The Buckeyes were down, but not out.
Ohio State’s men’s golf team was tied for 11th in the 13-team field after the first day of the NCAA West Regional Tournament. But a 9-under-par score of 279 on day two moved OSU into a tie for third, and a score of 288 during Saturday’s third round gave the Scarlet and Gray a fourth-place finish.
The Buckeyes’ finish was enough to give second-year coach Donnie Darr and his squad a trip to the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted by Oklahoma State beginning May 31 in Stillwater, Okla.
The regional tournament took place at the par 72, 6,947-yard Farms Golf Club, just outside San Diego. UCLA won the tournament, posting a total score of 854 (-10).
Senior Michael Cress led the Buckeyes in scoring, shooting a 4-under 68 in the final two rounds of play after his opening round score of 75. Cress’ total tally of 209 (-5) for the tournament tied for fourth best among individual scores.
OSU senior Brad Smith shot a 217 (+1), tying for 13th overall, and fellow senior Bo Hoag’s 218 (+2) tied for 17th.
Junior Dan Charen shot a 219 (+3), including a 3-under 69 on day two, tying for 24th.
Sophomore Zack Sobel fired a 243 (+27) for a 72nd-place finish. None of his three scores counted toward the Buckeyes’ total score.
The top eight teams in the NCAA Championships after three days will advance to match play, which will take place June 3–5.
