The Brigham Young University men’s golf team secured a place in the NCAA National Championship after finishing fourth at the NCAA Athens Regional on May 20 at the University of Georgia Golf Club.
The result allows BYU to advance to the national finals, an important achievement for the program as it marks their 34th appearance in nationals. The team delivered its best round of the event with a final round score of nine-under-par, bringing their total to twenty-under-par overall and helping them outperform several top-ranked teams.
Head coach Bruce Brockbank said, “I’m so excited for our team. This is about them. They played some outstanding golf this week. I love going to the NCAA finals.” Director of golf Todd Miller added, “I think more than anything what kept running through my mind is we need to get back to the national championship for Bruce’s final year. The guys had a good bounce in their step from the first shot, and I feel like they stayed really present all day long.”
BYU led all teams in par-3 scoring and ranked second in par-4 scoring while making sixty birdies during regional play. Freshman Parker Bunn tied for tenth place individually at six-under-par, marking his first top-ten finish at a regional event. Miller said, “It was an incredible performance by Parker stepping into that fifth spot on our team and really carrying us this week.” Brockbank also praised Bunn: “Parker Bunn was our MVP.”
Other notable performances included Kihei Akina tying for fourteenth at five-under-par and Peter Kim finishing inside the top twenty-five with three-under-par over three rounds. Simon Kwon posted a strong final round at six-under-par after earlier struggles, while Tyson Shelley concluded his last regional appearance tied for forty-second.
Reflecting on preparation for nationals, Miller said: “This was a great course for us to play and prepare for Omni La Costa, where the national championship is. The layout, the grass and the green structures are similar.” BYU will next compete in Carlsbad, California from May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort.
