Jayhawks Ready to Continue Historic Season at NCAA Regional
LAWRENCE, Kan. – In pursuit to continue what has already been one of the best seasons in program history, the Kansas men’s golf team will travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama and compete in the NCAA Regional, May 16-18. Taking place at Ol’ Colony Golf Course, the seventh-seeded Jayhawks are amongst a 13-team field, which features eight schools that KU has faced in previous tournaments this year.
“Obviously, we need to finish in the top five,” Kansas head coach Jamie Bermel said on what KU needs to accomplish to advance to the NCAA Championship. “When it comes to the postseason, I don’t think that have to play great. If we go and play three solid rounds, we will have a pretty good shot at advancing.”
Representing the Jayhawks are the same five players that have donned the Crimson and Blue in the teams past seven events. Senior Connor Peck, will look to continue his strong play in the spring season, as he is coming off of a top 10 performance at the Big 12 Championships.
Peck currently leads the Jayhawks in six different statistical categories including: scoring average (71.86), average versus par (+0.11), top 20 finishes (10), rounds in the 60’s (10), percentage of rounds counted (94.59) and total rounds of even or under par (19).
As Peck’s senior counterpart, Ben Welle has made himself known as a threat on the course, as his scoring average ranked in the top 100 for the entire regular season. Welle’s two victories at the Ram Masters Invitational (Sept. 21-22) and Louisiana Classics Invitational (Feb. 29 – May 1) are the most individual titles for a Jayhawk the since the 2012-13 season.
For junior Chase Hanna, he heads into the NCAA Regional as one of the most experienced players on the Kansas roster, as he has competed in all 35 events that Kansas has participated in since his freshman campaign. The 72.84 scoring average he has on the season is the lowest scoring average of his career, which has also guided him to three top-10 finishes on the year.
As a sophomore, Daniel Hudson’s 73.26 scoring average on the season has helped lead him to three top-five placings on the season. He enters the NCAA Regionals having led the Jayhawks in scoring twice this season, including the tournament victory at the Hawkeye Invitational (April 16-17).
Rounding off the group of Jayhawks representing Kansas at the NCAA Regionals is freshman Charlie Hillier, who has been on an absolute tear during the spring season. Coming into this event, Hillier has finished five events under par, which complements his 72.26 spring scoring average. Of the six events he has competed in during the spring, Hillier has also finished in the top 10 four times.
With play beginning on Monday, May 16, Kansas will hold its practice round on Sunday, May 15 to become accustomed to the par-72, 7,512-yard course. To stay up-to-date with live stats and standings, be sure to follow the event on golfstat.com.
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