It was a very good Wednesday morning for Arizona men’s golf.
Heck, it’s always a good day when you hear your named called to play in the NCAA Tournament.
But for the Wildcats it was even sweeter as they were announced a two-seed heading to the Midwest, playing in the West Lafayette, Indiana, regional at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex starting May 13.
This is just the first step in Arizona’s quest for the program's second national championship. UA hopes to be one of the five teams out of the West Lafayette regional the move on to the NCAA championship rounds at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, from May 24-29.
Arizona coach Jim Anderson said it was great being in one of the first regions revealed on the NCAA Selection Show Wednesday on Golf Channel, and to be rewarded with a high seed. But the Wildcats aren’t too focused on that as they know nothing is given once the tournament starts.
Arizona men's golf coach Jim Anderson chats with guests during the dedication of UA's William M. "Bill" Clements Golf Center at Tucson Country Club on April 18.
“It’s definitely indicative of how we played all season and that's something we're proud of and something we're happy, happy to be where we are, but we also know that much like every sport, the number next team you now gets thrown out once it's once the rounds start,” Anderson said.
“It'll be important for us to just show up with the same preparation and confidence that we try to do every single week and bring a great attitude, great energy and composure. Just play our golf and let our golf do the talking the rest of the way.”
This is the highest seed for the Wildcats with Anderson as the team's head coach. In 2022 they were a six-seed and finished 19th and in 2021 a four-seed, though they didn’t make it out of the regionals. It is UA’s best seed since 2001, when the Wildcats finished in third place.
Seven other Pac-12 schools made the field including a one seed in ASU, another two seed in Washington, four seeds Cal and Oregon, a five seed in Stanford (who is also hosting), a six seed in UCLA and Utah, a nine seed.
Vanderbilt, one of the favorites to win it all, is the No. 1 seed in the West Lafayette Regional, with third-seeded Florida, fourth-seeded New Mexico and fifth-seeded Purdue rounding out the top seeds.
Arizona played in two tournaments in the Midwest in the fall, the Folds of Honor Collegiate in Grand Haven, Michigan and the Fighting Illini Invitational in Olympia Fields, Illinois. That gives them experience with the regional conditions and the grass.
Arizona golfers Tiger Christensen, left, and Zach Pollo discuss a putt on the 12th green in the final round of the National Invitational Tournament at Omni Tucson National on Jan. 30.
“I think some of the different areas of the country can create different challenges, but I don't think there's been many people who don't enjoy playing golf in the Midwest this time of year or through the summer,” Anderson said.
"We'll be able to use the experience from those two trips to kind of have a visual of what to be prepared for and how to handle the chipping and putting on those types of surfaces. But the reality is, I find the adjustments to those types of surfaces to be probably a little bit easier for people coming in than it than it is for people traveling to say the southeast and get ready for that Bermuda or some of the parts of California they get the poa annua — different types of grasses that you have to chip off of.”
The grass used in the Midwest is bent grass, which Anderson described as “pure surface to put on and the chipping around the greens is oftentimes a heavy rye or sometimes a bluegrass.”
He added that it’s all about getting comfortable reading different lies and it doesn’t take too long to pick up.
The Wildcats have adjusted pretty quickly to different conditions this season winning three team tournaments — the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate and the Cooper Cup. Arizona has 13 other top 10 finishes this season, including runner-up in N.I.T. and Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
They also had three individual wins with two from Tiger Christensen, at the Stephens Cup and Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate, and one from Filip Jakubcik, at The Western Intercollegiate.
Still, Anderson considers this year’s squad success to date, has been more of a team or a “committee,” with different golfers stepping up when needed.
“We've demonstrated to ourselves and to the people we compete against that we're one of the best teams when we tee it up,” Anderson said. “… We believe we have a team that can do something special this this time of year and it's kind of fun that it's finally here. We don't have to talk about it anymore. And we can just get to work.”
Chip Shots
The Wildcats will spend the next 10 days finishing up finals and working on different parts of their game including putting, short game and wedges. The putting and speed inside of 30 feet is a point of emphasis coming off the Pac-12 Tournament, where they finished ninth last weekend.
A number of the Wildcats — Christensen, Zach Pollo, Sam Sommerhauser, Johnny Walker, Tianyi Xiong, Griffin Rhoads and Jackson Norwich — will be playing in the local Southern Arizona qualifier for the U.S. Open at Sewailo Golf Club starting next Wednesday. This will also help them get in some live rounds before NCAAs.
Two former Wildcats will also be competing in the local qualifier: Christian Banke and Trevor Werbylo.
William M. "Bill" Clements Golf Center Dedication | April 28, 2024 (Arizona Athletics YouTube)
