STILLWATER, Okla. – Entering the home stretch of the final round of the NCAA Stillwater Regional, Little Rock found itself three shots out of fifth for the final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships.
2021 NCAA Stillwater Regional Final Results (PDF)
The Trojans responded in an emphatic way with all five players carding a birdie on 18, slipping into the number five spot and qualifying for the program's first-ever berth in the NCAA Championship.
The Trojans closed out the final round of the regional with a 6-over 294, tied for the fourth-lowest round of the afternoon, closing out the 54-hole event at 15-over 879, defeating both Auburn and Baylor (16-over 880) by one shot to secure the spot in the NCAA Championships May 28 – June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Little Rock's effort was led by top-20 finishes from both
Anton Albers and
Magnus Lomholt with Albers tying for 10th individually and Lomholt tying for 14th. Albers shot a 1-under 71 over the final 18 holes, including going 3-under over the final five holes to help put the Trojans back in contention. He led the Trojans on both the par-four (2-over) and par-five (6-under) scoring, notching his fifth top-10 showing of the season.
Lomholt finished with a 1-over 217, posting a 3-over 75 over round three. After going 4-over on the front nine, he recovered to post a 1-under 35 on the back nine. He was right behind Albers, finishing 4-over on the par-four holes and 5-under on the par-fives for the fourth top-20 showing of the year.
Logan Pate, who returned for his extra season of eligibility, made key shots as well throughout the day to shoot a 2-over 74, finishing at 5-over 221 and tied for 26th individually.
Nico Horder matched Pate with a 2-over 74, tying for 65th with a 17-over 233, with
Marcel Rauch rounding out the scorecard at 20-over 236.
Entering Tuesday's final round, Little Rock was eighth at 9-over 585 after playing the opening two rounds Monday. Tuesday's round was slated to start at 10:55 a.m., but was delayed to 1:30 p.m. due to thunderstorms in the Stillwater area. The Trojans were 6-over as a team at the turn, but rebounded with an even-par team showing over the back nine, registering a combined 11 birdies.
The Trojans were able to make the late charge, slipping past Auburn and Baylor and finishing five shots better than Notre Dame (20-over 884) and 10 shots ahead of Northwestern (25-over 889).
Little Rock will be joined in Scottsdale by Oklahoma State, Illinois, SMU and Sam Houston, who joined the Trojans in the top-five. The host Cowboys won the regional with a 28-under 836, doubling up second place Illinois' 14-under 850. SMU finished third at even-par 864 with Sam Houston State finishing four shots ahead of the Trojans at 11-over 875.
The trip to the NCAA Championship is the first for the Trojan golf program, making it in just their third regional appearance. Little Rock tied for 18th at the NCAA Central Regional in Victoria, Texas in 2000 before tying for 20th at the regional in Stillwater in 2001.
2021 NCAA Stillwater Regional Little Rock Results
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