University of Houston Athletics
Men's Golf Ready for NCAA Championships
5/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
| NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS | |
|---|---|
| Tickets | Tickets Information |
| Live Scoring | Golfstat |
| Lineup | Michael Perras Blair Hamilton Vincent Martino Papito Gonzalez Matt Scobie |
| Time | Friday, May 27 • off No. 10 • 18 holes 10:50 a.m. CDT -- Gonzalez 11:01 a.m. CDT -- Hamilton 11:12 a.m. CDT -- Scobie 11:23 a.m. CDT -- Hamilton 11:34 a.m. CDT -- Perras Saturday, May 28 • off No. 1 • 18 holes Sunday, May 29 • 18 holes |
| Location | Eugene Country Club Eugene, Ore. 7,014 yards • Par 70 |
| Team Field | (28) #35 Houston, (1) #1 Stanford, (2) #2 Texas, (3) #3 USC, (4) #4 Illinois, (5) #5 Oklahoma State, (6) #6 Georgia, (7) #7 Arizona State, (8) #8 Vanderbilt (9) #9 Auburn, (10) #10 Clemson, (11) #11 California, (12) #12 LSU, (13) #13 Florida State, (14) #14 Wake Forest, (15) #15 USF, (16) #16 Florida, (17) #17 Alabama, (18) #18 Oklahoma, (19) #19 South Carolina, (20) #20 Oregon, (21) #21 Arkansas, (22) #22 San Diego State, (23) #23 Virginia, (24) #24 Baylor, (25) #28 Kentucky, (26) #32 Purdue, (27) #33 UAB, (29) #44 TCU and (30) #50 Louisville
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| Season Stats | Season Stats |
| Social Media |   |
EUGENE, Ore. -- For the third consecutive season, the University of Houston Men's Golf program will compete at the NCAA Championships when they tee off at Eugene Country Club on Friday morning.
The Cougars, who will compete as the No. 28 seed, will compete against No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Texas No. 3 USC, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Arizona State, No. 8 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Auburn, No. 10 Clemson, No. 11 California, No. 12, LSU, No. 13 Florida, No. 14 Wake Forest, No. 15 USF, No. 16 Florida, No. 17 Alabama, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 19 South Carolina, No. 20 Oregon, No. 21 Arkansas, No. 22 San Diego State, No. 23 Virginia, No. 24 Baylor, No. 28 Kentucky, No. 32 Purdue, No. 33 UAB, No. 44 TCU and No. 50 Louisville.
For ticket information, fans may visit NCAA.com/tickets or GoDucks.com/ncaa.golf or call the Oregon Ticket Office at 1-800-932-3668.
Following the completion of Sunday's Third Round, the top 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on a qualifying team will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determined the top-8 teams for match-play competition and the NCAA individual national champion.
The top-8 teams after 72 holes of stroke play advance to match play for the NCAA team national championship.
The Cougars earned their spot at the nation's premier collegiate event after tying for third at the NCAA Franklin Regional, played at Vanderbilt Legends Club on May 16-18. Houston finished 30-under-par as a team over the final two rounds to advance to the NCAA Championships for the third straight season for the first time since 1999-01.
Now in his seventh season with the Cougars, Director of Golf Jonathan Dismuke recently announced the program's lineup for the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Michael Perras, seniors Vincent Martino and Blair Hamilton, sophomore Papito Gonzalez and junior Matt Scobie will represent Houston at the NCAA Championships
FIRST-ROUND PAIRINGS
The 2016 NCAA Championships will be played with 18 holes each day on the 7,014-yard, par-70 course. For Friday's First Round, the Cougars will compete in threesomes with student-athletes from TCU and Louisville off No. 10.
Scobie will start the day off No. 10 at 10:50 a.m., with Gonzalez (11:01 a.m.), Hamilton (11:12 a.m.), Martino (11:23 a.m.) and Perras (11:34 a.m.) following.
Fans can follow live scoring by visiting golfstat.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
The Cougars join TCU and Louisville in the afternoon wave for Saturday's Second Round. Scobie begins Saturday play off No. 1 at 4:10 p.m., with Gonzalez (4:21 p.m.), Hamilton (4:32 p.m.), Martino (4:43 a.m.) and Perras (4:54 p.m.) following.
Pairings and tee times for Sunday's Third Round will be adjusted according to 36-holes scores.
ABOUT the COUGARS
Perras was magnificent in the Cougars' most recent action, capturing the NCAA Franklin Regional individual championship by two strokes with a score of 16-under-par 200.
The Deer Park, Texas, native became the second Cougars in as many years to win an NCAA Regional individual title and to accomplish that feat with three consecutive rounds in the 60s, including a First-Round 65. He joined current teammate and senior Blair Hamilton, who share the 2015 NCAA Lubbock Regional individual title at 205.
