By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's golf team officially has its assignment for its first-ever appearance at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships, as the Golden Eagles learned of their destination for next week's regional during Wednesday's selection show.
The purple and gold will make its way north to Indiana for the West Lafayette Regional, hosted by Purdue at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. The 2024 NCAA Regionals will get underway Monday, May 13 and run through Wednesday, May 15.
Six 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted to determine the 30 qualifying teams and six individuals (not on those qualifying teams) who will compete in the finals. 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 low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals.
All 30 teams and six individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play. Following 54 holes of competition, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke-play individual champion. The top eight teams after 72 holes of play will be placed into a bracket thereafter.
The 2024 national championships will be hosted by the University of Texas at Austin and held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
In team match-play competition, a total of five points will be available with one point being awarded for each individual match. Winning teams will advance to the semifinals and subsequently, the finals. The first team to win three points within the team match will advance, or in the case of the final match, be declared the national champion.
The Golden Eagles claimed their fifth Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title in program history back on Apr. 24, finishing 2-0 in the match-play portion of the event, including a clutch, 3-2 victory over SIUE for the crown. It marked Tech's first OVC championship since 1990, before the NCAA award automatic bids to the NCAA Championships to all conferences. The purple and gold also collected titles in 1951, 1954, and 1955.
Seeding for the West Lafayette Regional is as follows:
- Vanderbilt
- Arizona
- Florida
- New Mexico
- Purdue
- San Diego State
- Mississippi State
- Indiana
- College of Charleston
- Stetson
- Colorado State
- Southern Illinois
- Tennessee Tech
