18th-Hole Rally Sends Flames Back to NCAA Championship

No. 7 seed Liberty carded three birdies on the closing hole of the NCAA Stockton Regional to send the Flames back to the NCAA National Championship for the third year in a row.

Entering the final round in seventh place sent the Flames off the No. 1 tee in the second wave of teams on Wednesday morning. No. 4 seed LSU was sent out on the first wave off No. 10, setting the stage for the dueling drama around the adjacent No. 9 and No. 18 closing holes.

Austin Duncan jumpstarted Liberty’s late rally with an ace on the par-3, No. 15 hole (179 yards). Liberty then posted three birdies on the par-5, No. 16 hole (535 yards) and got impressive birdies by Zach Barbin, Isaac Simmons and Jonathan Yaun on the closing No. 18 hole (par 4, 399 yards).

Conversely, on the other side of the lake that divided holes No. 9 and No. 18, LSU carded three bogeys on No. 8 (par 3, 237 yards), which was its 17^th hole of the day, and a final bogey at No. 9.

With the Tigers closing 4-over on their final two holes and Liberty finishing 6-under on its last four holes, Liberty leapfrogged the Tigers for the final qualifying spot at the NCAA Stockton Regional.

The Flames finished the event in fifth place with a final score of 18-under par 846 (287-278-281) following three trips around The Reserve at Spanos Park (par 72, 7,315 yards).

The Flames joined No. 1 seed Arizona State, No. 3 seed Stanford, No. 8 seed BYU and No. 5 seed Oregon as the five teams to advance from the Stockton Regional to the 2022 NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship.

The top five teams from each of the six NCAA Regionals will advance to the 2022 NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. (May 27 – June 1).

Liberty will be making its third-straight appearance at the national championship and fourth overall appearance in program history (2012, 2019, 2021 and 2022).

Round Recap – Liberty’s Starting Five:

• Jonathan Yaun – T5 8-under par 208 (70-70-68)
• Isaac Simmons – T15 5-under par 211 (70-70-71)
• Kieran Vincent – T24 3-under par 213 (72-67-74)
• Austin Duncan – T34 1-under par 215 (75-71-69)
• Zach Barbin – NA 3-over par DNP-74-73 (0-74-73)
• Austin Barbin – NA 6-over par 78-DNP (78-0-0)

Field Reflections:

• The Reserve at Spanos Park finished the regional playing at a stroke average of 71.96 (Round 1: 72.84; Round 2: 71.08; Round 3: 71.96).
• 1 seed Arizona State won the Stockton Regional with ease, posting a winning score of 38-under par 826 (279-276-271).
• 3 seed Stanford was 10 shots back with a 28-under par 836 (278-279-279) to finish as the Regional runner-up.
• 8 seed BYU had another strong day on Wednesday, closing the Regional with an 11-under par 277 to finish in third overall with a 27-under par 837 (284-276-277).
• 5 seed Oregon finished three shots clear of the Flames in fourth place with a 21-under par 843 (290-270-283).
• 4 seed LSU finished just below the “Red Line” in sixth place and two shots behind Liberty with a 16-under par 848 (287-275-286).
• BYU’s Carson Lundell claimed medalist honors with a winning score of 11-under par 205 (69-68-68).
• Washington RJ Manke defeated LSU’s Drew Doyle on the first playoff hole to claim the final individual spot at the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship.

Birdies and Bogeys – Liberty Team Notes:

• Liberty’s 18-under par was the Flames’ lowest total to par in the team’s 12 NCAA Regional appearances.
• Liberty’s 846 was the second-lowest 54-hole team total in its NCAA Regional history, trailing only a 12-under par 840 at the NCAA Raleigh Regional in 2018.
• Jonathan Yaun paced the Flames during the NCAA Stockton Regional, finishing tied for fifth place with an 8-under par 208 (70-70-68).
• Yaun’s final score was his second top-five finish of the season and his second lowest 54-hole total of the year.
• Isaac Simmons finished tied for 15^th place with a 5-under par 211 (70-70-71), accounting for his fifth top-20 finish of the year.
• Kieran Vincent finished tied for 24^th place with a 3-under par 213 (72-67-74), and Austin Duncan finished tied for 34^th place with a 1-under par 215 (75-71-69) to round out Liberty’s under-par scorers at the NCAA Regional.

Back on the Course – Liberty’s Next Event:

• 2022 NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship (May 27 – June 1)
• Grayhawk Golf Club (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
• Hosted by Arizona State
• Par 70, 7,289 yards