Whitney Selected to Compete at NCAA Regional
5/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 4, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Air Force golfer Tom Whitney has been selected to compete in the 2009 NCAA Golf Regional Championships, as announced by the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee Monday afternoon. The junior from La Quinta, Calif., is one of 45 individuals overall awarded an at-large invitation, and the first Falcon to participate in an NCAA Regional since Tyler Goulding in 2005.
This year, the regional competitions will take place May 14-16 at one of six regional sites, including Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., where Whitney will be competing as the third-seeded individual. Three of the regional sites, including Karsten Creek, will feature 13 teams, along with 10 individuals not on a qualifying team. Meanwhile, the three remaining sites will host 14 teams and five individuals not on a qualifying team.
At the conclusion of each regional competition, the top five teams and top individual not on an advancing team will move on to the championship finals, being held May 26-30 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Whitney has put together an outstanding season for the Falcons, leading the team in all 12 tournaments this year, including the MWC Championships last weekend. An all-conference selection for the first time in his career, Whitney has recorded a 71.6 stroke average for the season, setting a school record in that category.
Among Whitney's top performances of the year were a pair of individual victories in March, winning the Argonaut Invitational and Desert Shootout in back-to-back tournaments. Whitney set a slew of school records in his win at the Desert Shootout, posting the lowest scores after 18 holes (64), 36 holes (133) and 54 holes (200). For his performance, Whitney was named the MWC Golfer of the Month, becoming the first Falcon to earn the honor since Goulding in November 2004.
While Whitney is the only Air Force player who will be competing in a regional championship this season, the Mountain West Conference will be well-represented, as five of the league's nine teams were chosen to participate, along with two more individuals, both from BYU. Conference champion TCU leads the way as the third seed at Karsten Creek. San Diego State (4) and New Mexico (7) will each compete at the regional at Lake Merced Golf Course in Daly City, Calif., along with BYU's Brady Johnson and Robbie Fillmore. In addition, UNLV is the fifth seed at the University of Texas regional, while Colorado State will compete as the sixth seed at the regional at Galloway National Golf Course in Galloway, N.J.
