Tournament: NCAA Regional
Location: Gold Mountain Golf Club (Bremerton, Wash.)
Course Info: 7,115 Yards, Par 72
VCU Finish: T-9
th (+6)
Top VCU Finisher: Jamie Clare (+1) T-28th
THE BASICS
- VCU's season came to a close Saturday, but it did not go quietly. The Rams finished with a flourish, shooting a season-best 10-under in the third round of the NCAA Gold Mountain Regional.
- The Rams (+6) tied for ninth overall, one stroke behind eighth-place Iowa State. The top five teams UAB (-21), South Carolina (-19), USC (-17), TCU (-10) and host Washington (-10) advanced to the NCAA Championships.
- VCU's final round score was surpassed only by South Carolina (-14) and Washington (-11).
- Junior Steffen Harm carded a season-low, 5-under par 67 Saturday to spearhead the VCU charge.
- It was a remarkable turnaround for Harm, who opened the tournament with an 82. He rallied to shoot 72 on Friday.
- Junior Adam Ball and sophomore Jamie Clare checked in with 69s.
- Clare (75-73-69=217) was VCU's top finisher in 28th place. He was followed by Ball (33rd), Harm and freshman Osama Khan (39th) and sophomore Enej Sarkanj (46th).
INSIDE THE SCORECARD
- Harm's 67 is tied for the best round recorded by a Ram in NCAA competition. He matched Ryan Zylstra, who turned the trick in the second round of the 2002 East Regional at Settingdown Creek in Roswell, Georgia.
- Harm's terrific round didn't start out that way. He teed off on No. 10, and quickly bogeyed No. 12 and No. 13. But he answered birdies on nine of his next 11 holes, including seven straight at one point. He recorded the fifth-most birdies (15) in the field this week.
- VCU's 278 is tied for the seventh-best team round in school history.
- The Rams' five-man lineup was a combined 15-under on the back nine Saturday.
QUOTABLES FROM COACH MATT BALL
- "We have a drill we do after rounds. Each player has to make 20 straight 3-foot putts. It's a drill that usually takes about 15 minutes. It took Steffen Harm almost two hours last night. And then today, he made everything."
- "We actually shot it well yesterday, but we gave a bunch of strokes back at the end. Today, we didn't start out great, but the back nine fell into place. It was amazing."
- "Adam [Ball] was behind Steffen, watching him make birdie after birdie, and it as contagious. He said, 'why not me, and he birdied six of his last eight.'"
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Adam Ball set a VCU single-season record for stroke average (71.727), besting John Rollins' 1996-97 mark (71.729).
LOOKING AHEAD
VCU's top seven golfers this season were underclassmen.
