Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
NCAA Regional
Illinois, SMU Share Regional Title; Watts 46th
May 16, 2015 | Men's Golf
FINAL LEADERBOARD | REGIONAL CENTRAL
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- Top-ranked Illinois closed with a strong final round to match SMU for first place Saturday at the NCAA Men's Golf Noblesville Regional hosted by Ball State.
Illinois was 7 under par on the final day at The Sagamore Club. A birdie putt from Brian Campbell on the 18th green secured a tie for the Illini atop the final leaderboard with SMU at 4 under for the 54-hole tournament.
Campbell carded a final-round 65 (-7) to claim medalist honors at 10 under for the week. He set a course record and broke the competitive course record of 66 set a day earlier by Virginia Tech's Scott Vincent.
UNLV (-1) and UCLA (+5) remained in the top five, while Oregon (+7) came from five shots back entering the day to claim the fifth and final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championships.
Colorado's David Oraee finished second on the individual leaderboard at 7 under and earned a spot at the NCAA Championships as the highest finishing golfer not associated with an advancing team. The Buffaloes fell from second place to sixth Saturday.
UCLA's Jonathan Garrick, the tournament's 36-hole leader, finished third at 6 under. Ball State freshman Johnny Watts, competing as an individual, closed with a round of 78. He finished in a tie for 46th place at 11 over par.
The Sagamore Club was one of six Regional sites across the country. The top five teams and one individual from each of those sites will compete at the NCAA Championships beginning May 29 at the Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Watts Wraps up Regional
Ball State freshman Johnny Watts finished off his Regional with a 6-over par round of 78.
He started on the back nine Saturday, and four consecutive bogeys from the 16th hole through the first left him a 4 over midway through his round. He bounced back with consecutive birdies before leaking four shots on the way in.
“It's been a pretty cool experience,” Watts said. “It didn't end the way I was hoping, but it was still a really cool experience. I think it will motivate me and the rest of the team that we need to keep working to take that next step, and hopefully we can do that as a team next year.”
Watts finished at 11 over par for his three days, tying for 46th place on the final leaderboard.
The Fishers, Ind., product, playing not far from home, qualified for Regional play after winning the Mid-American Conference Championships.
