Michigan
NCAA Columbus Regional
Mueller Wins Columbus Regional, Advances to NCAA Golf Championship
5/16/2018 4:18:00 PM | Men's Golf
» With a seven-birdie 66 (-5) in the final round, Kyle Mueller jumped eight positions to win the NCAA Columbus Regional with a 208 (-5) three-day total and advance to the NCAA Championships.
» Mueller becomes just the second Wolverine to win an NCAA regional; Lion Kim tied for medalist honors at the 2011 NCAA Central Regional.
» Mueller will make his second NCAA Finals appearance. He advanced to the finals as a freshman in 2015 when he was the NCAA Washington Regional medalist runner-up.
» With the victory, Mueller ties the U-M record for career wins with six, equaling the mark of Michael Harris (1997-2000).
» Mueller is making his fourth straight NCAA postseason appearance and first as an individual.
Site: Columbus, Ohio
Tournament: NCAA Columbus Regional
Course: OSU Golf Club's Scarlet Course (par 71, 7,364 yards)
U-M Team Standing: No team score
Top U-M Individual: Kyle Mueller, 1st (73-69-66/208, -5)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Mon., May 25-28 -- at NCAA Championships (Stillwater, Okla.)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Birdieing two of his final three holes, University of Michigan men's senior golfer Kyle Mueller posted a final-round 66 (-5) on Wednesday (May 16) and captured the NCAA Columbus Regional individual title with a 208 (-5) total at the OSU Golf Club's Scarlet Course to advance to the NCAA Championships.
In addition to Mueller's advancement, Oklahoma State (844, -8), Illinois (852, E), UNLV (867), Northwestern (868) and Texas Tech (870) move on to the NCAA Finals, which will be held Friday through Wednesday, May 25-30, at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The individual title will be decided over 72 holes on the event's first four days.
"After the rain delay this morning, I just knew it was going to be a great day, I could feel it," said Mueller. "I felt very calm and comfortable out there all day. I struck the ball very well all week and just had to get the putter rolling. I finally made some putts this afternoon which ultimately became the difference."
"Today was so impressive to watch and I could not be happier for Kyle," said U-M head coach Chris Whitten. "He was in total control of his game. He really made a push to get near the lead early in the round and then every time he made a mistake he bounced right back and sealed it in the closing stretch. He is prepared to play his best at the national championship, and I cannot wait to watch him there."
After lightning and threatening storms suspended Tuesday's (May 15) second round, Mueller arrived back at the Scarlet Course early Wednesday morning to play his final four holes. A birdie on the 16th and three pars helped him produce a 69 (-2) tally and move among the top 10 and just three back of the lead.
Following a short break as the course was re-pinned for the final round, Mueller was back on the tee at 10:04 a.m. for the third straight day. Reaching the first green, he drained a 15-footer for the first of seven final-round birdies to quickly go one-under.
A six-foot birdie on No. 3 and a tremendous chip, setting up a tap-in birdie on No. 6, got him to three-under and a shot back of the lead. With a wedge from 140 yards out on No. 7, Mueller stuck it to 12 inches and tapped in for back-to-back birdies and to claim a share of the lead through nine holes.
After making the turn and opening with a par, a three-putt bogey on the 11th snapped his momentum, but he stayed in a three-way tie for the lead. The bogey snapped Mueller's streak of playing seven-under in his last 23 holes. Not relaxing, he landed in the green-side bunker on the 12th hole, but converted his up-and-down opportunity from a difficult lie for his fifth birdie and to regain the lead.
A second three-putt bogey on the 14th gave a shot back, but Mueller maintained the lead. With three holes remaining, he drained a five-foot putt on the 16th to regain the lead with Oklahoma State' Zach Bauchou (71-68-71) and Matthew Wolff (70-69-71). Mueller sunk a turning 15-footer at 17, his seventh birdie of the day, to post a 66 (-5) and win by two with a 208 (-5) total.
Mueller becomes just the second Wolverine to win an NCAA regional, joining Lion Kim (2008-11), who won the 2011 NCAA Central Regional at Wolf Run. Additionally, the victory for Mueller helped him tie the U-M record for career wins with six, sharing it with U-M great Michael Harris (1997-2000).
Final Team Standings
 1. Oklahoma State   281-278-285 = 844 (-8)  2. Illinois         284-278-290 = 852  3. UNLV             282-293-292 = 867  4. Northwestern     292-291-285 = 868  5. Texas Tech       297-288-285 = 870    -- Top 5 Advance to NCAA Finals --  6. Penn State       293-295-289 = 877  7. Michigan State   303-290-291 = 884  8. Wake Forest      299-296-292 = 887  9. Louisville       300-306-292 = 898 10. Tennessee        306-298-296 = 900    Jacksonville     300-301-299 = 900 12. Yale             312-302-300 = 914 13. Cleveland State  309-310-310 = 929
Top Individuals
 1. KYLE MUELLER, U-M               73-69-66 = 208* (-5)  2. Zach Bauchou, Oklahoma State    71-68-71 = 210    Matthew Wolff, Oklahoma State   70-69-71 = 210  4. Nick Hardy, Illinois            71-68-72 = 211    Hurly Long, Texas Tech          70-70-71 = 211    Ryan Lumsden, Northwestern      75-70-66 = 211  7. Viktor Hovland, Oklahoma State  73-70-69 = 212    Adam Blomme, Texas Tech         73-70-69 = 212  9. Bryan Baumgarten, Illinois      74-69-70 = 213
* playing as individual
Players Mentioned
