NCAA MEN’S GOLF REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS

Hogs surge, get spot in NCAAs

Led by 2-under 69s from senior Segundo Oliva Pinto and junior Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, the University of Arkansas surged to a team score of 3 under in the final round of the NCAA Columbus (Ohio) Regional on Wednesday to finish fourth and qualify for a spot at the NCAA championships starting next Friday.

The No. 14 Razorbacks wound up at 7-over 859 for the 54-hole regional, played on the par-71 Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club, three shots ahead of East Tennessee State, which grabbed the fifth and final qualifying spot from the regional.

The Razorbacks started the day in sixth place but got to work early with seven birdies on the first five holes after teeing off on No. 10. Pinto and junior Wil Gibson made the turn at 2 under, with Fernandez de Oliveira at even par and senior Luke Long at 1 over.

"We teed off the back nine today which gives you a few opportunities early and we took advantage of it and made a few putts early and it paid dividends," Arkansas Coach Brad McMakin said.

"I think it was really important that we got off to a good start," said Pinto, the SEC individual champion in 2021. "That helped us set the tone. We were playing against East Tennessee and Clemson, and both of them were ahead of us. Starting off with a lot of birdies from all the guys was really good for us to get into that fifth spot early on."

The Razorbacks advanced out of an NCAA regional for the 19th time in school history and the eighth in 16 seasons under McMakin. Arkansas will be making its 25th appearance at the NCAA championships, as it qualified six times before regionals were created in 1989.

Arkansas will be joined at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., by No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 11 Georgia Tech, which also shot 3-under 281 on the 7,422-yard tract and tied at 10 under for the tourney, host Ohio State (4 over) and the Buccaneers (10 over) of the Southern Conference.

All five Arkansas golfers finished in the top 40 in the 76-man field.

Oklahoma State's Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra shot a 68 on Wednesday to claim medalist honors at 7 under as held off Georgia Tech's Ross Steelman, who also shot 68, by one stroke. Lopez-Chacarra was the only golfer to shoot less than 70 in every round.

Oakland's Thomas Giroux, playing as an individual, qualified for the NCAAs with a 3 under to finish third. The trio of East Tennessee State's Remi Chartier, Ohio State's Jackson Chandler and Georgia Tech's Benjan Reuter tied for fourth at 2 under.

Fernandez de Oliveira birdied Nos. 4 and 7 down the stretch to close out his round and finish at 1 over for the regional and tied for 15th place.

Pinto was at 3 under through 7 holes, then played his back nine in even par to wind up at 4 over for the event, tied for 29th with teammate Julian Perico, who got the Razorbacks off to a good start on Monday with a 68 to seize the first-round lead.

"Today the guys came through at a big time," McMakin said. "You know, they handle pressure very well. They're experienced. That's what this is all about. You've got to have guys with some experience. They've played all over the world and they came through today when we needed them."

The Razorbacks counted Gibson's 71 and Long's 72 on Wednesday and did not count Perico's 75.

The Arkansas surge corresponded with sub-par days from Atlantic Coast Conference teams in No. 23 Clemson, which opened the day in fourth place, and Duke, which was one shot behind the Razorbacks.

Clemson shot 7 over on Wednesday to fall to 14 over and into a tie for sixth place with San Francisco, four shots behind East Tennessee State. The Blue Devils were 4 over on Wednesday to finish at 15 over and in eighth place.

Arkansas is one of seven SEC teams to advance to the 30-team championships, along with No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Florida, No. 12 Texas A&M, No. 13 Georgia, No. 18 Auburn and No. 25 Ole Miss.


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