Flames Cap Season With 8th Place Finish at NCAA Regionals

Final Results

No. 7 seed Liberty's quest to advance to its fourth-straight NCAA Men's Golf Championship came to an end on Wednesday, as the Flames finished in eighth place at the NCAA Bath Regional.

Liberty senior Connor Polender came within one stroke of forcing a playoff to determine the final individual spot at the national championship event.

Polender and Kansas State's Luke O'Neill were locked into a virtual head-to-head duel down the stretch while playing on opposite sides of the course.

Polender used a nice up-and-down from the front of the green at the par-5, No. 15 hole (560 yards), moving him back to 6-under par for the Regional after his fifth birdie of the final round.

O'Neill dropped back to 6-under par when he bogeyed the par-4 No. 8 hole (403 yards), setting up a dramatic final hole for both players.

O'Neill sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the challenging par-4, No. 9 hole (522 yards), moving him back to 7-under par for the Regional.

On the opposite side of the water dividing the two closing holes, Polender showcased his short game again to leave himself an eight-foot birdie try on the par-5, No. 18 hole (589 yards). However, the senior's putt just missed the hole to the left, giving O'Neill the final coveted spot at the national championship.

Liberty posted its best score of the NCAA Bath Regional on Wednesday, closing the event with a 2-under par 282. The Flames were one of five teams in the 13-team regional to post an under-par score on Wednesday.

Overall, Liberty finished its 11^th NCAA Regional appearance in the last 12 seasons in eighth place after carding a 3-over par 855 (283-290-282) following three trips around the Eagle Eye Golf Club (par 71, 7,090 yards).

The top five teams advancing from the NCAA Bath Regional were No. 6 seed Georgia (29-under par 823), No. 1 seed Illinois (21-under par 831), No. 4 seed Oregon (14-under par 838), No. 2 seed Florida (12-under par 840) and No. 3 seed Texas (10-under par 842).

The Gators needed a final-day charge to advance to the national championship and they responded by carding an 8-under par 276 closing round to get back inside the top-five teams.

Following play on Wednesday, the top five teams from each of the six NCAA Men's Golf Regionals advanced to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship, which will be contested at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 26-31.

Polender posted his second consecutive top-five finish, ending his collegiate career with a share of fifth place at the NCAA Regional with a 6-under par 207 (68-70-69).

The senior posted his 10^th and 11^th sub-70 rounds of his senior season after coming into the year with just eight total sub-70 rounds during his previous four years at Liberty.

ASUN Championship medalist Jonathan Yaun (69-73-74) shared 35^th place with ASUN Freshman of the Year Josh Ryan (74-73-69). Both carded 3-over par 216 totals during the regional event.

Round Recap – Liberty's Starting Five:

• Connor Polender – T5 6-under par 207 (68-70-69)
• Josh Ryan – T35 3-over par 216 (74-73-69)
• Jonathan Yaun – T35 3-over par 216 (69-73-74)
• Isaac Simmons – T49 6-over par 219 (72-74-73)
• Austin Barbin – T68 13-over par 226 (74-81-71)