Golfers Impressed With NCAA Course Layout
5/13/2015 7:21:00 PM | Men's Golf
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The Sam Houston men's golf team got their first look at the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club Wednesday and the Bearkats came away impressed.
The 7,115-yard par 72 layout located just outside of Bremerton, Washington, at the foot of a pine-covered mountain is the site of the NCAA Washington Men's Golf Regional. The Bearkats are one of 14 teams who will begin the 54-hole tournament Thursday morning.
“It's a beautiful course,” sophomore Andrew Ertel said after Sam Houston's practice round on an overcast, drizzly 50 degree day. “The forecast is for 'abundant sunshine' tomorrow. I can't wait to see what this place looks like on a gorgeous sunny day.”
Sam Houston will play in a threesome with Iowa State and Michigan. The Kats will begin teeing off at 8:55 a.m. (10:55 a.m. Huntsville time).
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.
“The course is fantastic,” Sam Houston head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “It's very challenging but that's what you expect at an NCAA Championship event. The course is in good shape and the greens are firm. It's a true test of golf.”
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.
“This course is awesome,” senior Logan Boatner said. “It's a beautiful layout. They've hosted a lot of USGA and NCAA events here and I can see why. It's a thrill to get to play here.”
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.
“It's a tough layout, but there's nothing new we have to do,” Kieschnick said. “We have some players who make good decisions. In 11 tournament this year we've finished out of the top five only once. If we do what Sam Houston does well, we will be okay.”
