2007 NCAA Division II Atlantic/Southeast Men's Golf Regional

POOLER, Ga. (May 8, 2007) - Enduring another day of high winds at the Savannah Quarters Country Club, Belmont Abbey and Columbus State maintained their respective leads in the 2007 NCAA DII Atlantic/Southeast Men's Golf Regional after Tuesday action in Pooler, Ga.

The Crusaders fired a second-round 317 and hold a 10-stroke advantage over Barton College heading into Wednesday's final round of the Atlantic regional with a two-day 631 total, 55-over-par. The Bulldogs fired a 311 on Tuesday for a 641 total, 65-over-par, and will be paired with Pfeiffer in the final group. The Falcons shot the Atlantic's best round with a 308 and trail the Crusaders by 15 strokes with a 646 total, 70 over par. <Atlantic Team Standings> <Atlantic Player Standings> <Atlantic Team-by-Team Standings> (.pdf)

Individually, Barton's Nick Nosewicz carded an even-par 72 and holds a one-stroke lead after Tuesday with an eight-over-par 152 total. Iain Hall, playing as an individual from Queens (NC), shot a 78 for a nine-over-par 153 total. Two players are tied for third, two strokes back - Ian Milne of Fayetteville State and Kasey Timms of Belmont Abbey with 10-over-par 154 totals.

In the Southeast portion, the Cougars maintained their lead thanks to solid play throughout the lineup, firing a 304 to finish with a two-day 607 total, 31-over-par. Lander continues its surprising run as the seventh-seeded Bearcats tied for the day's best round, shooting a 302 to trail the Cougars by just eight strokes with a 615 total, 39-over-par. USC Upstate is third after a 303 on Tuesday and trails the Cougars by 14 strokes with a two-day 621 total, 45-over-par.

Individually, USC Upstate's Baxter Culler fired an even-par 72 to take a one-stroke lead in the Southeast with a five-over-par 149 total. Columbus State's Christian Ries shot a second consecutive 75 on Tuesday to trail Culler by just one stroke with a six-over-par 150 total, while three players are tied for third with 151 totals. <Southeast Team Standings> <Southeast Player Standings> <Southeast Team-by-Team Standings> (.pdf)

Columbus State's Brandon Kuban scored the shot of the tournament so far on the par-5 529-yard 13th hole, rolling in a five iron from 205 yards out for a double-eagle two. Kuban finished the round with a one-over-par 73, shooting his team's best round of the day.

Play concludes on Wednesday with a single round beginning with 8:00 a.m. tee times. The champions from the Southeast and the Atlantic region advance to the 2007 NCAA DII Men's Golf Championships in Allendale, Mich., on May 22-25 - as well as the next three lowest schools, regardless of region.

POOLER, Ga. (May 7, 2007) - There were three winners on the first day of the 2007 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Atlantic/Southeast Regional at the Savannah Quarters Country Club on Monday - Southeast-leading Columbus State, Atlantic-leading Belmont Abbey and Mother Nature.

Brisk winds - gusting into the high 30s - kept scores high all day long, but the Cougars and the Crusaders emerged to take double-digit leads heading into the second of three rounds of regional competition.

Columbus State shot the best round of the Regional with a 15-over-par 303 total to take a 10-stroke lead over Lander (315) in the Southeast side. The Cougars sported the three top individual scores, led by PBC Player of the Year Andrew Georgiou's one-over-par 73 and Kyle Albright and Christian Ries' rounds of 75. The rest of the Southeast Region field is bunched up as USC Upstate and Presbyterian are tied for 3rd with 318 scores, but USC Aiken and host Armstrong Atlantic State are just two back with 320 scores, tying for fifth. <Southeast Team Standings> <Southeast Player Standings> <Southeast Team-by-Team Standings> (.pdf)

The Pirates were led by junior Savannah native Ryan Wilson, who is tied for 10th after a first-round 78. Freshman Josh Burt and sophomore Chris Wolfe each carded rounds of 80 and are tied for 15th individually, while sophomore Wills Smith shot an 82 and is tied for 27th. Sophomore Andrew Workman struggled with an 85 and is tied for 37th.

Individually, Lander's Jake Amos is among the group of three players tied for second, just two behind Georgiou.

On the Atlantic side, Belmont Abbey shot a 26-over-par 314 score and has a hefty 16-stroke lead over the nearest competition - Barton and Anderson, who each carded 330s on the day. CIAA champion Fayetteville State is tied with last year's region champion Coker for fourth at 334. <Atlantic Team Standings> <Atlantic Player Standings> <Atlantic Team-by-Team Standings> (.pdf)

The Crusaders' Mads Nielsen is tied for the individual lead after firing a three-over-par 75, with Queens (NC) individual player Iain Hall. The duo share a two-stroke lead over Ian Milne of Fayetteville State, who carded a 77.

