Bearkat Golfers Arrive In Washington
5/13/2015 8:35:00 AM | Men's Golf
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The Sam Houston men's golf team arrived in Bremerton, Washington, Tuesday, and will get their first look at the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain during Wednesday's practice around for the 2015 NCAA Regional Tournament hosted by the University of Washington.
The Bearkats are seeded eighth in the 14-team event which is one of five regional tournaments taking place the next three days across the nation. The top five teams in each regional plus the top two individuals not on a qualifying team earn berths in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships to be held May 29 through June 3 at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
“It's exciting to be here at the regionals again,” Sam Houston head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “We had a great trip up here Tuesday and had the opportunity to play 18 holes at an outstanding golf course at Trophy Lake Tuesday afternoon. The guys are ready to see the course at Gold Mountain today.”
Ranked teams in the field in Bremerton include No. 6 South Carolina, No. 12 Washington, No. 17 Southern California, No. 18 Baylor, No. 30 Alabama-Birmingham, No. 31 TCU and No. 43 Iowa State. Sam Houston comes into the event ranked No. 44 nationally.
Other teams in the tournament include Michigan, UC-Davis, VCU, Pepperdine, Cleveland State and South Dakota.
Last year, Sam Houston made its first ever NCAA Division I regional golf appearance as the No. 12 seed at Auburn, Alabama. The Bearkats placed 11th in the team standings but were just five strokes behind the fifth qualifying team.
“We're a deeper team this year,” Kieschnick said. “We have five players who have the ability to shoot in the 60s on any given day and feel like we're a dangerous team.
The Olympic Course at Gold Mountain is a 7,115-yard par 72 layout.
“We've heard Gold Mountain is an amazing course,” Kieschnick said. “We are excited about the opportunity to get our first look at the layout Wednesday in the practice round.”
Sam Houston earned the Southland Conference's automatic berth in the NCAA regionals with a victory at the Southland Championships in McKinney, Texas two weeks ago, the Bearkats' second consecutive league title. In Sam Houston's 11 tournaments this year, all against top caliber NCAA Division I opponents, the Kats have won three events, finished as runner-up twice and third once.
