USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com
DATE: MAY 12, 2019
Sixth-seeded USF will compete in the Stanford Regional Monday through Wednesday in California. The Bulls are making their seventh consecutive trip to NCAA Regionals.
The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each of the six regional sites will advance to the final rounds of the NCAA Championship that will be played May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
EVENT: NCAA Stanford Regional
DATES: Monday, May 13 – Wednesday, May 15
LOCATION: Stanford Golf Course, Stanford, Calif.
COURSE FORMAT: Par 70, 6,727 yards
LIVE SCORING: Golfstat.com
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFMGolf
TAMPA, MAY 12, 2019 – USF will look to advance to the final rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship with a strong showing at the Stanford Regional.
Head coach Steve Bradley’s sixth-seeded Bulls are one of 13 teams set to tee off at the three-day event that begins Monday at Stanford Golf Course (par 70, 6,727 yards). USF will begin its seventh consecutive NCAA Regional appearance at noon (EST) on the 10th tee.
The low five teams and the low individual now on those teams from each of the six 54-hole regional tournaments advance to the championship rounds set for May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. The Bulls are determined to book the program’s third NCAA Championship trip in the past five seasons after competing for the title in 2015 and 2016.
USF is making its latest postseason appearance with a new-look lineup featuring two juniors and three freshmen, including American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Albin Bergstrom (Ljunghusen, Sweden). Only junior all-conference selection Kyle Flexsenhar (Lake Mary, Fla.) returned to the lineup from the 2017-18 USF squad that teed off at the Kissimmee, Fla., Regional last spring.
Despite having an almost entirely new roster, the Bulls captured two straight tournament titles this season at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate and USF Invitational, both in wire-to-wire fashion. USF has won multiple tournaments in each season with Bradley at the helm – 2014-15 (5), 2015-16 (4), 2016-17 (2), 2017-18 (5), 2018-19 (2).
Stanford Regional Field (Ordered by Seeding)
No. 2 Arizona State, No. 12 Stanford, No. 14 LSU, No. 24 NC State, No. 26 North Carolina, No. 36 USF, No. 38 Kansas, No. 47 Virginia, No. 51 Ole Miss, No. 58 Georgia Southern, No. 67 UNC Greensboro, Augusta University and Denver.
The Lineup
- Albin Bergstrom – The American’s Freshman of the Year leads the Bulls in scoring average (70.1), top-10 finishes (6), top-25 performances (8) and rounds of par or better (22), one shy of matching the program’s season record. The Ljunghusen, Sweden is the fourth-highest ranked freshman in the nation, checking in at No. 52 on the latest Golfstat list.
- Kyle Flexsenhar – The junior from Lake Mary, Fla., recently earned all-conference honors for the first time in his collegiate career after tying for 10th at the league tournament. Flexsenhar ranks second on the team in scoring average (71.9), top-10 finishes (4) and top-25 outings (7), and his 16 rounds of par are better tie him for second on the squad.
- Ryoto Furuya – The junior from Alpharetta, Ga., has posted six top-25 finishes in 10 events during his first run the Bulls. Furuya put together his third top-10 performance of the season to help the Bulls secure their second straight wire-to-wire win at the USF Invitational this spring.
- Luke Gifford – The freshman from Boca Raton, Fla., has placed 16th or better in four out of six events this spring. Gifford shined during USF’s wire-to-wire win at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate while placing third.
- Amadeo Figus – The freshman from Port St. Lucie, Fla./Rome, Italy is in the lineup for the third straight event. Figus is one of three freshmen to compete in at least 22 rounds this season for the Bulls.
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley’s team update since the NCAA Selection Show on May 1:
“Things have been pretty good. Guys finished up finals and we had several guys try to qualify for the first stage of the U.S. Open local qualifying. Albin and Ryo both made it through, so they go to the next stage in the first part of June. As a team, we’ve probably been playing our best since September-October in the past week. Guys are putting up some solid scores and we’re hitting it pretty good. I think our confidence is restored to where it was. It’s been a good, productive seven to 10 days.”
Bradley’s thoughts on the Stanford Regional and the Bulls’ keys to success:
“If you look at it from a ranking point of view, every regional is really good. Arizona State is probably the hottest team in the country right now. Stanford is playing on their home golf course. LSU has won a national championship in the last five years. We’ve got to play well and we can’t be concerned with the rest of the field. We’ve got to go out there and play to our ability. Signs are pointing to us being able to do that. At the end of the day, if it’s good enough to get through then that’s what we’re concerned with.”
About USF Men’s Golf
USF men’s golf captured four consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship titles in wire-to-wire fashion prior to 2019 and has earned seven straight trips to NCAA Regionals. The program is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year four times. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
