CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's golf team will compete in the NCAA Men's Golf Championship Regional from Thursday through Saturday (May 15-17) at the par-72, 7,151-yard Rich Harvest Farms G.C. in Sugar Grove, Ill.
The Vikings will be one of 14 teams competing with the top-five teams, plus the top individual finisher not on one of those five teams, advancing to the NCAA Championships from May 23-28 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.
This will be CSU's fifth appearance at the regionals in the last nine years after the Vikings won the Horizon League Championship in Florida from April 25-27 by three shots over Detroit. CSU also played in the NCAA regionals in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
The Vikings are the No. 13 seed in the region that includes No. 1 California, No. 2 Illinois, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Alabama-Birmingham, No. 5 UNLV, No. 6 Clemson, No. 7 Kent State, No. 8 Purdue, No. 9 Mississippi State, No. 10 Cal-Fullerton, No. 11 New Mexico State, No. 12 Jacksonville State and No. 14 Saint Peter's.
CSU has seven top-four finishes this year, including a win at the league championship and four runner-up finishes.
As a team, the Vikings are averaging 296.5 per round, which is ahead of the current school record scoring average of 296.8 by the 2007-08 team.
THE CSU LINEUP
Andrew Bailey
Senior
Rocky River, Ohio/St. Ignatius
1st round tee time: 10:34 a.m. CST (off 1st tee)
Bailey has been named the Horizon League Player of the Year in each of the last three seasons and was the medalist at this year's league championship. He has a 72.1 scoring average this season, the best in school history, and has won three events, tied for the most by a CSU player in a season (Matt Creech, 1999-00). A four-time first team all-league selection, Bailey's 73.1 career scoring average is the best in program history, while his five career wins are the most by a CSU player. With 18 rounds of par or better this year, Bailey has increased his total rounds of par or better to 47, the most in school history. He has six top-five finishes in his 10 events this year and has broken 70 six times this year, including a career-low 66 at the season opening Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate, an event he won. This will be Bailey's second appearance at the NCAA Regionals after he tied for 62nd place as a freshman in 2011 in San Diego with rounds of 79-75-77 (231).
Michael Balcar
Junior
Toledo, Ohio/St. John's
1st round tee time: 9:50 a.m. CST (off 1st tee)
One of the top golfers in the Horizon League, Balcar ranks fifth in the league with a 74.5 scoring average. A first team All-Horizon League selection in each of the last two seasons, Balcar tied for fifth place at the league championship, coming on the heels of a tie for third place at the league tournament last year. Balcar, who ranks fourth in school history with a 75.1 career scoring average, has three top-10 finishes this season, including a runner-up finish at the St. Francis Invitational.
Brendan Byrne
Senior
Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville
1st round tee time: 10:23 a.m. CST (off 1st tee)
Byrne capped a strong senior season by tying for seventh place at the Horizon League Championship, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. After a first round 79, Byrne came back to card back-to-back rounds of one-over-par 73 for a 54-hole total of 225. He ranks third on the team and 17th in the league with a 75.6 scoring average and has two top-10 finishes this year. He tied for ninth place at the Marshall Invitational in the fall, finishing with a one-under-par 54-hole total of 212 (71-70-71), tying his career-low in the second round. Byrne has a 76.3 career scoring average.
Pat Luth
Freshman
Medina, Ohio/Medina
1st round tee time: 10:12 a.m. CST (off 1st tee)
One of the top freshmen in the Horizon League, Luth helped the Vikings clinch the league championship with a final round 74 and tied for 14th place overall (79-77-74). He has solidified the bottom half of the lineup and carries a 77.0 scoring average into the regionals. Luth has played in all 10 events and all 30 rounds this year. At Medina H.S., Luth played in the state tournament all four years, helping the squad finish ninth in 2009, fifth in 2010 and 2012 and sixth in 2011.
Sophomore
Westerville, Ohio/Westerville South
1st round tee time: 10:01 a.m. CST (off 1st tee)
Moore has had a strong season at the No. 4 position, posting a 76.3 scoring average, playing in nine of the 10 events. The left-handed golfer has one top-10 finish this season, tying for ninth place at the Benbow Invitational when he carded a final round one-under-par 70. Moore tied for 17th place at the league championship, including a final round 76, which helped CSU claim a three-shot win over Detroit.
