Thompson Receives Invitation as Individual to NCAA Regional
5/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 7, 2012
• 2012 NCAA Ann Arbor Regional Central
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan senior men's golfer Matt Thompson (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview HS) was invited today (Monday, May 7) to participate as an individual at the 2012 NCAA Regional hosted by the Wolverines, Thursday through Saturday, May 17-19, at the U-M Golf Course.
Thompson, who is among 13 teams and 10 individuals invited to the Ann Arbor Regional, is the 10th Wolverine to earn an individual invitation to the NCAA postseason, helping give U-M the 35th overall NCAA postseason appearance in team history.
Overall, it marks Thompson's fourth straight NCAA postseason appearance after helping U-M to three team invitations his previous three years. In 2009, he tied for 23rd in stroke play, helping U-M advance to the team match play final, where U-M was eliminated in the semifinal by eventual national champion Texas A&M.
In 2010, Thompson tied for sixth individually to lead U-M at the central regional as the Wolverines just missed advancing to the NCAA Finals, tying for sixth as a team. Last year, he tied for 11th as the Wolverines won the central regional before tying for 10th in stroke play at the NCAA Championships, just missing the top eight to advance to the match-play NCAA Finals.
Recently named an All-Big Ten second team member for the second time in his career, Thompson was the top-finishing Wolverine in eight of the 11 events, with five top-10 finishes and four top five. He won his first collegiate tournament (the Windon Memorial Classic) with a five-under 205, which is the second-lowest 54-hole total in U-M history. He also finished as the medalist runner-up at the Bridgestone Intercollegiate and third at the Big Ten Championships.
Thompson, who was a three-time Big Ten Golfer of the Week, is carrying a 72.18 per-round average, which is just below his school record of 72.00 set during the 2009-10 season. Overall, his career 72.84 single-round average is still the best all-time at U-M. He has shot 11 rounds under par, including tying a career best with a five-under 65 in the final round of the Windon Memorial Classic.
The 13-team field at the regional (in seeding order) include: USC, Oregon, Kent State, Virginia, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kennesaw State, TCU, Purdue, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Navy.
The list of 10 individuals (in seeding order) include: Peter Williamson, Dartmouth; Thompson, U-M; Sebastian MacLean, Xavier; Erik Van Rooyen, Minnesota; Dan Ellis, Michigan State; Tyler Merkel, Ball State; Charlie Bull, Akron; Chad Ebert, Green Bay; William Park, Army and Greg Matthias, Delaware
The top five teams and the low individual of a non-qualifying team will advance to the NCAA Finals, to be played Tuesday through Sunday, May 29 to June 3 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
In addition to the Ann Arbor Regional, the five other NCAA sites include Greensboro, N.C., at the Grandover Resort (UNC Greensboro); Athens, Ga., at the University of Georgia Golf Course (Georgia); Bowling Green, Ky., at The Club at Olde Stone (Western Kentucky); Norman, Okla., at the Jimmy Austin OU Golf Club (Oklahoma) and Stanford, Calif., at the Stanford Golf Course (Stanford).
2012 NCAA Regional
Ann Arbor, Mich. | U-M Golf Course
Thursday-Saturday, May 17-19
Teams
1. USC
2. Oregon
3. Kent State
4. Virginia
5. Baylor
6. Oklahoma State
7. Kennesaw State
8. TCU
9. Purdue
10. N.C. State
11. Notre Dame
12. Ohio State
13. Navy
Invited Individuals
1. Peter Williamson, Dartmouth
2. Matt Thompson, Michigan
3. Sebastian MacLean, Xavier
4. Erik Van Rooyen, Minnesota
5. Dan Ellis, Michigan State
6. Tyler Merkel, Ball State
7. Charlie Bull, Akron
8. Chad Ebert, Green Bay
9. William Park, Army
10. Greg Matthias, Delaware
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
