GCU set for NCAA Austin Regional

One year ago, the Grand Canyon men's golf team competed in its first-ever NCAA regional tournament in Morgan Hill, California, after winning its first WAC Tournament title in program history. Fast forward a year, with its second straight WAC title in hand, GCU heads to Austin, Texas, with a familiarity of postseason golf.

The Lopes earned the automatic bid out of the WAC and compete against 13 teams at the UT Golf Club, which is located approximately 45 minutes west of the downtown Austin campus. Of those 13 teams, five rank in the top 30 of the Clippd Rankings, led by Austin Regional top-seed Tennessee at No. 5. GCU enters the regional at No. 71, a range it has been in most of the season after ranking in the mid to high 60s for most of the spring.

The Lopes bring experience to Austin, headlined by senior teammates Nicky Kling and Tommaso Zorzetto, both of whom competed in last year's regional tournament at the Institute Golf Club in Morgan Hill. The duo each were named to the All-WAC first team while Kling was named WAC Golfer of the Year after a second-place showing at the WAC Championship in Payson.

The GCU starting five is rounded out by All-WAC second-team senior Matthew Pennington, junior Josh McCabe and freshman Gavin O'Neill. O'Neill will become the youngest Lope ever to compete in a men's golf postseason tournament, a title held by now-junior Sam Murphy at last year's regional. Murphy helped the early spring success for the squad before being forced out of competition due to injury.

The Lopes will begin first-round play on hole No. 10 at 6:55 a.m. (Phoenix time) on Monday. The three-day tournament will play a round daily on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with the top five teams qualifying for the NCAA Championship tournament at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, on May 24-29.

Austin Regional teams

No. 5 Tennessee
No. 8 Arkansas
No. 13 Texas (host)
No. 20 Georgia
No. 29 Wake Forest
No. 32 Notre Dame
No. 41 UNC Greensboro
No. 44 BYU
No. 54 Utah
No. 60 San Jose State
No. 71 GCU
No. 90 Arkansas State
No. 142 Kansas City

Austin Regional teams

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Players Mentioned

Nicky Kling

Josh McCabe

Sam Murphy

Gavin O'Neill

Matthew Pennington

Tommaso Zorzetto

Grand Canyon University Athletics