Raiders claim C-USA Championship

Sunday, April 22

Texarkana, AR

Middle Tennessee

Conference USA Championship

4/25/2018 3:08:00 PM | Men's Golf

First league title since 2009

By: @MTAthletics

TEXARKANA, AR – Middle Tennessee captured its first Conference USA Men's Golf Championship and first league title since 2009 with a 3-2 match play win over UAB Wednesday.

The Blue Raiders earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Regionals which get underway on May 14. The field will be announced on May 2 at 5 PM CT on the Golf Channel. MT will be making its eighth NCAA Regional in the past 11 years.

The six regional sites include Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Raleigh, North Carolina; Traditions Club, Bryan Texas; Scarlet Course/OSU Golf Course, Columbus, Ohio; Reunion Resort, Kissimmee, Florida; Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, Norman, Oklahoma; and The Reserve at Spanos Park, Stockton, California.

In a back and forth match all day long that saw every match go at least 17 holes and one that extended to 19 holes, the Blue Raiders prevailed when junior Marcus Byrd birdied the 17^th hole to take down the Blazers' William Walker III.

"I am very proud of what our guys accomplished this week," said Head Coach Brennan Webb. "Winning in this league is not easy. We were not playing our best coming into this tournament but the guys handled the adversity of the last month and changed their mindsets about who they were going to be. A special group of young men who will remember the memories they made this week for a long time."

Senior Hoyeong Kim went 19 holes to defeat UAB's Nick Robillard in the first match of the day. Kim held a one or two hole lead most of the way until Robillard squared things up on the 17^th hole. The two halved the 18^th before Kim won the extra hole.

In similar fashion, James Beckner went 18 holes to down the Blazers' John Hayden. Beckner led by two after the 13^th hole before Hayden squared things up on hole 16. The junior then calmly won the 17^th and 18^th hole to secure the second match of the day for the Raiders.

Both Chip Thomas and Tyler Johnson both lost their matches. Thomas 3 and 2 to Murray Naysmith, while Johnson fell to RJ Keur 2 and 1.

The stage was then set for Byrd. After four straight holes of all square play with Walker the two headed to the 16^th hole. Byrd picked up a par to win the hole then birdied 17 to clinch the championship.