LAS VEGAS, Nev. – For the second time in three years, the University of San Francisco men's golf team has advanced to the NCAA Men's Golf Division I National Championships after finishing fourth overall at the Las Vegas Regional this week.
 
Highlighted by graduated student Matthew Anderson tying for individual medal honors, three Dons finished in the top 25 individually at Bear's Best Las Vegas as the Dons will join Arizona State, Stanford, Virginia and East Tennessee State at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. from May 26-31. Notably, USF's finish of 45-under as a team is also a program record as the 2023 Dons broke their previous mark of 41-under that they had previously set in 2021.
 
TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

• Following the first round of play in Vegas, the green and gold were tied for eighth as a team with Cincinnati and Oregon State at 11-under-277. Continuing his strong play on the course following three top ten finishes to wrap up the regular season and WCC Tournament, Matthew Anderson was tied for seventh at 6-under as he fired a 66 across his first 18 holes. Additionally, Jakob Melin and Ben Partridge each were tied for 25^th at 3-under after each shot a 69 on day one.
• Torching the greens again in the second round, Anderson enjoyed another successful day as he tied his career low with a 64 in day two to move into a tie atop the leaderboard at 14-under-130. Similar to Anderson, Melin recorded a 67 (-5) in the second round to move into a tie for 14^th at 8-under-136 while Partridge tallied a 68 (-4) to tie for 19^th at 7-under-137.
• Wrapping up day three at by shooting 14-under as a team, Anderson held onto the top spot as he earned his first collegiate individual title after tying Virginia's Ben James for first place at 20-under-196. Notably, the Canadian fired another 66 in round three to cap off his legendary performance. Identical once again, Melin remained tied for 14^th at the end of play as he shot a 69 (-3) to finish 11-under-205 after Tuesday. For Partridge, the junior finished tied for 25^th after recording a 71 (-1) in his final round to finish 8-under-208.
• Helping round out the lineup with strong play throughout the week, Jackson Rothwell also tied for 42^nd at 4-under-212 (73,69,70) while Renato Naula tied for 44^th at 3-under-213 (73,71,69).
• As a team, USF finished second overall in the field in Par 4 scoring (-21/3.86 avg) and total birdies (77). Individually, Anderson was tied for second overall with 20 total birdies while Rothwell tied for fifth with 17 birdies of his own. Notably, Anderson, Melin and Partridge all eagled one hole each.  

CATCHING UP WITH COACH KENNEDY:
"This was just a special week for the guys. Coming in as a slight underdog this week, we did not view ourselves as an underdog. We thought we had the game to compete at this level and advance. The guys had all the confidence in the world and it showed. They competed with the nation's best and we are nothing but excited to get to Grayhawk and show what we have in terms of competing against the top teams in the country. Matt was spectacular all week, led us from start to finish as his performance was an absolute culmination of a fantastic career capped off with a regional victory – something that is very important to him and something that is very important to me and our program. We continue to get better...We'll get to work this week on the range and the greens to figure out what we need to do to get ready for Grayhawk, but just an exciting time of the season and we are just excited to keep playing."
 
UP NEXT:
USF will head back to Scottsdale to compete at Grayhawk Golf Club as the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Golf National Championships are set to take place from Friday, May 26 through Wednesday, May 31. Live results and coverage of the tournament will be available via usfdons.com and the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco men's golf program, please follow the Dons @USFDonsMensGolf on Twitter, @USFDonsGolf on Instagram and @USFDonsMensGolf on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Rep USF today by visiting the all-new USF Dons online store at www.usfdons.com/shop.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Nike - for their continued support of USF Athletics.