May 17, 2006
NU's NCAA Regional Golf Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's Big Ten champion men's golf team knew it was headed to the this year's NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships after clinching an automatic berth on April 30 with its victory at the Big Ten Championships.
The selection committee tabbed the Wildcats as the No. 9 seed in the Central Regional. Cleveland State University is hosting the 54-hole event at Sand Ridge Golf Club in Chardon, Ohio.
The 'Cats, who are ranked No. 28 in the Golfweek/Sagarin index and No. 26 according to Golfstat, are returning to postseason after a two-year hiatus. NU made seven straight appearances in the Championships from 1997-2003.
NU is one of 71 teams in the Championships' field. Teams are spread across three 27-team regional tournaments: East (Orlando, Fla.), Central and West (Tucson, Ariz.). All three regionals are scheduled to be played May 18-20.
The Wildcats will tee off between 11:17 and 11:55 a.m. CT on Thursday.
Ten teams and two individuals not on advancing teams will move on from each regional to the championship finals. The National Championships will be conducted May 31-June 3 at Crosswater Golf Club at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.
Georgia is the defending national champion, and Georgia Tech was the runner-up a year ago. Washington senior James Lepp, who is playing in the West Regional, returns to defend his individual title.
Live scoring for the event is available at NCAA Central Regional Men's Golf Championships.