By Paul Ridings Jr.
Special to The Huntsville Item
HUNTSVILLE —
When Sam Houston’s Scott Kelly tees off Thursday in the NCAA South Central Regional men’s golf tournament, his goal will be simple. He wants to become the first Bearkat golfer to earn a spot in the national tournament.
“As an at-large entry, it’s difficult to advance but it’s not out of the question,” Kelly said. “I’m going into the tournament with high expectations and will give it my best shot.”
Kelly, who helped lead Sam Houston to a runner-up team finish at the Southland Conference championships in April, is one of five golfers to receive an at-large individual berth in the NCAA South Central Regional.
The event will be played Thursday through Saturday at the Traditions Club in College Station. The five low teams and the low individual not competing from one of the low five teams in the regional tournament will advance to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship on June 4-6 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
“You figure there are 20 players on the five teams that will advance so that gives you an opportunity,” Kelly said.
Kelly led Sam Houston in stroke average this season with a 73.0 average, the second-lowest single-season scoring average in school history. He won individual medalist honors at the Sam Houston Elkins Lake Fall Classic and posted top 10 individual finishes in seven of the 11 tournaments in which the Bearkats participated this season.
“Getting into the regional is a great way to end what I feel has been a very good season for our team,” Kelly said. “When you consider how many young players we had this year, finishing as the runner-up was an accomplishment. I’m glad Fergal (Rafferty) and Beau (Willis), our seniors, got to go out with that success.”
Kelly’s selection marks the seventh time since Sam Houston moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 1986-87 that a Bearkat has earned an at-large individual men’s golf regional berth. It is the second year in a row for a Bearkat golfer to go to regionals. Rafferty placed 48th in the 2009 NCAA competition.
“I’ve talked some with Fergal about what it was like to play in the regional last year,” Kelly said. “He said it was the best college golf experience of his career.”
Other Sam Houston NCAA regional at-large selections have been Jeff Bellnap in 1990, Dean Choate in 1994, Brandt Kieschnick in 1997 and 1999 and Todd Rossetti in 1998.
The Traditions Club Golf Course, a 7,146-yard, par-72 layout, is a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II co-design that features stately hardwood trees, many natural creeks and wetlands.
“I have a couple of friends on the Texas A&M golf team and have played the course several times,” Kelly said. “It’s not an extremely long course, and if you can stay in the fairway, you’ve got an opportunity to make some birdies.”
The Aggies are the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Other teams competing are Texas Tech, Georgia, North Florida, TCU, Pepperdine, Auburn, North Carolina, Baylor, Tulsa, Rice, Wichita State, Georgetown and Jackson State.
Competing as individuals in the event along with Kelly are Oscar Zetterwall, New Orleans; Ken Looper, New Orleans; Philipp Fendt, Louisiana-Lafayette; and Jonathan Coleman, Grambling.
