Tech opens regional as No. 2 seed at Yale
Eighth-ranked Texas Tech, which won an NCAA regional men's golf tournament last year, will try to do so again when the Red Raiders begin play Monday as the No. 2 seed at the New Haven Regional.
Yale is the host of the three-day, 54-hole tournament in New Haven, Connecticut.
Tech's lineup will be drawn from Big 12 individual champion Ludvig Aberg, Carl Didrik Meen Fosaas, Andy Lopez, Calum Scott, Sandy Scott and Baard Skogen. Aberg, Skogen and Lopez were in the lineup when the Red Raiders won the NCAA Albuquerque Regional last year. Sandy Scott has played in two NCAA regionals, but missed last year's with a wrist injury.
"We've been playing really consistent," Tech coach Greg Sand said. "We aren't where everyone is clicking on all cylinders, but we did that last year in Albuquerque. I think we're starting to feel some of those vibes and play sharp.
"The guys know what it takes to win, and that is a big advantage. We aren't trying to convince them that they can win a regional. They've done it. Golf is a mental game, and that is going to be an advantage."
Fifth-ranked North Carolina is the No. 1 seed at the par-70 Yale Golf Course. Seeded in order after Texas Tech are No. 17 Wake Forest, No. 19 Illinois, No. 28 North Carolina State, Charlotte, North Florida, Georgia Southern, Mississippi State, Virginia, Central Florida, Seton Hall, Yale and Sacred Heart.
Six 54-hole regionals are being conducted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Three regionals have 13 teams and 10 individuals not on those teams, and the other three regionals, including Tech's, have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams.
From each regional, the top five teams and the lowest-scoring individual not on those teams will advance to the NCAA championship final tournament. That event is scheduled for May 27 through June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Aberg, one of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award that goes to the nation's top college golfer, leads Tech with a 70.20 strokes-per-round average over 30 rounds covering 10 tournaments. The junior from Sweden has seven top-10 finishes this school year, including two victories. Skogen has a 71.50 stroke average with four top-10s, and Lopez has a 71.72 stroke average.
Calum Scott has a 72.87 stroke average, Meen Fosaas a 73.29 and Sandy Scott a 76.33.
Oklahoma is the only No. 1 seed hosting a regional on its home course. The other No. 1 seeds are Vanderbilt at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Oklahoma State at Ohio State Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio; Arizona State at the Reserve in Stockton, California; and defending national champion Pepperdine at Traditions Club in Bryan.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: College golf: Texas Tech opens regional as No. 2 seed at Yale
