ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men's golf team has announced their lineup for their second consecutive NCAA Regional Championship appearance at The Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. This will be the seventh time in head coach Bryce Wallor's nine-year tenure that the program is headed to an NCAA Regional Championship.
Wallor has selected Manuel Elvira, Kyler Tate, Bobby Bai, Juuso Kahlos, and Tommy Cao to compete in the Regional, which will take place May 14-16.
The event is free to attend and will feature 14 universities as they compete to advance to the NCAA National Championship.
The No. 10 seeded Knights hold a Golfstat.com ranking of 57, which is among the top two squads in the American Athletic Conference. UCF looks to repeat last year's win at Regionals, which gave them a berth to the National Championship where they finished 14th.
Elvira, Tate, and Bai were recently recognized by The American earning All-Conference accolades for their performances on the course this season.
It is Elvira's third consecutive all-conference recognition as he caps off his career with the Knights during his senior season. In 11 events played this season, Elvira averaged 74.3 strokes per round with a low round of 68 at the Gator Invitational. The Santander, Spain native had his best finish at the FGCU Invitational where he finished tied for fifth with teammate Juuso Kahlos and was the top finisher for the Knights in three tournaments.
Tate holds the lowest average among the squad averaging 72.5 strokes per 18. Tate shot par or better in 16 rounds this season, pacing the UCF squad and had the lowest round score of 61, which he recorded at the Jackrabbit Invitational. He was UCF's top finisher in four of the eleven events and registered his best finish of the season at the Hartford Hawks Invitational finishing second with a score of 209 (-1), helping the Knights be crowned champions as they shot 28 under par.
Bai had a standout sophomore season competing in 10 events representing UCF with an average of 73.3 strokes per round. Bai collected his lowest round of the season shooting 63 at the Jackrabbit Invitational and recorded the lowest 54-hole score for the Knights with a 206.
In the Knights' final regular season tournament at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind., Bai earned his first career win after finishing in the top spot in the field of 93 beating out three top 50 golfers. Bai finished with a 139 for 36 holes shooting 70 (-2) for the first 18 and a 69 (-3) for the second round to take the trophy.
Kahlos, one of the Knights' two seniors, averaged an even 73.0 strokes per round in 10 events for UCF. The Espoo, Finland native shot par or better in 12 rounds and had four top 20 finishes in his final season with the Knights. He boasts a first-place victory at the Hartford Hawks Invitational shooting nine under par with a season low round of 66.
This will be Cao's sixth event of his rookie season averaging 75.0 strokes per round and has shot par or better in three rounds. The freshman holds a low round of 70 this year with his best finish being at the Hartford Hawks Invitational where he finished tied for 20th.
UCF tees off in the morning on Monday, May 14.
Fans that cannot attend, can follow along here.
A full list of participants can be found here.
Each year, 81 teams and 45 individuals are selected to compete in the six NCAA Men's Regional Championships. Thirty teams and six individuals will then advance from regional sites to the national championships held in Stillwater, Okla.
