Ryan Brehm Qualifies for NCAA Regionals as Individual
5/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 9, 2006
Complete Men's NCAA Golf Field
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A week after garnering first-team Big Ten honors, sophomore Ryan Brehm (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) has qualified for the NCAA men's golf championships as an individual and will play at the Central Regional on May 18-20. Brehm is ranked No. 119 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, and will join the 27 qualifying teams and five other individuals at the Sand Ridge Golf Club in Chardon, Ohio.
The top 10 teams, and lowest two individuals not competing on an advancing team, will move on to the NCAA Championships at the Sunriver (Ore.) Resort's Crosswater Course on May 31-June 3.
The 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year posted a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships for the second year in a row this season. His 7-under-par 64 in the first round broke the program's 18-hole record - a record he tied at last year's conference tournament. Brehm holds the lowest scoring average on the team (73.48) and has posted a pair of top-five finishes on the season.
"Ryan played his best golf at the biggest tournaments of the season, which really helped his selection," said seventh-year head coach Mark Hankins. "His performance at the Big Ten Championships was impressive - he beat a lot of good players in head-to-head matchups. Playing as an individual is a bit different, but I'm confident that Ryan will be very competitive against some of the top golfers in the region."
As a team, the 55th-ranked Spartans missed out on regional play for only the second time in the last five years. Michigan State closes out its season this weekend, May 13-14, at The Maxwell in Ardmore, Okla. MSU will be sending Brehm, Matt Harmon, Randy Hutchison, Steve Cuzzort, Grant Tungate and Nathan Gunthorpe to the tournament, which is hosted by Oklahoma State.
"Our goal, as always, is to go in there and try to win a golf tournament," said Hankins. "We have to continue to grow as a team and gain experience. We've gotten a lot better as the season has gone along, and we all want to finish strong heading into the summer."
Players Mentioned
