Louisville Men’s Golf has earned a spot in the upcoming NCAA Championship. The Cards were competing in the Noblesville Regional this week. To advance, they needed to place in the top 5. They placed 4th, after shooting 10-under-par, and advanced along with Tennessee, Texas, UAB, and North Carolina. This will be Louisville’s 5th Championship appearance.
UofL was led by junior Jiri Zsuka and redshirt senior Trevor Johnson. Zsuka finished tied for 10th overall shooting 3-under-par for the tournament. Johnson finished tied for 16th overall shooting 2-under-par.
Louisville will next be in action May 28th-31st in what is called the stroke play portion of the tournament. They will be competing at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ.
To read more about the Cards advancing, check out the press release from UofL Athletics below:
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT:
Louisville Men’s Golf Advances to Fifth NCAA Championship Appearance
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – Entering the day with a firm grasp on advancing to the NCAA Golf Championships, the University of Louisville men’s golf team went out and cemented their hold on one of the top five positions at the NCAA Noblesville Regional on Wednesday.
The Cardinals shot a 4-under-par on Wednesday to finish in fourth place and advance to the golf championships for the fifth time in school history and the first time since 2019.
“You never take it for granted being able to advance to nationals,” UofL head coach Ryan Blagg said. “This is my fifth trip in a row going to nationals (last four at Baylor). I never take it for granted and I’m excited to be going back next week.”
Beginning play firmly in fourth place, the Cardinals shot 284 to close the regional at 10-under-par, five shots ahead of fifth place UAB. Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina were the other three schools to advance to the national championships.
The Cardinals will compete in the stroke play portion of the championships on May 28-31 at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“The put it together all week,” UofL head men’s golf coach Ryan Blagg said following the round. “They played exactly the way they needed to play. I knew if we played well this would be the result. I’m really proud of Trevor. He played really well down to the end and recorded a clutch par on the last hole.”
Beginning play with a 12-stroke advantage on Wednesday, the Cardinals put their foot on the gas with 13 birdies over the first nine holes to separate themselves from the next six teams. Both Matthias Schmid and Jiri Zuska were under par over the first nine holes, shooting a 1-under and 2-under-par, respectively.
However, the Cardinals gave a few shots back on the front side, shooting it at a combined 3-over-par.
Senior Trevor Johnson was the key player for the Cardinals on Wednesday, shooting a team-best 2-under-par 70 to finish at 2-under for the week to close the regional in a tie for 16th.
Over the course of the week, the senior from Tennessee carded 72-72-70=214 to post his best finish at a regional over his five seasons with the Cardinals.
“I just tried to take it one shot at a time,” Johnson said. “It was a total group effort from the players right down to the coaches. We’re really excited. Especially with this being my fifth year it means a lot to me. These guys are the best. I wouldn’t trade these guys for anyone. We clicked at the right time and it shows how much heart this team has this year.”
After opening with a 74 on Monday, Zuska shot 5-under-par over the next two days to post his first top-10 finish in the postseason. He tied for 10th overall with scores of 74-69-70. He registered seven birdies on Wednesday to help the Cards advance to the 30-team NCAA Championship field.
Schmid finished at 2-over-par for the tournament but closed with an even-par 72 on Wednesday. He closed the regional tied for 22nd place.
Freshman Max Kennedy stepped in and rose to the occasion in only his fifth event. He was 1-over-par for the regional to finish in a tie for 26th but shot an even-par 72 as the Cardinals punched their ticket to Arizona.
John Murphy tied for 42nd after shooting 75-70-76=221.