In all, only 20 of the 90 players in the field for the regional broke 80, battling heavy winds on the par 72, 7,066-yard Greg Norman designed Savannah Quarters championship course. Play continues on Tuesday with a single round beginning with tee times at 8:00 a.m. The regional concludes on Wednesday, with the champions from the Southeast and the Atlantic region advancing to the 2007 NCAA DII Men's Golf Championships in Allendale, Mich., on May 22-25 - as well as the next three lowest schools, regardless of region.

POOLER, Ga. (May 4, 2007) - NCAA Championship men’s golf returns to the Coastal Empire on Monday as Armstrong Atlantic State University and Savannah Quarters Country Club hosts the NCAA DII Atlantic/Southeast Men’s Golf Regional. The three-day, three-round event will determine which teams advance to the 2007 NCAA DII Men’s Golf Championships in Allendale, Mich., on May 22-25.

The super regional is a unique format in which two eight-team regionals compete concurrently on the par-72, 7,016-yard Greg Norman designed course in Pooler. The winner of the Atlantic Regional – featuring teams representing the CVAC and the CIAA – will earn a berth at the National Championship, as will the winner of the Southeast Regional – featuring teams representing the Peach Belt and the SAC. In addition, the three teams with the lowest three-day scores, regardless of region, will also earn at-large berths to the National Championship.

In addition, 10 individuals will be competing, five in each regional, for a chance to advance to the National Championships as well. The lowest three-day score in each region from a player whose team is not advancing to the National Championship will advance.

The Southeast Regional is considered one of the strongest regionals in the country in Division II, and not just because it features three-time defending NCAA national champion USC Aiken. The Pacers, who have dominated the DII men’s golf scene recently, come into the regional as the No. 3 seed, behind Peach Belt champion and No. 3-ranked Columbus State, who is the top seed for the regional. Host Armstrong Atlantic is the No. 2 seed and has two wins this season, capturing the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate and the Liberty Spring Invitational just down the road at Crosswinds Golf Club, and is looking to return to the National Championship for the first time since 2005, when AASU hosted the event and finished second.

USC Upstate, in just its second season of competition, is the No. 4 seed and has made its second straight foray into regionals play. This is the last year in Division II for the No. 13-ranked Spartans, who make the transition to Division I next year. No. 8-ranked GCSU is the fifth seed, followed by SAC champion Presbyterian as the No. 6 seed. Lander, in just its second season of competition since reinstating the sport, makes its first NCAA appearance as the No. 7 seed, and independent North Greenville College makes its second NCAA appearance in its last three seasons as the No. 8 seed.

The region features several of the nation’s top Division II golfers as well, as six golfers feature prominently in Golfstat’s latest Golfstat Cup individual rankings. PBC Player of the Year Andrew Georgiou of Columbus State (72.71 avg) is the top-rated region golfer, ranked 85th and sixth among DII golfers. Other region golfers appearing in the rankings include USC Upstate’s Baxter Culler (72.56 avg, 111th), USC Aiken’s Roberto Diaz (73.07 avg, 176th), Lander’s Jake Amos (73.24 avg, 184th), Clayton State’s Will Wilcox (73.75, 208th) – competing as an individual- as well as host AASU’s Chris Wolfe (73.08, 231st).

The Atlantic Regional placed two teams into the National Championship last season and is paced by top-seeded and CVAC team champion Barton, who won the league title by just one stroke over No. 2 seed Belmont Abbey. Anderson and Pfeiffer, also members of the CVAC, are the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, while Coker – winners of last year’s Atlantic Regional – comes in as the No. 5 seed. Mount Olive makes its second-ever NCAA appearance and second straight foray as the No. 6 seed, while CIAA champion Fayetteville State earned the league’s automatic bid with its seventh straight league title, winning by 37 strokes to earn the No. 7 seed. Limestone, who features the region’s top-rated golfer in Paul Butler (72.24 avg, 121st Golfstat Cup), earned the No. 8 seed.

Play begins at Savannah Quarters on Monday with tee times beginning at 8:00 a.m. Play continues Tuesday with a single round and wraps up Wednesday.

POOLER, Ga. (April 27, 2007) - The Armstrong Atlantic State men's golf team will host the 2007 NCAA Division II Atlantic/Southeast Men's Golf Regional on May 7-9 at the Savannah Quarters Golf Club in Pooler, Ga.

Eight teams and five individuals representing the Carolinas-Virginias Athletic Conference (CVAC) and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) make up the Atlantic regional, while eight teams and five individuals representing the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) and the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) make up the Southeast regional.

The winning team of the Atlantic and Southeast regional, plus the next three lowest team scores over the three rounds regardless of region, will advance to the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships on May 22-25 at The Meadows in Allendale, Michigan.