ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After an impressive first outing of the 2018-19 season, the UCF men’s golf team heads to Valentine, Neb., to compete in the Jackrabbit Invitational hosted by South Dakota State.
The Black and Gold will play the Dunes Course at the Prairie Club, a par-72 course totaling 7,726 yards. Live scoring will be available for all three rounds.
The 13-team field will participate in a 54-hole tournament over three days in foursomes. The competition for the Knights includes Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Missouri State, North Dakota, Omaha, SIUE, South Dakota State, UMKC, Wichita State, Hutchinson CC, and Indian Hills CC.
UCF is coming off a team win at the Hartford Hawk Invitational in South Kent, Conn., where the Knights shot 26-under par for a nine-stroke win. American Athletic Conference foe, UConn, finished second with 17 strokes under par.
Bobby Bai was crowned the individual champion with rounds of 66 (-6) and 69 (-3) for his second collegiate win.
Below is the qualifying information that determined the lineup for the Jackrabbit Invitational.
Bai will miss the tournament since he will be competing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore. If Bai were to win the 72-hole tournament, he would qualify for the 2019 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga.
Qualifying Information
- Kyler Tate is exempt for the 2018 Jackrabbit Invitational by virtue of a Top-15 finish at the 2018 Hartford Hawk Invitational.
- Jalen Ledger is exempt for the 2018 Jackrabbit Invitational by virtue of a Top-15 finish at the 2018 Hartford Hawk Invitational.
- Pedro Lencart Silva is exempt for the 2018 Jackrabbit Invitational by virtue of a Top-15 finish at the 2018 Hartford Hawk Invitational.
- Tommy Cao will play in the 4th spot in the lineup as a coaches’ selection for the 2018 Jackrabbit Invitational by virtue of finishing 2nd in the three rounds of the qualifying (71.66 avg) and 2nd on the team for all 8 rounds played in qualifying this season (72.25 avg).
- Clement Charmasson will play in the 5th spot in the lineup as a coaches’ selection for the 2018 Jackrabbit Invitational by virtue of finishing 6th in the three rounds of the qualifying (74.66 avg) and 6th on the team for all 8 rounds in qualifying this season (74.88 avg).
Colin Kresl will participate as an individual at the 2018 Jackrabbit Invitational by virtue of finishing 5th in the three round qualifying scoring average of (73.66 avg) and 7th on the team in for all 8 rounds played this season (76.5 avg).
“My selection to pick Clement for the fifth spot was not an easy one. As I told the guys repeatedly during the week, they would need to finish first or second overall in qualifying or show some consistent and great golf to prove without a doubt that they were ready to play. Tommy Cao stepped up and earned his position by doing so,” said head coach Bryce Wallor. “My biggest factor in selecting the fifth spot outside of those top two positions was the head to head competition from all eight rounds of qualifying we have had thus far. Clement has a 1.62 per round shot advantage for all eight rounds. Clement also finished fifth place in the Hartford Hawk Invitational in his first opportunity as an individual. My hope is that our team will play well in the Jackrabbit Invitational and that Colin will also take advantage of the opportunity to make his debut as a Knight in the individual spot.”
| Jackrabbit Qualifying | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Totals | To Par |
| Kyler Tate | 75 | 63 | 70 | 208 | -8 |
| Tommy Cao | 71 | 72 | 72 | 215 | -1 |
| Bobby Bai | 75 | 69 | 75 | 219 | +3 |
| Pedro Lencart Silva | 74 | 72 | 73 | 219 | +3 |
| Colin Kresl | 69 | 72 | 80 | 221 | +5 |
| Clement Charmasson | 76 | 71 | 77 | 224 | +8 |
| Jalen Ledger | 75 | 74 | 77 | 226 | +10 |
| Jake Grula | 81 | 81 | 76 | 238 | +22 |
| Cheng Liu | 83 | 80 | 78 | 241 | +25 |
| Ongoing Qualifying | Totals | To Par | Average | ||||||||
| Kyler Tate | 72 | 71 | 70 | 68 | 66 | 75 | 63 | 70 | 555 | -21 | 69.38 |
| Tommy Cao | 76 | 73 | 70 | 76 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 578 | +2 | 72.25 |
| Bobby Bai | 71 | 75 | 71 | 74 | 69 | 75 | 69 | 75 | 579 | +3 | 72.38 |
| Pedro Lencart Silva | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 75 | 74 | 72 | 73 | 294 | +6 | 73.50 |
| Colin Kresl | 74 | 78 | 79 | 85 | 75 | 69 | 72 | 80 | 612 | +36 | 76.50 |
| Clement Charmasson | 78 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 80 | 76 | 71 | 77 | 599 | +23 | 74.88 |
| Jalen Ledger | 76 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 72 | 75 | 74 | 77 | 587 | +11 | 73.38 |
| Jake Grula | 78 | 76 | 74 | 81 | 77 | 81 | 81 | 76 | 624 | +48 | 78.00 |
| Cheng Liu | 83 | 80 | 81 | 75 | 77 | 83 | 80 | 78 | 637 | +61 | 79.63 |
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men’s Golf on social media on Facebook (UCFMensGolf), Twitter (@UCF_Golf) and Instagram (@UCF.MGolf).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.