When the NCAA men's golf regional tournament in Norman, Okla., tees off today, Patrick Mwendapole will be one of the most decorated players on the University of Oklahoma course.
Mwendapole, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, was named the men's SwingU NCAA Division I HBCU College Player of the Month, coming off his individual championship in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in Flowood, Miss. UAPB's team victory in that event earned the Golden Lions an automatic berth in the NCAA regional, which is three rounds of 18 holes each.
SwingU is a sports technology and media company focused on golf game improvement, based in Hartford, Conn., according to a UAPB news release.
Mwendapole from Lusaka, Nigeria, shot 7-under 209 (68-69-72) in the tournament and helped the Lions win by 29 strokes as a team. Mwendapole also earned a top-five finish at a tournament hosted by Tennessee State University on April 11.
UAPB, the 14th and final seed, will compete against Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Duke, Louisiana State, North Florida, Colorado, Kansas, North Carolina-Wilmington, Louisiana-Lafayette and Princeton, listed in seed order from first. The top five teams and the low individual not connected to either team from each regional will advance to the national championships May 26-31 in Scottsdale, Ariz.