Upcoming Event: Men's Golf at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate on September 19, 2025
M Golf
at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, May 15
Morgan Hill, Calif. | Institute Golf Club
Grand Canyon
vs
NCAA Regional Tournament
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
NCAA regional debut ends in 11th place
5/17/2023 3:08:00 PM | Men's Golf
GCU challenged top-50 programs; Murphy, Reddig tie for 32nd
MORGAN HILL, Calif. – The Grand Canyon men's golf team made its NCAA regional debut memorable with a first-day charge up the leaderboard and a Wednesday tournament finish just behind some of the nation's top programs.
GCU finished in 11th place at the 13-team Morgan Hill Regional, ending the three-round tournament at The Institute Golf Club within four to eight strokes of No. 19 Arizona, No. 30 Louisville and No. 42 Missouri. Coming off a WAC Tournament championship, the Lopes were tied for sixth place after Monday's first round, slipped on Tuesday and rebounded with an 11-over-par Wednesday to end the regional at 31 over par.
"I congratulated them for having a great season and being the first team to officially win the conference tournament and get to this point," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "For 27 holes, more than halfway through the tournament, they were in fourth place. Now, we've made it. The program can say we've made it, so hopefully we can keep this thing moving forward."
Sophomore Sam Murphy and senior Parker Reddig were the Lopes' top performers, finishing in a tie for 32nd at 6 over par in the 77-player field.
Playing California's longest course with its championship tees at 7,561 yards, Murphy had the most exciting GCU run of the day when he eagled consecutive holes on his front nine. Starting play on the course's back nine Wednesday, Murphy eagled the par-5, 511-yard 14th hole before doing the same on the par-4, 496-yard 15th hole.
The Irishman also followed with a birdie at the par-4 16th hole for a three-hole, 5-under stretch. His round of 1-over 73 was a rebound from his second-round 80 and more like his first-round 3-under 69 that thrust the Lopes into contention for one of the regional's five NCAA finals spots. Murphy was the only player besides Utah's Javier Barcos to have two eagles in the tournament and he tied for the fifth-best score on par-4 holes (1 under).
Reddig had a similar tournament arc to tie with Murphy at 6 over, going from an opening-round 71 to Tuesday's 79 to turning it around in Wednesday's final round with an even-par 72. Reddig sank five birdies Wednesday and finished strongly with a 1-under final nine when he birdied No. 9, his closing hole on the exclusive links.
"Winning the WAC was the goal this season and, if we did so, we knew we would end up here or elsewhere in the postseason," Reddig said. "Just being here was a blessing. Being at a place like this, you can't really beat it. Obviously, this week didn't go like we wanted it to, but I honestly I wouldn't imagined finishing and rounding home anywhere else. It's been a pleasure. It was a great year. Being able to finish with the guys and do what we did this year means a lot to me, and I'll take that with me for the rest of my life."
GCU junior Nicky Kling tied for the ninth-best score on par-5 holes at 3 under to help him tie for 55th overall in the tournament. With a final round of 4-over 76, Kling landed at 13 over for the tournament.
Senior teammate Matthew Braley came in right behind Kling at 14 over par, tying for 57th overall. He carded a 6-over 78 on Wednesday and ended the tournament with 37 pars, the 15th-highest total in the field.
"As soon as we saw our names pop up on that TV a couple weeks ago, we were all excited, no matter where it was," Braley said of NCAA regional announcements. "It was almost a mystery coming out here. We didn't know anything about the course. Nobody did, and we thought it would be an advantage for us because nobody would have a step ahead of anybody. We got out here and, man, it's a tough golf course. It plays all of 7,600 to 8,000 yards. That, in itself, is difficult paired with greens that are running really fast and firm
.
"We knew it was going to be a battle from the get-go. We played really well in the first round. It was nice because we showed ourselves we could do it. We were top half of the field. Unfortunately, we struggled on Day 2, but I really feel like this team and this program is one round away from making it to a national championship. That's a really cool thing. I'm glad I could be part of it for the last five years. Nothing to hang our heads about at all."
The Lopes' lineup rounded out with junior Tommaso Zorzetto's 68th-place finish at 17 over par. His tournament was highlighted by a first round of even-par 72 that was followed by rounds of 78 and 83.
