LITTLE ROCK – For the second-straight year, and the fourth time in program history, Little Rock has earned a bid to the NCAA Regional Championships, being held May 16-18. The Trojans have earned the number eight seed in the Palm Beach Gardens Regional and will compete at PGA National.
Selection Show Photo Gallery
The bid comes one week after Little Rock claimed the 2022 Sun Belt Championship at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado. After tying Georgia Southern in the 54-hole stroke play portion, the Trojans bested UT Arlington 3-2 in the match play semifinals before rallying to defeat Georgia Southern 3-1-1 in the championship, avenging last year's finals defeat to the Eagles.
Little Rock enters the Palm Beach Gardens Regional as the number 43 team in the latest GolfStat rankings, tied with 2020-21's final mark as the best in program history. Little Rock has posted a team scoring average of 287.70, currently second in program history behind the 286.97 mark set by the 2018-19 team. The Trojans won or shared the team title in three different events in 2021-22, finising in the top-five in seven of 10 team events.
Tuesday, the Trojans hauled in a number of Sun Belt accolades, including
Jake Harrington being named the league's Coach of the Year and
Anton Albers earning Golfer of the Year honors. Albers is the top-ranked golfer in the Sun Belt and ranked 32nd nationally, boasting a season scoring average of 70.70, which is currently tops in program history, finishing in the top-10 individually in eight of nine events he competed in.
Magnus Lomholt joined Albers as a first team honoree and
Jansen Smith was a second team All-Sun Belt selection, marking the first time in program history Little Rock has had three players named to the first or second all-conference teams.
This will be the Trojans' second-straight regional appearance, finishing fifth at the Stillwater Regional in 2021 to secure their spot in the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona. Little Rock posted a 15-over 879, which included the dramatic 18th hole in round three as all five Trojans birdied the par-five, allowing the Trojans to leapfrog both Auburn and Baylor (16-over 880) to punch their ticket to Scottsdale.
Little Rock qualified for NCAA Regionals in both 2000 and 2001, coming off back-to-back Sun Belt Conference championships in those seasons. The Trojans tied for 18th at the Central Regional in 2000 in Victoria, Texas, then tied for 20th in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 2001.
Little Rock NCAA Regional Tournament Results
2000 – NCAA Central Regional (Victoria Texas)
T-44th – Manuel Bermudez (70-77-71 = 218, +2)
T-74th – Daniel Fox (76-74-72 = 222, +6)
T-99th – Andrew Johnson (79-71-75 = 225, +9)
T-115th – Jamie Seim (87-73-67 = 227, +11)
T-129th – Steve Swonnell (80-73-79 = 232, +16)
T-18th – LITTLE ROCK (305-291-285 = 881, +17)
2001 – NCAA Central Regional (Stillwater, Okla.)
T-30th – Casey Yates (77-72-73 = 222, +6)
T-30th – Luke Bakke (75-76-71 = 222, +6)
T-71st – Daniel Fox (78-73-77 = 228, +12)
T-123rd – Billy Zihala (78-85-74 = 237, +21)
WD – Manuel Bermudez (73-75-WD)
T-20th – LITTLE ROCK (303-306-293 = 902, +38)
2021 – NCAA Stillwater Regional (Stillwater, Okla.)
T-10th –
Anton Albers (68-76-71 = 215, -1)
T-14th –
Magnus Lomholt (69-73-75 = 217, +1)
T-26th –
Logan Pate (74-73-74 = 221, +5)
T-65th –
Nico Horder (80-79-74 = 233, +17)
T-69th –
Marcel Rauch (79-73-84 = 236, +20)
5th – LITTLE ROCK (290, 295, 294 = 879, +15)
#LittleRocksTeam
