Liberty University
NCAA Tallahassee Regional
Ticket Punched for NCAA Championship for No. 3 Seed Liberty
5/19/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
No. 3 seed Liberty had to survive a late surge from a handful of teams on Wednesday, but the Flames were able to secure a return trip to the NCAA Men's Golf National Championship.
The Flames finished the NCAA Tallahassee Regional in fourth place after carding an overall 15-under par 849 (283-277-289) at the Seminole Legacy Golf Club (par 72, 7,505 yards).
With the top-five finish at Regionals, Liberty has advanced to next week's NCAA Men's Golf National Championship. The national championship event which will be contested at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 28 – June 2.
This will be Liberty's second-consecutive appearance at the national championship (no championship was held in 2020 due to COVID-19) and third overall appearance in program history (2012, 2019 and 2021).
The Flames were led at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional by Kieran Vincent, who birdied the 54th hole to finish tied for fifth place with a 7-under par 209 (65-73-71).
Round Recap – Liberty's Starting Five:
• No. 21 Kieran Vincent – T5 7-under par 209 (65-73-71)
• Jonathan Yaun – T8 6-under par 210 (71-67-72)
• Ervin Chang – T28 1-over par 217 (76-69-72)
• Zach Barbin – T28 1-over par 217 (71-70-76)
• No. 80 Alexandre Fuchs – 50 6-over par 222 (77-71-74)
Field Reflections:
• No. 1 seed and Regional host Florida State blitzed the field, finishing in first place on its home course with a 34-under 830 (271-281-278).
• Florida State doubled up its next nearest opponent in terms of an under-par score, as No. 2 seed Georgia finished in second with a 17-under par 847 (285-282-280).
• No. 5 seed Georgia Tech finished one shot between Liberty and Georgia, taking third place with a 16-under par 848 (277-286-285).
• No. 7 seed TCU took the coveted final national championship qualifying spot, sneaking into fifth place with an overall 9-under par 855 (290-283-282).
• No. 11 seed Ohio State was the odd team out, finishing two shots outside of fifth place with a 7-under par 857 (284-285-288), including four bogeys on their final hole.
• Georgia's Davis Thompson, who is ranked No. 8 in the country, claimed medalist honors, finishing in first place with a 14-under par 202 (67-67-68).
• Fellow ASUN Conference player Michael Sakane from Jacksonville finished in second place as an individual with a 13-under par 203 (67-66-70).
• With the second-place finish, Sakane has indvidually qualified to compete at next week's NCAA Men's Golf National Championship event.
Birdies and Bogeys – Liberty Team Notes:
• Both Kieran Vincent and Ervin Chang birdied the par-4, No. 18 hole (490 yards), giving each of them five birdies during the final round.
• Vincent led the Flames during the Regional with 13 birdies and finished tied for ninth place in birdies in the 75-man field.
• Jonathan Yaun finished tied for eighth place with a 6-under par 210 (71-67-72), his third top-10 finish of the season.
• Yaun led the Flames during the Regional with 36 total pars and recorded one of Liberty's three eagles.
• Ervin Chang (76-69-72) and Zach Barbin (71-70-76) shared 28th place with seven total golfers who each finished with a 1-over par 217.
Back on the Course – Liberty's Next Event:
• 2021 NCAA Men's Golf National Championship (May 28 – June 2)
• Grayhawk Golf Club (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
• Hosted by Arizona State
• Par 70, 7,289 yards