"Overall, everybody did a great job," Mueller said. "Everybody contributed, played well and did the very best that they could, which is a really good way to end it."
In a field that included eight teams ranked among the national top 43, tournament victor Mississippi State (1 under), BYU (4 over), Florida State (7 over), Baylor (9 over) and Pepperdine (11 over) earned the NCAA finals spots.
GCU finished in 11th place at the 13-team Morgan Hill Regional, ending the three-round tournament at The Institute Golf Club within four to eight strokes of No. 19 Arizona, No. 30 Louisville and No. 42 Missouri. Coming off a WAC Tournament championship, the Lopes were tied for sixth place after Monday's first round, slipped on Tuesday and rebounded with an 11-over-par Wednesday to end the regional at 31 over par.
"I congratulated them for having a great season and being the first team to officially win the conference tournament and get to this point," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "For 27 holes, more than halfway through the tournament, they were in fourth place. Now, we've made it. The program can say we've made it, so hopefully we can keep this thing moving forward."
Sophomore Sam Murphy and senior Parker Reddig were the Lopes' top performers, finishing in a tie for 32nd at 6 over par in the 77-player field.
Playing California's longest course with its championship tees at 7,561 yards, Murphy had the most exciting GCU run of the day when he eagled consecutive holes on his front nine. Starting play on the course's back nine Wednesday, Murphy eagled the par-5, 511-yard 14th hole before doing the same on the par-4, 496-yard 15th hole.The Irishman also followed with a birdie at the par-4 16th hole for a three-hole, 5-under stretch. His round of 1-over 73 was a rebound from his second-round 80 and more like his first-round 3-under 69 that thrust the Lopes into contention for one of the regional's five NCAA finals spots. Murphy was the only player besides Utah's Javier Barcos to have two eagles in the tournament and he tied for the fifth-best score on par-4 holes (1 under).
Reddig had a similar tournament arc to tie with Murphy at 6 over, going from an opening-round 71 to Tuesday's 79 to turning it around in Wednesday's final round with an even-par 72. Reddig sank five birdies Wednesday and finished strongly with a 1-under final nine when he birdied No. 9, his closing hole on the exclusive links.
"Winning the WAC was the goal this season and, if we did so, we knew we would end up here or elsewhere in the postseason," Reddig said. "Just being here was a blessing. Being at a place like this, you can't really beat it. Obviously, this week didn't go like we wanted it to, but I honestly I wouldn't imagined finishing and rounding home anywhere else. It's been a pleasure. It was a great year. Being able to finish with the guys and do what we did this year means a lot to me, and I'll take that with me for the rest of my life."GCU junior Nicky Kling tied for the ninth-best score on par-5 holes at 3 under to help him tie for 55th overall in the tournament. With a final round of 4-over 76, Kling landed at 13 over for the tournament.
Senior teammate Matthew Braley came in right behind Kling at 14 over par, tying for 57th overall. He carded a 6-over 78 on Wednesday and ended the tournament with 37 pars, the 15th-highest total in the field.
"As soon as we saw our names pop up on that TV a couple weeks ago, we were all excited, no matter where it was," Braley said of NCAA regional announcements. "It was almost a mystery coming out here. We didn't know anything about the course. Nobody did, and we thought it would be an advantage for us because nobody would have a step ahead of anybody. We got out here and, man, it's a tough golf course. It plays all of 7,600 to 8,000 yards. That, in itself, is difficult paired with greens that are running really fast and firm
."We knew it was going to be a battle from the get-go. We played really well in the first round. It was nice because we showed ourselves we could do it. We were top half of the field. Unfortunately, we struggled on Day 2, but I really feel like this team and this program is one round away from making it to a national championship. That's a really cool thing. I'm glad I could be part of it for the last five years. Nothing to hang our heads about at all."
The Lopes' lineup rounded out with junior Tommaso Zorzetto's 68th-place finish at 17 over par. His tournament was highlighted by a first round of even-par 72 that was followed by rounds of 78 and 83.
"Overall, everybody did a great job," Mueller said. "Everybody contributed, played well and did the very best that they could, which is a really good way to end it."
In a field that included eight teams ranked among the national top 43, tournament victor Mississippi State (1 under), BYU (4 over), Florida State (7 over), Baylor (9 over) and Pepperdine (11 over) earned the NCAA finals spots.
Players Mentioned
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