🏌️‍♂️ Men's Golf Heads to California for NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional

Tournament: NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional
Course: The Farms Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)
Par/Yards: 70/6,962
When: May 13-15
Participating Teams: (1) Arizona State, (2) Washington, (3) Oklahoma, (4) California, (5) Oklahoma State, (6) North Florida, (7) Chattanooga, (8) South Florida, (9) San Diego (host), (10) West Virginia, (11) KANSAS, (12) Wright State, (13) Seton Hall, (14) Winthrop
Live Stats: Golfstat 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Men’s Golf team will make its eighth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance when it tees off Monday in California for the Rancho Santa Fe Regional at The Farms Golf Club.

Under Coach Jamie Bermel’s direction, the Jayhawks enter the three-day, three-round Rancho Santa Fe Regional as the No. 11 seed and will tee off Monday, May 13 at 11:25 a.m. CT for the opening round. 

Bermel and the Jayhawks will go with the travel lineup of seniors Cecil Belisle, Gunnar Broin, Davis Cooper, sophomore Will King and freshman Max Jelinek. Senior William Duquette will be the alternate player for Kansas. 

“It’s always good to be playing college golf in the middle of May,” said Bermel. “The guys are excited about the opportunity to play in the Regionals. It was a hectic 10 days with finals and finishing up classes, but I think they are ready to go and compete.”

The top five teams from each region will qualify for the NCAA Championship, May 24-29, at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Champions Course in Carlsbad, California. Additionally, the low individual not from a top-five finishing team from each region will also advance to the NCAA Championship. King captured that spot last year out of the NCAA Norman Regional.

Kansas’ season was punctuated by three top-five team finishes and three individual titles, combined by the efforts of Belisle and King. Belisle claimed medalist honors twice this season, at the Folds of Honor Collegiate (Sept. 4-6) and The Prestige (2/19-21). After his win at The Prestige, Belisle was named February’s Big 12 Golfer of the Month. King earned his first collegiate victory at the Gopher Invitational (9/10-11) and then paced Kansas at the recent Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship, finishing T8 at -4 and being named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team.  

At last season’s 2023 NCAA Norman Regional, King advanced to the NCAA Championship as the individual after outlasting a three-way, eight-hole playoff, becoming the first Jayhawk since 2001 (Andy Stewart) to compete at the championship as an individual. One of the players King beat out was Alabama’s Nick Dunlap, who is now a contender on the PGA TOUR. Kansas finished in ninth place at the Norman Regional after being led by a 9-under tournament from King. 

“The NCAA Regionals are not about playing great golf, but playing solid,” Bermel added. “If we can get off to a good start on Monday, anything can happen.”

NCAA REGIONALS HISTORY (under Coach Bermel)
2016 – 10th (+50, 914)
2017 – 9th (+24, 876)
2018 – 1st (-20, 844)
2019 – 10th (+12, 852)
2020 – Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021 – 7th (-6, 858)
2022 – 5th (+3, 867)
2023 – 9th (-6, 858) 

SEASON STROKE AVERAGES
King – 71.88
Belisle – 71.94
Broin – 72.29
Jelinek – 73.03
Cooper – 73.55
Duquette – 74.25 

HOW TO FOLLOW
Kansas will have a practice round on May 12, before tournament play begins on May 13. Kansas will be grouped with West Virginia and Wright State for the opening round and will tee off at 11:25 a.m. CT. Live scoring for the event will be available through Golfstat. Fans can also keep up with live updates throughout all three rounds from the official Kansas Men’s Golf Twitter (X) account.