UGA Wins NCAA Men’s Golf Regional

Local knowledge. An oft-used phrase on the golf course. Sometimes used when a golfer plays a shot using the terrain to their advantage (hills, slopes, firm or soft turf, etc.). But usually in the context of someone getting a lucky bounce or roll of the golf ball, and meant as a joke.

The University of Georgia Men’s Golf Team used their local knowledge to capture the 2019 Athens Regional title Wednesday, and will now advance to the NCAA Championships May 24-29. Twenty-nine other teams will join UGA in Fayetteville, AR at The Blessings Golf Club.

The Bulldogs, sleeping in their own beds and knowing every inch of the UGA Course, established an early lead after Monday’s first round. Tuesday was more of the same, and Wednesday was solid play to build up a 7 shot lead over 2nd place Duke.

Davis Thompson (Soph) carded a 68 Wednesday, and that was enough to pull ahead and capture the individual medalist honors. The timing could not have been better for Thompson’s first title, and it bounced him to be awarded Second Team All-SEC Thursday morning, in addition to the well-deserved SEC Community Service Team. Joining Thompson in the conference hardware department is Junior Spencer Ralston who captured First Team All-SEC honors. And super frosh Trent Phillips joined Ralston on the First Team, as well as the SEC Freshman of the Year.

Georgia now takes about a week off before the trip to Bountiful Fayetteville. The NCAA Championships is made up of 3 days of stroke play, and the top teams then compete in match play for the whole shootin’ match. This will be the first return to the Championships since 2016, having failed to advance the last two years. But Georgia has some history here, and Coach Chris Haack and his ‘Dawgs won the title in 1999 and 2005.

Other teams advancing:

Athens Regional: Georgia, Duke, Vandy, SMU, Liberty. Failing to advance: Tennessee. And Alabama, who was the #5 seed.

Myrtle Beach Regional: ohio state, Illinois, Wake Forest, Cal, UNLV

Louisville Regional: Oklahoma State (#1 nationally), Auburn, Baylor, Louisville, North Florida

Austin Regional: Texas, TCU, Pepperdine, Clemson, Southern Cal

Congrats to Coach Haack and his boys, and as always...

GO ‘DAWGS!!!