This season, Perras leads the Cougars with a 71.53 scoring average and 21 rounds of par or better. He leads the team with seven top-10 finishes in 13 tournaments to date and was the Cougars' lone selection to the 2016 All-American Athletic Conference Team.
Martino joined Perras among the top-20 leaders at the NCAA Franklin Regional after lowering his score by three strokes with each round, including a Final-Round 67. The Southlake, Texas, native opened the year by winning the individual championships at the Northern Intercollegiate on Sept. 12-13, 2015, thanks to a Second-Round 66, and has enjoyed six top-20 finishes in 12 tournaments this season.
This season, Martino has posted a career-best 72.32 scoring average to rank second among the Cougars.
Hamilton has been impressive for the Cougars, on and off the course. This season, he has posted a 72.62 average with 16 rounds of par or better to rank second on the team. He has enjoyed four top-10 finishes in 2015-16, including a season-best fourth-place showing at the Bayou City Collegiate Classic on Oct. 12-13, 2015.
Off the course, Hamilton received his bachelor's degree in communications earlier this month and was recognized as the 2015-16 American Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Gonzalez emerged as a leader for the Cougars during the spring season. He captured the first individual title of his career with a score of 146 at the 1-day, 36-hole President's Day Challenge and followed that with a third-place finish at the Cougars' own All-American Intercollegiate, thanks to a career-low 67 in the First Round.
This season, the McAllen, Texas, native has recorded a 73.03 scoring average with 12 rounds of par or better.
Scobie returned to the Cougars' starting lineup at the NCAA Franklin Regional after missing most of the spring season with a foot injury.
Overcoming an 80 in the First Round in his first action since Oct. 13, 2015, Scobie rallied with consecutive sub-par rounds at the NCAA Franklin Regional, including a 67 in the Second Round.
This season, Scobie ranks third among the Cougars with a 72.53 average.
AMONG the BEST
This marks the third consecutive season in which the Cougars will compete at the NCAA Championships. Houston is one of only 15 teams to compete in each of the last three NCAA Championships, joining Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, UAB, USC and Vanderbilt.
LINEUP in NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Cougars boast three NCAA Championships veterans in their lineup this week. Martino will be making his team-leading third appearance at the NCAA Championships, while Hamilton and Perras will compete for the second time during their careers.
Martino made his first appearance at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore in 2014 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., tying for 89th at 218. He tied for 139th a year ago at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Martino will become the 35th Cougar in school history to compete in three NCAA Championships during his collegiate career.
Hamilton was the Cougars' leading performer at the 2015 NCAA Championships, advancing to the Final Round of stroke play and tying for 27th with a score of 292.
Like Hamilton, Perras made his NCAA Championships debut a year ago as a true freshman and tied for 142nd with a score of 237.
Perras and Hamilton become the 66th and 67th players in school history to compete in multiple NCAA Championships during their respective careers.
Scobie and Gonzalez will be making their NCAA Championships debuts this week.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
The Cougars have enjoyed a rich tradition at the NCAA Championships during the program's history collecting 17 NCAA team national championships and posting eight NCAA individual national crowns.
Under the leadership of legendary Head Coach Dave Williams, Houston enjoyed team national championships in 1985, 1984, 1982, 1977, 1970, 1969, 1967, 1966, 1965, 1964, 1962, 1960, 1959, 1958, 1957 and 1956.
Billy Ray Brown (1982), John Mahaffey (1970), Marty Fleckman (1965), Kermit Zarley (1962) Richard Crawford (1959-60), Phil Rodgers (1958) and Rex Baxter (1957) won individual national championships during their respective careers.
A year ago, the Cougars tied for 26th with a score of 906 at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
COMPETING in EUGENE
This will be the third time the Cougars have competed at the NCAA Championships at Eugene Country Club. Houston finished with a score of 561 to win the team national title in 1959 as Richard Crawford earned the first of his back-to-back individual national championships with a score of 144.
In the most recent play in the Pacific Northwest, the Cougars finished 18th with a score of 1,202 at the 1978 NCAA Championships. Fred Couples led the Cougars with a score of 300.
However, Houston's most recent competition there came during the 2014 NCAA Eugene Regional. Seeded No. 2, the Cougars finished fourth with a score of 875 to advance to the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time since 2001. Roman Robledo and Curtis Reed led the Cougars with scores of 215 to tie for eighth.
UP NEXT
Following the completion of Sunday's Third Round, the top 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on a qualifying team will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determined the top-8 teams for match-play competition and the NCAA individual national champion.
The top-8 teams after 72 holes of stroke play advance to match play for the NCAA team national championship.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at HoustonCougarGolf.
Players Mentioned
