Sparked by five birdies en route to a 3-under 68 on Saturday, UC Davis freshman Matt Hansen rallied from a shot down at the start of the day to a two-stroke victory at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Southwest Regional at the OMNI Tucson National Golf Resort in Tucson, Ariz. Hansen concluded the three-round event with a 9-under 204.
The 2011 Big West Freshman of the Year heads to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship along with Cal Poly's Geoff Gonzalez. Gonzalez needed four birdies on the final four holes Saturday, and he did just that to total 66 in the final round of the NCAA Central Regional at the Colorado National Golf Club. Gonzalez finished in a tie for fourth place after carding 210.
UC Davis, the 2011 Big West Men's Golf Champion, finished eighth at the regional - only the top five teams advanced to the NCAA Championship - but Hansen was the highest-placing individual not on an advancing team, which guaranteed him a spot in the 54-hole final. The Aggies fired a 5-under 279 team score in the final round, an eight-shot improvement over its other two days, putting the Aggies 1-over for the week.
Senior Austin Graham capped his standout Aggie career with a 68 as well while Andrew Haggen had a 71, Tyler Raber posted a 72 and Daniel Covrig finished with a 73. Graham tied for 32nd, Haggen tied for 34th and Raber tied for 45th in the final individual standings. Covrig was 69th.
The Pacific men's golf team played a solid final round at the NCAA West Regional at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., on Saturday, but finished just off the cut for the NCAA Championship, finishing in seventh place. As a team, the Tigers shot a three-over par 291 in the final round for a three-day total of 878.
Senior T.J. Bordeaux shot a final round 73, to finish tied for eighth place individually. Bordeaux finished at 1-under 215 for the tournament. Alex Johnson and Alex Edfort tied for 28th with three-round scores of 220, while Patrick Kucich tied for 42nd with a three round total of 223 after shooting a two-over par 74 on Saturday. Danny Garcia rounded out the Tiger scoring in 65th, with a 233.
Also playing as individuals at the NCAA West Regional were Cal State Northridge's Nick Delio and UC Irvine's Jerry He. Delio, who won the NCAA Southwest Regional last year, placed 11th this year after registering even-par 216. He shot an even-par 72 in Saturdays final round to finish 46th with a 54-hole total of 224.
The NCAA Division I National Championship will be conducted May 31-June 5 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.