Coast to Coast Swoop: UNF men's golf qualifies for NCAA Championships in California
They're swooping from coast to coast.
The University of North Florida men's golf team survived a wild finish at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., shooting a final-round 7-over 287 for a total at 10-over 850 and punching a ticket for the national championships.
Four double bogeys and a quadruple bogey threatened to derail the Ospreys, who slipped from first to fifth on the day, but they fought on to claim one of the five automatic qualifying berths.
For UNF golf coach Scott Schroeder, the finish was "pretty stressful."
"The guys didn't overreact [to the mistakes]," Schroeder said in a remote interview with the Times-Union following the round. "They stayed within what they do and they got the job done."
Their prize: A return trip to the Golden State in a week and a half for the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship from May 24-29 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Qualification was particularly sweet for the Ospreys, who were denied last year by a single stroke when Duke overtook them at the finish in regional play in Norman, Okla.
Nick Gabrelcik, four-time ASUN golfer of the year, shot a 71 to tie for fourth in the individual standings at 2 under, but his hopes of the overall top spot faded after he quadrupled the 427-yard par-4 13th. Oklahoma's Ben Lorenz rocketed to the individual title at 8 under with a final-round 64, while San Diego's Andi Xu and California's Sampson Zheng tied for second at 4 under.
UNF's Davis Lee and Andrew Riley both finished 3 over for the tournament, while Jason Duff was 9 over and Robbie Higgins 15 over.
Riding an 11-under 269 in the final round, Oklahoma jumped four places to win the regional, while California, Oklahoma State and West Virginia also qualified.
"We'll rest up a little bit and do a little research on the golf course, and we'll also need to putt a little better than we did this week," Schroeder said.
For the Ospreys, next week's tournament will be their seventh appearance at the 30-team Division I championship, following prior visits in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2022. UNF also played in the 2001 tournament for Division II.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: UNF men's golf regionals 2024: Ospreys qualify for NCAA Championships
