Men's Golf Advances to Eighth NCAA Championship

Wednesday, May 15

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

University of North Florida

NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional - Day 3

Men's golf winners regional championship

5/15/2024 7:00:00 PM | Men's Golf

Results

Ospreys Hang On for Fifth at NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. - North Florida men's golf finished as one of the top five teams in the NCAA Santa Fe Regional to advance to the NCAA Men's Golf Championship for the eighth time in program history on Wednesday afternoon.

The Ospreys carded a 10-over combined team score to place fifth overall after leading the tournament over the course of the first two days. They advance to its fourth national championship in six seasons, as well as its sixth overall title appearance under head coach Scott Schroeder.

UNF was led by its superstar senior Nick Gabrelcik, who notched a top-four individual placement with his 2-under 208 score after a pair of early rounds in the 60s. Andrew Riley and Davis Lee held down the next best scores in the top 13 overall to help the Ospreys in their advancement to the championship tournament.

After taking fifth in its NCAA regional, the Ospreys edged out No. 3-ranked Arizona State by five strokes to steal the final qualification spot to the championship. UNF also beat out Washington, who was the second-seeded team in its region, taking down the top two teams out west.

Robbie Higgins will join Nick Gabrelcik and Davis Lee as players who have national championship experience, as Nick Gabrelcik was the lone Osprey to advance as an individual to the fourth and final round as a sophomore. Andrew Riley also has postseason experience as the D-II Individual National Champion from last season at Palm Atlantic Beach.

COURSE REPORT

The Farms Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)
Par 70 | 6,962 Yards
Wednesday, May 15 | 18 holes

SCORECARD (Osprey lineup)

TEAM STANDINGS: 14 Teams

Oklahoma (3-under), California (3-over), Oklahoma State (5-over), West Virginia (5-over), North Florida (10-over), Arizona State (15-over), San Diego (17-over), Washington (20-over), South Florida (22-over), Chattanooga (28-over), Kansas (43-over), Wright State (53-over), Seton Hall (58-over), Winthrop (76-over),

ROUND REFLECTIONS

Gabrelcik had a great final nine holes to with four birdies on the day to cap off his excellent week at 2-under 208 with a share of fourth overall.
The four-time ASUN Golfer of the Year leads the program to its second NCAA Championship appearance since arriving in 2020.
The senior also rounded out his week with a top-six mark in par-three average scoring (2-under).
Riley turned in a combined score of 3-over 213, aided by his third-best par-four average score (2-under), to be 13th overall in the field.
Lee stayed the course with another solid card to share 13th with Riley at 3-over 213 combined.
Both Lee and Gabrelcik finished with a top-five mark in par-five scoring average (2-under) as well.
Jason Duff had the best Osprey score in the final round at even-par 70 with three birdies to finish 9-over 219 combined in the top 40 overall.
Robbie Higgins had a top-10 mark for pars with 37 total over the week to finish at 15-over combined.
He joins fellow senior Gabrelcik with a top-eight placement in par-four average scoring (2-over).
The Ospreys completed its week as the only team with three players in the top 13, while also having a player in the top four.
UNF had the individual leaders in pars and birdies, as Lee recorded 42 pars total and Gabrelcik notched 15 birdies total.
They maintained its top spot in par-four scoring average at 11-over, while finishing third for birdies with 42 total and fifth for pars with 175 total.

UP NEXT

North Florida advances as one of the top five teams from its regional to the NCAA Championship, which will be hosted from May 24-29 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.