SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. – The Chico State men’s golf team set out on a quest to win the NCAA title this season. The Wildcats took a tremendous step toward that goal Thursday, winning the stroke play section of the NCAA Championships at the Cardinal Club to add to the story of a season that could go down as one of the greatest in Division II golf history.
Chico State’s seventh win in 12 events this season set the Wildcats up as the top seed in medal/match play that begins Friday morning. The Wildcats carded a team score of 3-under par Thursday to finished 13-under in stroke play, besting runner-up Nova Southeastern by four shots.
The Wildcats will face Central Missouri Friday morning beginning at 4:30, PST, in the quarterfinal round of
medal/match play. The winner will take on either Chico State’s California Collegiate Athletic Association rival Cal State Stanislaus or Georgia College & State Friday at 10 a.m., PST, for a berth in the finals.
In medal/match play, each teams’ players will be paired off to face off for the best 18-hole score. One point will be awarded to the winner of each individual match and the first team to three points wins. Ties will be broken by overall team score.
Eric Frazzetta will be the Wildcats’ No. 1 player after finishing tied for 5th at 6-under par. The senior is the eighth Chico State player to finish among the nation’s top five. He was 2-over par Thursday.
Defending National Champion Kyle Souza carded his third consecutive 1-under par 71 to finish tied for 12th. He’ll be the team’s No. 2 player in medal/match play.
Kevin Rei, who carded a team-best 3-under par 69 Thursday, finished stroke play tied for 15th at 1-under. He’ll be the No. 3 seed.
Bobby Bucey will be the No. 4 seed. Bucey experienced his first struggles of the tournament Thursday and was 5-over par through 12, but recovered nicely with three straight birdies on 15, 16, and 17. He finished 2-over on the day and even par for the tournament in a tie for 19th.
Chris Doyle, the No. 5 seed, shot a 1-under par 71 and finished the 118-player tournament tied for 30th.
FINAL STROKE PLAY RESULTS
Fans can follow all of the medal/match play action by clicking the Division II Championships link at
www.golfstat.com.
2012 NCAA Championship Medal/Match Play
(All times listed are PST. Teams will tee off at #1 unless noted)
Quarterfinals - Thursday
Match 1 – 4:30 a.m.: #1 Chico State vs. #8 Central Missouri
Match 2 – 4:30 a.m.: #4 Cal State Stanislaus vs. #5 Georgia College & State (10th tee):
Match 3 – 5:15 a.m.: #2 Nova Southeastern vs. #7 South Carolina-Aiken
Match 4 – 5:15 a.m.: #3 Central Oklahoma vs. #6 Barry (10th tee):
Semifinals - Thursday
Match 5 – 10 a.m.: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2
Match 6 – 10:45 a.m.: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4
Final - Friday
Match 7 – 7 a.m.: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6
