TUCSON, Ariz. - ULM men's golfer Gustaf Kocken finished
the final round of the 2011 NCAA Men's Golf Championship Southwest Regional Tournament with
an even-par 71 Saturday on the 7,199 yard Omni Tucson National Golf Resort to
fall just short of earning the lone individual qualifying spot available to advance
to the National Championship in Stillwater, Okla.
"I played bad today. I really struggled from the
beginning," said Kocken after the final round. "I felt like I was getting
something in the end, but nothing really came of it, and finishing with a bogey
is disappointing. Overall, I had a fun week, and I'm glad I came."
Kocken ended his run by dropping two spots overall to tie for 11th
place at three-under-par 210 total. The freshman phenomenon was the only
individual qualifier to finish in the top-15 of the field, with the next closest
finisher being Zac Blair of Brigham Young who tied for 25th with 214
total.
The Warhawk was vying for the single qualifying spot available to
the lowest finishing individual not on a team that advances to the NCAA Men's
Golf Championship May 31-June 5 at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla. The
top-five finishing teams at each of the six regional sites are also invited to
advance.
UC Davis' Matt Hansen earned the individual berth by reclaiming medalist
honors from the first round with a 68 Saturday for a combined 204 after the
Mustangs failed to finish as one of the five qualifying teams. San Diego State
took the team title with a total score of 833 and Texas A&M was the runner-up
while California, Pepperdine and Arizona claimed the final three coveted
qualifying positions.
Kocken began on the back nine for the second day-straight and had
a steady start to his round with three pars before incurring trouble with a
bogey on the par-4, 405 yard 13th hole. The bogey would not phase
him as he parred-out to make the turn at one-over-par.
The Stockholm, Sweden, native continued his streak of pars until
his first birdie on the 398 yard, par-4 fifth hole which allowed him to return
to even-par. Kocken moved into the red with another birdie on his most
successful hole of the tournament, the par-5, 592 yard eighth hole, which he
birded during each of his three rounds. However, a bogey on the final hole ended
his round with an even-par 71.
Team
Standings:
1. San Diego State 278-278-277-833, 2. Texas A&M 281-282-277-840, 3.
California 286-279-278-843, T4. Pepperdine 284-280-280-844, T4. Arizona 281-280-283-844,
6. Washington 279-286-280-845, 7. Oregon State 284-285-280-849, 8. UC Davis 287-287-279-853,
9. Texas Tech 283-284-291-858, 10. Liberty 280-292-288-860, 11. Purdue 290-301-282-873,
12. Texas-Arlington 294-288-294-876, 13. Army 302-290-290 -882, 14. Loyola Univ.-Maryland 310-298-295-903
Individual Leaders:
1. Matt Hansen (UC Davis) 64-72-68-204, 2. Alex Moore (Oregon State) 66- 69-71-206,
3. Cameron Peck (Texas A&M) 70-67-70-207, T4. Ben An (California) 73-69-66-208,
T4. Nils Floren (Texas Tech) 67-71-70-208, T4. Alex Kang (San Diego State) 68-70-70-208,
T11. Gustaf Kocken * (ULM) 69-70-71-210
* - Denotes individual
