Flames claim ASUN men’s golf title in record-breaking fashion

The Flames’ second ASUN title and seventh conference title in program history will go down in the record books as No. 1 seed Liberty had to go low to claim the 2023 ASUN Men’s Golf Championship on Wednesday.

The Flames finished their final ASUN Championship with a 53-under par 811 (275-261-275) following three trips around the RTJ Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove (par 72, 7,212 yards). The score set a new program 54-hole team scoring record.

Individually, Liberty’s Jonathan Yaun also etched his name in the record books with an 18-under par 198 (68-63-67) to claim medalist honors at the championship. Yaun’s score was the lowest individual 54-hole total in program history.

Liberty, ranked No. 39 in the country, was pushed by No. 2 seed North Florida, who won last year’s ASUN Championship. The No. 42 ranked team in the country finished four shots back of the Flames with a 49-under par 815 (271-273-271).

The team title is the 33^rd NCAA Division I team tournament victory for the Flames and Liberty’s first since winning the 2021 ASUN Men’s Golf Championship.

Yaun claimed the 35^th NCAA Division I individual medalist honors in program history and the third of his Liberty playing career. The senior also won the Folds of Honor Collegiate in a playoff last fall, and he shared first place at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate in 2019.

Liberty has now won seven NCAA Division I conference titles in program history – two in the ASUN Conference (2021 and 2023) and five as a member of the Big South Conference (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018).

With the record-setting victory, Liberty earns the ASUN Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.

The Flames have advanced to the NCAA Regionals 10 of the last 11 regional events and to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship four times in program history (2012, 2019, 2021 and 2022).

Yaun claimed medalist honors in the senior’s final conference championship event by finishing two shots ahead of Jacksonville’s Joseph Sullivan (68-66-66) and 2023 ASUN Men’s Golfer of the Year Nick Gabrelcik of North Florida (66-67-67). The golfers shared second place with a 16-under par 200.

Along with Yaun, Liberty placed two other golfers on the ASUN All-Championship team. Isaac Simmons finished in fourth place with a 15-under par 201 (64-67-70).

Connor Polender finished one shot behind Simmons and shared fifth place with a 14-under par 202 (72-63-67).

The Flames will learn which of the six NCAA Regional sites will become their road to return to the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship during the NCAA Selection Show on May 3 (Golf Channel at 1 p.m.).

>> Read the complete report and follow the Liberty Golf team at LibertyFlames.com.