Gamecocks headed back to NCAA Regionals

May 2, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina men’s golf will be heading to Bryan, Texas, for 2018 NCAA Regionals May 14-16, as the 81-team field was announced for the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship Wednesday evening on Golf Channel. The Gamecocks will be making their 26th all-time appearance in regionals since 1988, and their 11th trip in 12 seasons under head coach Bill McDonald.

“We are excited as a program to be selected as an at large bid for NCAA Regionals,” said McDonald. “It’s always a goal to make the postseason, and this team is focused and determined to make great use of the opportunity. We’ve played a difficult schedule on a variety of courses, and I feel confident we will be prepared and ready to compete at a high level next week.”

The top-five teams in each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. Carolina will be seeking its first appearance back at nationals since a program-record four-straight trips from 2013-16. McDonald helped lead South Carolina to its highest finish ever at the NCAA Championship in 2016, as the team advanced to match play for the first time in program history and finished T-5th. The Gamecocks have advanced to the NCAA Championship six times in 10 previous regional appearances under McDonald.

Serving as the interim head coach, McDonald led Carolina to the 2007 NCAA West Regional Title, the program’s first and only regional championship. Three-time All-American Kyle Thompson, who is currently playing on the PGA TOUR, earned individual medalist honors at NCAA Regionals two times (1999, 2001). Fellow three-time All-American Matt NeSmith came close to joining Thompson as the program’s only individual regional champions in 2016, earning runner-up medalist honors at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional.

Traditions Club – Bryan, Texas

Hosted by Texas A&M University, College Station

Teams (seeded in the following order):

1. Texas A&M

2. Baylor

3. Clemson

4. Kentucky

5. UCLA

6. Ole Miss

7. South Carolina

8. San Francisco

9. Georgia

10. Mississippi State

11. UNC Wilmington

12. Northern Colorado

13. Bradley

Individuals:

1. Michael Perras, Houston

2. Mitchell Meissner, Rice

3. Blake Elliott, McNeese

4. Zander Lozano, University of Texas at San Antonio

5. Mario Carmona, Rice

6. Hunter Eichhorn, Marquette

7. Lewis George, Central Arkansas

8. Jake Brown, Indiana