By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For just the second time in program history, Tennessee Tech men's golf will be represented by an individual at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships, with sophomore Jackson Skeen earning an at-large selection to the Auburn Regional Wednesday afternoon.
Skeen represents just the second at-large selection for the Golden Eagles all time and the sixth by an OVC golfer in the past 12 tournaments. The Jonesborough, Tenn. native leads the OVC in stroke average and currently boasts the top scoring mark in a single season in program history, an average of 70.96.
A two-time All-OVC selection, as well as last year's OVC Freshman of the Year, he takes the purple and gold back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since TTU Sports Hall of Famer and current PGA Tour pro Scott Stallings competed in the East Regional in Orlando, Fla. Placing eighth, Stallings went on to become the first OVC golfer to compete at the National Championship, finishing 30th overall at Sunriver, Ore.
"I'm just so excited for Jackson," Tech head coach Polk Brown expressed. "This is so well deserved. He was just tremendous all year for us. Jackson really had a season for the record books and I couldn't' be more proud of him and all that he has accomplished. We're looking forward to getting to Auburn and for him to play on the biggest stage. We're just so proud of him and he absolutely deserves this opportunity."
Named to the All-OVC Team for the second year in a row, Skeen was a four-time OVC Male Golfer of the Week and was named the OVC Male Golfer of the Month for September. He became the first player in program history to earn a golfer of the month honor from the league and racked up the most player of the week accolades in a single season in school history. He won one event during the year while delivering five top-five finishes and six top-10 showings in nine stroke-play events.
Six 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted May 15-17. Thirteen teams and 10 individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.
Team and individual medalist titles will be decided May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Arizona State and The Thunderbirds are the hosts for the 2023 championships.
Auburn Regional Site
The Auburn Regional will be played at the Auburn University Club in Auburn, Alabama. In addition to 13 teams, the following individuals were selected to the site.
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
1. Alex Goff, Kentucky
2. Brantley Scott, Troy
3. Erik Jansson, Jacksonville State
4. Tobias Jonsson, Mercer
5. Cameron Clarke, Southern Miss
6. Brian Ma, Harvard
7. Jackson Skeen, Tennessee Tech
8. Luka Naglic, Arkansas State
9. Hugo Thyr, South Alabama
10. Killian McGinley, Fairfield
Photo by Emily Armstrong
