CLE ELUM, Wash. – For the first time in program history, the University of San Francisco men's golf team has advanced to the NCAA National Championship. The 25th-ranked Dons finished the tournament with a 4-under 848 (278-283-287) after a grueling third day at the Cle Elum Regional.
 
"An unbelievable week," exclaimed head coach Jack Kennedy. "We came here with one goal in mind, and that was to advance to the NCAA Championship! The guys fought so hard today, overcoming a brutal front nine. Everyone contributed on the back nine and that's really why we are advancing. It was a team effort one through five and now we to get enjoy our historic achievement before heading on to Scottsdale!"
 
USF had three players finish the tournament under par and in the top-15. Soren Lind continued to climb up the leaderboard, moving up six spots in the final round to nestle at a tie for 11th after shooting a 1-under 70, giving him a three-day score of 212 (73-69-70).
 
Christoffer Palsson and Tim Widing matched Lind at 212 strokes. Palsson finished his strong round with a 4-over 75, giving him his third consecutive tournament under par, and second-best 54-hole score of the season, going 66-71-75.
 
Widing finished 1-over on the day, but was 1-under on the turn. He finishes his fourth career regional with a three-day score of 68-72-72, and will finish his USF career at the NCAA Finals.
 
Low scores were hard to come by on the final day. High winds made the front-nine challenging. Many players were playing with strong gusts in their face. Pepperdine was the only team in the field that managed to shoot under par for the round.
 
Holes six through nine were particularly difficult. The Dons collectively posted a seven-over par during that stretch. The slide dropped USF from its comfortable vantage point at the day's start to only three strokes above the cut line.
 
"We knew that was going to be a difficult stretch," said Kennedy, when going over the round. "All the long holes were playing dead into the wind. We knew we had to stay patient, knowing we had 14-16 coming up, which were the scoring holes. We didn't want to lose focus by scoreboard watching. The game plan was just to get through the holes best we could and just get to back nine."
 
Matthew Anderson and Toby Briggs got the Dons back on track. Birdies by Briggs and Anderson on 10 and 11, coupled with an eagle by Anderson on 15, gave the Dons the momentum they needed to recapture second place and, more importantly, a nine-stroke cushion over the cutline.
 
The Dons recorded six birdies and an eagle as a team over holes 11 through 15. USF finished 16-18, a treacherous stretch the previous two days, 2-over. Anderson's strong back-9 saw him climb 21 spots on the leaderboard on the tournament's final day. He finished his first NCAA regional with a 4-over 217 (72-75-70).
 
Briggs carded a 6-over 77 to give him a three-day score of 220 (72-71-76). He finished the tournament with 12 birdies, which was tied for eighth-most in the tournament. As a team, USF finished with a tournament-best 55 birdies.
 
The NCAA Finals will take place May 31-June 2 and will be held at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.