Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
UALR in seventh entering last round
A year ago in Stillwater, Okla., the University of ArkansasLittle Rock men’s golf team jumped three spots on the final day of its regional to earn a trip to the NCAA Championships in Arizona.
Coach Jake Harrington would’ ve preferred his team not be in a similar position again.
But after backing up during the second round of the Palm
Beach Gardens (Fla.) Regional at PGA National, that’s the Trojans’ task today.
UALR shot a 14-over 302 on Tuesday, putting the Trojans at 21 over for the tournament and in seventh place among 14 teams. Vanderbilt leads the field at 9 under, followed by Florida State at even par. The top five teams after today’s final round advance to the NCAA Championships.
Through 36 holes, College of Charleston is fifth at 10- over, with Notre Dame (+12) and New Mexico (+19) just ahead of the Trojans.
“Our energy levels and our demeanor were flat today,” Harrington said. “We got in our own way and we didn’t allow ourselves to be great. Just walking out there, we didn’t have the swagger to be an elite team, and that’s the thing we need to change for [today].”
Although UALR scuffled on the front nine Tuesday, going out in 9-over par as a team, all five Trojans birdied the par-5 10th hole. Nico Horder then followed it up with a birdie on the 11th — thus far the course’s hardest hole — and both Magnus Lomholt and Jansen Smith birdied the 12th.
The back half of the second nine then bit again, however.
Smith bogeyed four of his last six holes, Marcel Rauch had consecutive double bogeys on Nos. 15 and 16 and Horder followed bogeys on holes 14-16 with a double on No. 17.
Anton Albers was the only UALR player to not post a round over par. With two birdies and two bogeys, the German carded an evenpar 72 to stay at 2-over for the tournament.
That puts Albers in a tie for 18th place among individuals, eight shots behind individual leader Kieron van Wyk of College of Charleston at 6-under par.
“We’ve been [here] before and that’s what I’m going to tell them,” Harrington said. “If we play Little Rock golf, we’ll be going to the national championship. If we don’t, we’ll be staying home.”