May 9, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Nine of the nation’s top 30 collegiate men’s golf teams headline a stellar field at the 2005 NCAA Central Regional, which will be played May 19-21 at the Warren Golf Course (par 70/7,011 yards) on the Notre Dame campus. On Monday afternoon, the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Committee unveiled the three 27-team regionals, along with the six qualifying individuals for each site who were not on one of the selected squads. The top 10 teams and top two individuals (not on an advancing team) from each regional move on to the NCAA Championships June 1-4 at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.
Fresh off its second consecutive BIG EAST Conference title, Notre Dame was seeded 20th in the Central Regional, earning its 32nd NCAA appearance and second regional berth in as many years. The Irish are playing host to an NCAA postseason event for just the second time in the program’s 76-year history, after hosting the 1942 NCAA Championships at the South Bend Country Club. Last year, Notre Dame finished 12th at the NCAA Central Regional in West Lafayette, Ind., missing the national finals by four strokes.
Under first-year head coach Jim Kubinski, the Irish won a pair of tournaments this spring — the season-opening NOKIA Sugar Bowl Tulane Invitational and the BIG EAST Championship. Kubinski also became the first Notre Dame golf coach to win his inaugural event since Rev. Clarence Durbin, C.S.C., led his charges to a dual match victory against Western Michigan in 1961. The Irish wound up with four top-five finishes this spring and a combined 46-23-2 (.662) record.
“The seeding was right about where I thought we’d end up,” Kubinski said. “We have shown a lot of improvement as the season has gone along and we’re looking to continue that trend at the regional. This is also a terrific opportunity to show off our tremendous home course, which is easily one of the finest college layouts in the country. All of us here at Notre Dame are excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to a fantastic tournament.”
Oklahoma State, the consensus No. 1 team in the nation, is the top seed in the Central Regional after earning an automatic bid by virtue of its Big 12 Conference title. The Cowboys are one of nine teams among the top 30 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ratings — No. 8 Augusta State, No. 9 TCU, No. 11 Kentucky, No. 19 Texas, No. 21 Michigan State, No. 24 Minnesota, No. 29 SMU and No. 30 Oklahoma are the others.
Rounding out the regional field are: Purdue, Kent State, Texas Tech, Tulsa, Wichita State, Xavier, Texas A&M, Kansas, Arkansas, Baylor, Lamar, Missouri, Kansas State, IUPUI, Jackson State, Detroit and Loyola (Md.).
The NCAA regionals are contested in a three-day, 54-hole format, with 18 holes played each day. Teams will compete in a practice round on May 18, before taking part in three rounds of competition May 19-21 (Thursday-Saturday) with the first tee times set for 7:12 a.m. EST/CDT (the equivalent of Chicago time). Admission to the Warren Golf Course for the NCAA Central Regional is free, although patrons will be asked to park in the D2 lots (located across Juniper Road from the Riehle Intramural Fields and the east gate to campus).
The Warren Golf Course opened on May 1, 2000, and was designed by the Austin, Texas-based firm of Coore and Crenshaw, headed by Bill Coore and PGA Tour veteran Ben Crenshaw. During its five-year existence, the Warren Golf Course has played host to five BIG EAST Conference Championships, two U.S. Amateur qualifiers and it will serve as a qualifying site for the 2005 Western Amateur on July 25. Noted for its turn-of-the-century, old-world charm that recalls the classic early Irish and American courses, the Warren Golf Course is built upon subtleties, including small undulating greens and numerous strategically-placed bunkers (all of which were recently enhanced). Since its opening, the Warren Golf Course has been named of the best new courses in America by Golf Digest and has been tabbed a must-play venue by both Links Magazine and Golf Digest.
A complete rundown of the teams and individuals in this year’s Central Regional follows:
Seed Team (Golfweek/GCAA rankings) Berth Last NCAA regional berth (result) 1. Oklahoma State (1/1) Auto (Big 12) 2004 (2nd, Central Regional) 2. Augusta State (8/9) At-large 2004 (tie-19th, East Regional) 3. TCU (9/10) Auto (C-USA) 2004 (tie-5th, Central Regional) 4. Kentucky (11/11) Auto (SEC) 2004 (1st, Central Regional) 5. Texas (19/19) At-large 2004 (tie-5th, Central Regional) 6. Purdue (31/rv) At-large 2004 (7th, Central Regional) 7. Minnesota (24/22) At-large 2004 (11th, Central Regional) 8. Michigan State (21/25) Auto (Big Ten) 2003 (tie-20th, Central Regional) 9. Oklahoma (30/rv) At-large 2004 (3rd, Central Regional) 10. Kent State (33/rv) Auto (MAC) 2004 (10th, Central Regional) 11. Texas Tech (32/rv) At-large 2004 (13th, Central Regional) 12. SMU (29/rv) Auto (WAC) 2004 (9th, Central Regional) 13. Tulsa (35/rv) At-large 2004 (tie-18th, Central Regional) 14. Wichita State (49/--) At-large 2004 (8th, Central Regional) 15. Xavier (37/--) Auto (Atlantic-10) 2004 (23rd, Central Regional) 16. Texas A&M (38/--) At-large 2004 (4th, Central Regional) 17. Kansas (36/rv) At-large 2004 (16th, Central Regional) 18. Arkansas (45/rv) At-large 2004 (17th, Central Regional) 19. Baylor (47/--) At-large 2004 (25th, Central Regional) 20. NOTRE DAME (60/--) Auto (BIG EAST) 2004 (12th, Central Regional) 21. Lamar (54/--) At-large 2004 (tie-20th, Central Regional) 22. Missouri (59/--) At-large 2003 (26th, Central Regional) 23. Kansas State (74/--) At-large 2004 (15th, Central Regional) 24. IUPUI (168/--) Auto (Mid-Con) 2002 (25th, West Regional) 25. Jackson State (186/--) Auto (SWAC) 2004 (27th, Central Regional) 26. Detroit (175/--) Auto (Horizon) 2002 (26th, West Regional) 27. Loyola (Md.) (195/--) Auto (MAAC) 2004 (26th, West Regional)
Individual qualifiers 1. Patrick Sullivan (Arkansas-Little Rock) 2. Scott Anderston (Ohio State) 3. Edward McGlasson (Colorado) 4. Garrett Chaussard (Illinois) 5. Chris Wilson (Northwestern) 6. Korey Mahoney (Eastern Michigan)
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