After finishing fifth at the Auburn Regional at the Auburn University Club, Tech qualified for the NCAA men’s golf Championship hoping to continue their hot performances in NCAAs. Last year, Tech made match play but bowed out in the semifinals, while junior Hiroshi Tai won the individual title. Tech entered the tournament ranked 25th in the Clippd Collegiate team rankings, slightly lower than a year before.
The host of this year’sNCAA championship was Omni La Costa North Course in Carlsbad, Ca., a recent Gil Hanse redesign that has held the NCAA championship since 2024. For the tournament, the course stretched over 7400 yards as a challenging par 72. A combination of high wind and firm fairways and greens would be a constant hazard for the participants.
The Jackets, ranked in the bottom half of the 30 qualified teams, teed off early on day one and carded a 293 (+5), highlighted by a two-under par round of 70 for sophomore Carson Kim. Reigning national champion Tai fired an even-par 72, finishing two-under on his last four holes. Despite solid rounds from both Tai and Kim, the rest of the team carded an over-par round including a 78 (+6). This round put Tech in a tie for 14th place, needing to be inside the top 15 after round three to make the first cut and inside the top eight to qualify for match play.
In round two, Tech was unable to improve on their mediocre first round. This time, Tai was the low-Jacket of the day, shooting a two-under 70 with five birdies. The issue for head coach Bruce Heppler was that the entire rest of his team was over-par. Notably, freshman Albert Hansson bettered his opening round by six shots, improving from an 80 to a 74. In total, the Jackets carded a 294 (+6) to improve the team standing from 14th to 12th, narrowly inside the projected cut-line. Tech would need a solid third round to ensure they would be around for the weekend.
Tech opened up to a fiery start in round three, making the turn under-par sitting comfortably inside the line. Hansson continued to improve, firing a bogey-free 34 (-2) to start the third round. While it seemed like the Jackets were safely inside, the back-nine proved a different story. All five Jackets shot over-par on the back-nine and, while the team’s worst score was just a 74 (+2), their best was just a 73 (+1). The Jackets concluded their third round shooting another 288 (+6) and sat just outside the number with other teams still on the course. Luckily for the Jackets, Wake Forest stumbled into the finish line and the teams finished a tie for 15th. Rather than allowing both teams to continue, the Jackets and Demon Deacons were forced to wake up early and play a team playoff for the final spot.
For this playoff, all five players would play a separate hole and the team’s score would be the aggregate of all five individual scores. Unfortunately, the Jackets as a team came up just short, stopping their streak of semi finals appearances. The silver lining —Tai and Kim made the cut to compete for a top individual finish. In the last round, Tai shot a 73 and Kim shot a 75 to finish in 18th and 38th respectively.
Despite not winning any trophies on the golf course, junior Aidan Tran was recognized at NCAAs for his academic achievements earning the NCAA Elite 90 Award, given to the athlete with the highest GPA at a specific NCAA Championship.
Unlike last year, Tech will be able to build off of their solid season next year as they graduate zero seniors and plan to return their lineup from this year. Jackets golfers will be extremely active this summer, planning to compete in top amateur events across the world. Stay tuned for Tech golf updates throughout the summer.
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