By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
AUBURN, Ala. – Tennessee Tech men's golfer Jackson Skeen put a cap on his first-ever trip to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships Tuesday afternoon, completing the third and final round of action at the Auburn Regional at Auburn University Club.
The first Golden Eagle since TTU Sports Hall of Famer and PGA Tour Pro Scott Stallings got the call to participate back in 2006, Skeen wrapped up the purple and gold first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in more than 15 years at 12-over.
Overall, the sophomore tied for 47th among the field of 75 golfers, sporting a composite score of 228 for the three days of play in Auburn, Ala. Skeen matched his best round of the tournament from day two, posting a 3-over 75 on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Jonesborough, Tenn. native put forth a 78 with a pair of birdies before following it up with three birdies as part of a 75 on Tuesday. He compiled two more birdies in the third round, adding to 12 total pars.
Skeen turned in birdies on the par-3 No. 11 hole and the par-4 No. 14 on Wednesday, finishing with seven for the week.
On the year, Skeen delivered the third-lowest, single-season scoring average in program history, finishing with a mark of 71.47 over 30 rounds of play. Only Scott Stallings managed better averages in his career, tallying a 71.29 showing in 2006-07 and a school-record 71.08 in 2005-06.
Skeen's scoring average of 71.47 led the Ohio Valley Conference's final rankings, the first Golden Eagle under head coach Polk Brown to rank first in the league at the end of the season.
On the year, Skeen was named to the All-OVC Team for the second year in a row, 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.
| Leaderboard (75 Golfers) | ||||||
| T-1. | Christoph Bleier (Colorado State) | 68-69-72=209 | -7 | |||
| T-1. | Maxwell Moldovan (Ohio State) | 71-69-69=209 | -7 | |||
| T-47. | Jackson Skeen | 78-75-75=228 | +12 | |||
Photo by Jamie Holt, Auburn Athletics
