STANFORD, Calif. (SMU) - The SMU Men's Golf Team have qualified for the NCAA Championships with fourth-place finish at the NCAA Regional on Wednesday at Stanford Golf Course.
The Mustangs came into the day in fifth place needing to maintain a spot in the top five to advance on to the NCAA Championship. The Mustangs moved up the leaderboard into fourth place early in round three. Things tightened up near the end with three teams, SMU, Stanford and Ole Miss, vying for the final two spots. With one hole to play, the Mustangs were tied with Stanford for the final spot while Ole Miss was looming one stroke behind.
Zachary Kingsland parred the final hole along with the other two competitors to keep the standings unchanged. SMU punched its ticket to its 23
rd NCAA Championship and first since 2021.
Kingsland led the way for the Mustangs with a tied for 18
th place finish. The sophomore shot 72 on the final day and two under for the tournament. He carded a 63 in the middle round to vault up the leaderboard.
Chaz Aurilia finished in 26
th place after an even-par final round. He wrapped up play at one-under par across three days.
One stroke back,
Matthew Foster and
J. Holland Humphries finished in a tie for 28
th. Foster carded a two-under 68 on the final round including birdies in two of his final three holes. Humphries shot a 64 in the middle round to highlight his week.
Will Sides shot even par on the final day. The sophomore finished in a tie for 37
th.
The Mustangs set their sights on the NCAA Championship for their third Championship appearance in the last five tournaments. The team made the quarterfinals in 2019 and won the national championship in 1954. This year's tournament is held at Omni La Costa Golf Course in Carlsbad, California running May 24-29.
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1 Illinois -36
2 Florida State -28
3 Texas A&M -19
T4 SMU -10
T4 Stanford -10
6 Ole Miss -9
7 UCLA -5
8 Augusta +1
9 UNLV +7
10 Missouri +8
11 Liberty +13
12 Fresno State +18
13 Sacramento State +22
14 Siena +34
SMU RESULTS
T18
Zachary Kingsland -2
T26
Chaz Aurilia -1
T28
J. Holland Humphries E
T28
Matthew Foster E
T36
Will Sides +2
