The Cal State Stanislaus men's golf team's season came to a sudden end as the Warriors just missed out on qualifying for the NCAA team match play rounds. The Warriors were one of many to score in the 300s on another hot and humid Wednesday as they ended up in ninth place after three rounds.
Only the top eight teams advance to team match play starting on Thursday. Cal State Stanislaus was four strokes behind eight place Western Washington as the Warriors tallied a 306 in round three.
Rob Damschen, the leader after Tuesday's play, shot a four-over par to end up at even 213 for his three-round total. He placed fourth behind three players tied atop of the individual standings with 2-under par scores. After playoff holes, Tim Couch of Florida Southern was crown the NCAA Champion.
"We had a great year and I am proud of these guys for all that they've done this season," head coach John Cook said. "Rob had an amazing tournament. Unfortunately, the season had to end a little early."
Florida Southern was the only team to have a good Wednesday as the Mocs fired a four-under to blow past Barry to pick up the No. 1 seed for the team competition. The top four teams are all from Florida, followed by fifth place South Carolina-Aiken as the Southern teams dominated with the favorable humid weather.
From the West Region, both Cal State Monterey Bay and Western Washington advanced to Thursday's quarterfinal round of team match play where teams are seeds based on Wednesday's finish and will play head-to-head until one team remains on Friday as the team champion.
Only four players out of 108 finished even or under par.
For the Warriors, it was a close call and a great effort by a relatively young team.
CCAA Freshman of the Year Trevor Clayton scored a six-over par 77 to end up +13, 226 as the second-best overall score posted by a Warrior in 37th. Sophomore Paul Smith had his best round of the tournament on Wednesday with a 74 to finish at +16, 229. Jeff Neeley struggled to an 11-over par today and ended up at +23, 236. Tyler Barker, another freshman, couldn't break 80 this week to finish with a 246 total.