Scott Kelly receives NCAA golf at-large berth
5/11/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Scott Kelly, who led the Sam Houston State men's golf team to a runner-up finish at the Southland Conference championships in April, is one of five golfers to receive an at-large individual berth in the NCAA South Central Regional that will be played at the Traditions Club in College Station on May 20-22.
Kelly, a junior from Kingwood, received second team All-Southland Conference honors this spring and, along with teammate Fergal Rafferty, was named co-Most Valuable Players for the 2010 Bearkats.
The five low teams and the low individual not competing from one of the low five teams in the regional tournament will advance to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship on June 4-6 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Kelly led Sam Houston in stroke average this season with a 73.0 average, the second best single season scoring mean in school history. He won individual medalist honors at the Sam Houston Elkins Lake Fall Classic and posted top 10 individual finishes in seven of the 11 tournaments in which the Bearkats participated this season.
Kelly's selection marks the seventh time since Sam Houston moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 1986-87 that a Bearkat has earned an at-large individual men's golf regional berth. It is the second year in a row for a Kat golfer to go to regionals. Fergal Rafferty placed 48th in the 2009 NCAA competition.
Other Sam Houston NCAA regional at-large selections have been Jeff Bellnap in 1990, Dean Choate in 1994, Brandt Kieschink in 1997 and 1999 and Todd Rossetti in 1998.
"This is a tremendous way for Scott to complete an outstanding season," Sam Houston head golf coach Ronnie Choate said. "Scott has been an outstanding leader for us this year."
Teams from Texas who will compete in the College Station regional include Texas A&M, Rice, Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU. A total of 14 teams will play in the regional.
