Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Men’s Golf Selected to Play in NCAA Regionals
5/3/2023 1:47:00 PM | Men's Golf
Spartans to Host 13 Teams at Eagle Eye Golf Club
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's golf team was selected to play in the NCAA Regionals for the sixth time in the last seven years and will serve as the host to 13 teams at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath, Mich.
The Spartans, seeded No. 10 in the regional, were one of 13 teams selected to play at the site and one of 81 teams in the country to reach a regional.
Complete NCAA Field
The Michigan State Regional, as well as five other regionals, is scheduled to run from May 15 through May 17. The top five teams from each regional will then advance to the national championships, to be played from May 27 to June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"It never gets old seeing your school's name come up on the board for an NCAA Regional, but it's even more special this year," Head Coach Casey Lubahn said. "We've been looking forward to hosting this regional for a couple of years and for our program to be part of it is exciting."
"I'm proud of this group of guys because they have worked really hard to put themselves in a position to earn this selection. It hasn't been the easiest year, but they've battled and it's a great honor for our program to reach the NCAA Regionals. Eagle Eye is a tremendous venue for golf, we're familiar with the course and really looking forward to hosting some of the best teams in the country here."
Eagle Eye Golf Club, a par-71, 7,156-yard course that was designed by Chris Lutzke in collaboration with Pete Dye, was designed as a rolling "links" style championship course featuring magnificent shot values on every hole. Eagle Eye provides a challenge from any of five sets of sees and is highlighted by its "Island Green" 17th hole.
Eagle Eye was named one of the top 100 public courses in the country in 2022 by Golfweek and was ranked No. 5 in the nation by Golf Advisor in 2017. The course hosted the 105th Michigan Amateur in 2016.
The 13 teams competing in the Bath Regional include (in order of seed): 1. Illinois; 2. Florida; 3. Texas; 4. Oregon; 5. Kansas State; 6. Georgia; 7. Liberty; 8. San Diego; 9. Little Rock; 10. Michigan State; 11. Wisconsin; 12. Illinois State; 13. Purdue Fort Wayne.
In his 12th season at the helm of the MSU program, Lubahn has guided the Spartans to representation at each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments and won at least one tournament in 10 of his 12 complete seasons of competition. The Spartans were selected for NCAA Regionals from 2015-16 to 2018-19, James Piot reached a regional as an individual in 2021 and the team has played in the last two regionals, including last year in the Stillwater Regional in Oklahoma.
The Spartans, ranked No. 61 in the country according to Golfstat, closed out the regular season with a third-place finish at the Fighting Illini Spring Classic. MSU posted five top-five finishes during the year, including three during the spring season. Senior Drew Hackett, an All-Big Ten Second Team selection, leads the team in scoring average at 71.97 and is tied for the team lead in rounds played (32). He has had more than 85 percent of his round count toward the team total during the season, with two top-5 finishes, four among the top-10 and five among the top-20.
The Spartans lineup also features four other golfers who have combined to play 125 rounds this year. Sophomore Ashton McCulloch is second on the team with a 72.41 scoring average in 32 rounds, while junior August Meekhof is third with a 72.72 average in 32 rounds, fifth year Troy Taylor II has a 72.97 average in 32 rounds and senior Bradley Smithson is fifth on the team at 74.14 (29 rounds).
The Spartans, seeded No. 10 in the regional, were one of 13 teams selected to play at the site and one of 81 teams in the country to reach a regional.
Complete NCAA Field
The Michigan State Regional, as well as five other regionals, is scheduled to run from May 15 through May 17. The top five teams from each regional will then advance to the national championships, to be played from May 27 to June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
"It never gets old seeing your school's name come up on the board for an NCAA Regional, but it's even more special this year," Head Coach Casey Lubahn said. "We've been looking forward to hosting this regional for a couple of years and for our program to be part of it is exciting."
"I'm proud of this group of guys because they have worked really hard to put themselves in a position to earn this selection. It hasn't been the easiest year, but they've battled and it's a great honor for our program to reach the NCAA Regionals. Eagle Eye is a tremendous venue for golf, we're familiar with the course and really looking forward to hosting some of the best teams in the country here."
Eagle Eye Golf Club, a par-71, 7,156-yard course that was designed by Chris Lutzke in collaboration with Pete Dye, was designed as a rolling "links" style championship course featuring magnificent shot values on every hole. Eagle Eye provides a challenge from any of five sets of sees and is highlighted by its "Island Green" 17th hole.
Eagle Eye was named one of the top 100 public courses in the country in 2022 by Golfweek and was ranked No. 5 in the nation by Golf Advisor in 2017. The course hosted the 105th Michigan Amateur in 2016.
The 13 teams competing in the Bath Regional include (in order of seed): 1. Illinois; 2. Florida; 3. Texas; 4. Oregon; 5. Kansas State; 6. Georgia; 7. Liberty; 8. San Diego; 9. Little Rock; 10. Michigan State; 11. Wisconsin; 12. Illinois State; 13. Purdue Fort Wayne.
In his 12th season at the helm of the MSU program, Lubahn has guided the Spartans to representation at each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments and won at least one tournament in 10 of his 12 complete seasons of competition. The Spartans were selected for NCAA Regionals from 2015-16 to 2018-19, James Piot reached a regional as an individual in 2021 and the team has played in the last two regionals, including last year in the Stillwater Regional in Oklahoma.
The Spartans, ranked No. 61 in the country according to Golfstat, closed out the regular season with a third-place finish at the Fighting Illini Spring Classic. MSU posted five top-five finishes during the year, including three during the spring season. Senior Drew Hackett, an All-Big Ten Second Team selection, leads the team in scoring average at 71.97 and is tied for the team lead in rounds played (32). He has had more than 85 percent of his round count toward the team total during the season, with two top-5 finishes, four among the top-10 and five among the top-20.
The Spartans lineup also features four other golfers who have combined to play 125 rounds this year. Sophomore Ashton McCulloch is second on the team with a 72.41 scoring average in 32 rounds, while junior August Meekhof is third with a 72.72 average in 32 rounds, fifth year Troy Taylor II has a 72.97 average in 32 rounds and senior Bradley Smithson is fifth on the team at 74.14 (29 rounds).
Players Mentioned
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