Hall Concludes Historic Season at NCAA Championship

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Junior Ryan Hall concluded play on Sunday at the 2021 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship. He shot 74 (+4) posting a final 54-hole score of 219 (+9). Hall missed out on a chance to play in in the final round of stroke play Monday by just two shots (top-nine individuals on non-advancing teams).
 
“Ryan had another frustrating day on the greens, but he played another solid round in very difficult conditions,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “The afternoon wave is not where you want to be on that golf course, and it pretty much kicked everyone in the teeth. Ryan had a tremendous season for us, and I’m proud of him for how well he handled a difficult week given his expectations coming in.”
 
Hall just couldn’t seem to quite figure out the greens all week as he made just three birdies over the course of 54-holes (came into the week with 120 in 10 starts, averaging four red numbers per 18 holes). He started the day 1-under through three holes after a great birdie at the par-4 12^th hole but lost momentum with a three-putt bogey on the next hole and added another bogey following that. Hall shot 2-over (37) on both the front and the back nine on Sunday.
 
He bogeyed his ninth, 10^th and 12^th holes to move to 4-over today and made pars the rest of the way. Hall had a chance to get some momentum going at the par-5 fourth hole on his back nine after pounding a drive right down the heart of the fairway. He had just 200 yards in with an 8-iron but caught a bad break as the ball took a big hop and rolled off the green. Hall two-putted for par. He nearly made birdie putts on holes seven and eight as well coming in.
 
The Knoxville, Tenn., native concluded one of the finest regular seasons in program history on Sunday at Grayhawk Golf Club. He finished in the top-20 in 10 of 11 starts with four top-fives (T-7^th most in program history), six top-10s (T-8^th most in program history) and a pair of wins. He joined All-Americans Keenan Huskey, Will Miles, Matt NeSmith and Kyle Thompson as the only players in program history to notch multiple wins in the same season.
 
Hall became just the third NCAA Regional Champion in program history after winning the Albuquerque Regional by a shot back on May 19. The First Team All-SEC selection posted a 69.97 season scoring average, the lowest in program history. He’s the first South Carolina golfer ever with a sub-70 season scoring average.
 
Hall, who came into the week ranked No. 30 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, will have a busy summer with the Arnold Palmer Cup (June 11-13) at Rich Harvest Farms and a handful of other prestigious amateur events. He will also make his PGA TOUR debut after earning a sponsor exemption into the 3M Open in July with his victory at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational on Easter Sunday.
 
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