotte (Atlantic 10
11. Memphis
12. Wichita State (Missouri Valley Conference)
13. UMKC (The Summit League)
14. Sacred Heart (Northeast Conf.)
Individuals
1. Eric Steger, Ball State
2. Nathan Sutherland, Miami (Ohio)
3. Cameron Carrico, Murray State
4. Johan Ericksson, Eastern Kentucky
5. Michael Powell, Indiana/Purdue-Indianapolis
VIRGINIA TECH REGION: The Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech, Radford, Va.; Hosted by Virginia Tech
Teams (seeded in the following order)
1. Georgia Tech (ACC)
2. LSU
3. Duke
4. Virginia
5. Oklahoma
6. Kent State (Mid-American Conference)
7. Virginia Tech
8. Mississippi
9. East Carolina
10. UNC-Wilmington (Colonial Athletic Association
11. Coastal Carolina
12. Lamar
13. Yale (Ivy League)
Individuals
1. TJ Howe, Penn State
2. John Popeck, Maryland
3. Jake Katz, Binghamton
4. Vaita Guillaume, Campbell
5. Adam Hoffman, Vanderbilt
6. Chandler Brazeal, Wofford
7. Matt Moot, Campbell
8. Richard Fountain, Davidson
9. Herbert Day, Xavier
10. Peter Williamson, Dartmouth
FLORIDA REGION: Golden Ocala Golf Club, Ocala, Fla.; Hosted by Florida
Teams (seeded in the following order)
1. Florida (SEC)
2. Augusta St.
3. Arkansas
4. Oregon
5. N.C. State
6. UCF (Conference USA)
7. Baylor
8. Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun)
9. Notre Dame (Big East)
10. Missouri
11. Southeastern Louisiana
12. Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley Conference)
13. Georgia Southern (Southern Conference) 14. Jackson State (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Individuals
1. Philipp Fendt, Louisiana-Layette
2. Jack Hiluta, South Alabama
3. Jacobo Pastor, Charleston Southern
4. Andrew Noto, Louisiana-Layette
5. Bradley Story, Alabama A&M
ARIZONA REGION: Omni Tucson National Resort, Tucson, Ariz.; Hosted by Arizona
Teams (seeded in the following order)
1. Texas A&M
2. San Diego State (MWC)
3. Texas Tech
4. California
5. Liberty (Big South)
6. Washington
7. Pepperdine
8. Oregon State
9. Purdue
10. UC-Davis (Big West)
11. Arizona
12. Texas-Arlington (Southland)
13. Loyola (Maryland) (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) 14. Army (Patriot)
Individuals
1. Zachary Blair, Brigham Young
2. Chris Gilbert, Kansas
3. Jason Shufflebottom, UAB
4. Gustaf Kocken, Louisiana-Monroe
5. Will Hogan, Missouri State
Augusta State won the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, capturing the first NCAA men's golf title in school history. Augusta State defeated Oklahoma State 3.5 - 1.5 in the final round of match-play competition. At the end of three rounds of stroke play, Scott Langley, from the University of Illinois, Champaign, shot a 10-under-par 206 to capture the individual title. The tournament was held at The Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn., and was hosted by the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Players Mentioned
