Little Rock men’s golf team will compete in the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional from May 11-13 after a strong performance at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, according to a May 6 announcement.
The Trojans earned the No. 8 seed and will play at Bermuda Run Country Club in North Carolina, joining a field that includes teams such as Virginia Cavaliers, Ole Miss Rebels, Pepperdine Waves, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, USC Trojans, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Mississippi State Bulldogs, NC State Wolfpack, Kentucky Wildcats, Houston Cougars, Richmond Spiders, Navy Midshipmen and Presbyterian Blue Hose. The regional is hosted by Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Head coach Austin Eoff said: “Thank everybody for coming out today. We had a pretty up-and-down spring. There were a lot of weather elements this semester, too. But after Stanford, we had a really good team meeting, and then we kind of turned it around at Indiana and carried that momentum into conference.” The Trojans won the stroke play title by 45 shots—the largest margin in program history—before adding the match play championship for their second straight OVC crown and third in four seasons. They also set an OVC Championship scoring record with a total of 24-under par over 54 holes.
“We broke a lot of records,” Eoff said. “We shot 24-under for 54 holes, which broke the conference record. We finished one, two, three and four in stroke play, and I’ve never had a team do that before.” Mark Stockdale claimed individual honors at 13-under par while tying the OVC scoring record; his final-round score was among the lowest in school history.
Ed Featherstone received OVC Player of the Year honors—the fourth time for Little Rock since joining the conference—and Viggo Talasmaki was named Freshman of the Year for the second consecutive season. All five lineup members made All-OVC honors. “Ed got Player of the Year… We got Freshman of the Year again and all five guys made All-Conference,” Eoff said.
Featherstone commented on their prospects: “Obviously we got quite a good regional with a lot of really good teams but it’s a great opportunity for us to play well and make the top five… We’re pretty excited about it.” He added: “We looked at the teams there and we’ve beaten a couple of them already this year so we know we can do it… That definitely gives us confidence going into regionals.” Veteran Rhett South highlighted how last year’s experience helps prepare them: “It’s awesome having everybody in the room… You really appreciate support around this program.” South also said: “We’ve competed against some really good teams all year long… I think we’re in a really good spot right now. We’re excited to go compete.”
Eoff noted that returning players have NCAA Regional experience: “Ed played in a regional last year; Rhett played in one; Mark has regional experience too… That experience helps because regionals have different feel especially when you’re around cut line and every shot matters.” Featherstone said past NCAA appearances improved their approach: “You watch how some best players manage course… I think we’ve gotten better with our strategy this spring especially late season.”
South mentioned familiarity with Bermuda grass could be beneficial: “We’re used to Bermuda grass here… It’s different type… you have to understand how it plays.” Eoff described his team’s mindset as motivated underdogs who must prove themselves at every level: “A lot our guys have chips on shoulders… That’s part who we are…” Featherstone agreed: “It’s pretty fun be underdog… We don’t have all pressure on us so can just go out there try prove people wrong.”
The top five teams from each regional site will advance to NCAA Championships later this month.
