University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Selected for NCAA Stanford Regional
5/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
HOUSTON â€" For the sixth straight season, the University of Houston Men's Golf program will compete in the postseason when it tees off at the NCAA Stanford Regional, beginning May 15.
The Cougars will compete as the No. 9 seed at the NCAA Stanford Regional for Director of Golf Jonathan Dismuke. The three-day, 54-hole tournament begins May 15 and runs through May 17 with 18 holes scheduled each day on the 6,727-yard, par-70 Stanford Golf Course.
The top-five teams and top individual not on a qualifying team at each of the six NCAA Regionals advance to compete at the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
Houston was one of 81 teams and 45 individuals (13 teams and 10 individuals at three NCAA Regionals; 14 teams and five individuals at three NCAA Regionals) selected to compete in the first stage of the NCAA postseason.
Other teams will compete at The Grove (College Grove, Tenn., hosted by Middle Tennessee); Kampen Course (West Lafayette, Ind., hosted by Purdue); University of Texas Golf Club (Austin, Texas); University Club (Baton Rouge, La., hosted by LSU) and Aldarra Golf Club (Sammamish, Wash., hosted by Washington)
TEAM FIELD
The Cougars will compete against No. 1 seed Stanford; No. 2 seed Baylor; No. 3 seed Oklahoma; No. 4 seed Georgia Tech; No. 5 seed Pepperdine; No. 6 seed North Carolina; No. 7 seed North Florida; No. 8 seed BYU; No. 10 seed Ohio State; No. 11 seed UC Santa Barbara; No. 12 seed Sacramento State and No. 13 seed South Dakota State.
The NCAA Stanford Regional features four of the nation's top-25 teams and eight of the top 50. Houston enters the NCAA postseason at No. 51 in the latest Golfstat national rankings.
Collin Morikawa (California); Hayden Shieh (Santa Clara); David Kim (UC Irvine); Justin Doeden (Minnesota); Andres Gonzalez (Long Beach State); Felix Mory (Cal State Northridge); Fidel Concepcion (Southern Utah) ; Grant Booth (Nevada); Brian Humphreys (Boise State) and Mike Graboyes (Cornell) will compete as individuals at the NCAA Stanford Regional.
ABOUT THE COUGARS
The Cougars have posted five top-five team finishes this season with second-place showings at the American Athletic Conference Championships, Bayou City Collegiate Classic, Royal Oaks Intercollegiate and Border Olympics.
Junior Michael Perras leads the team with a 71.57 average, 20 rounds of par or better and seven rounds in the 60s. The Deer Park, Texas, native captured the third title of his collegiate career after winning on the first hole of a playoff against USF's Cristian DiMarco at the American Athletic Conference Championships on April 25.
Junior Papito Gonzalez stands second on the team with a 71.94 average with 18 rounds or par or better and four rounds in the 60s. The McAllen, Texas, native joined Perras among the top-10 leaders at the recent American Championships, tying for fifth with a score of 214.
NCAA REGIONALS HISTORY
Thursday's selection marks the 20th NCAA Regional appearance in Houston history. It also marks the program's sixth straight NCAA Regional berth under Dismuke's leadership.
During its history, Houston has recorded one NCAA Regional team championship, four individual titles and nine top-five finishes.
The Cougars have enjoyed individual champions in each of their last two NCAA Regional appearances. Perras captured the championship at the NCAA Franklin Regional in 2016, and Blair Hamilton won the NCAA Lubbock Regional in 2015.
With his recent American Championship title, Perras became the first Cougar in school history to win NCAA Regional and conference championship titles during his career.
AT STANFORD
This will be the first time the Cougars have competed at Stanford during NCAA Regional play. However, it marks Houston's third NCAA postseason appearance there.
The Cougars captured the 1966 NCAA team national championship with the 1981 team finishing third at Stanford Golf Course.
LAST TIME OUT
In their last tournament, the Cougars posted a score of 872 to tie for second at the American Athletic Conference Championship on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Club on April 23-25.
Perras defeated USF's Cristian DiMarco on the first playoff to win the first American Championships title of his career after both players tied at 1-under 211 through 54 holes.
Gonzalez tied for fifth with a score of 214 after opening that tournament with a 68.
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. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at uhcougarmgolf.
