Elite Season Comes to a Close

Tuesday, May 17

Denver, Colo.

7:00 AM

California Baptist University

NCAA Division II Championships

Elite Season Comes to a Close

5/20/2016 12:48:00 PM | Men's Golf

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RESULTS

DENVER, Colo. – All season long, California Baptist University had something to prove. Spending the entire season outside the NCAA Division II top-25 rankings, the Lancers had fuel going into the postseason and it took them somewhere special -- into the elite eight in the division.

Unfortunately, CBU's season came to an end in the Division II Championship Quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Lancers went head-to-head with third-seeded Florida Southern on Friday morning. It was a test of overall balance, as both team's top-five golfers faced off, with the fourth-ranked Moscies pulling out a nail-biting, 3-2 win.

"Heartbreak City. Our guys battled toe to toe for 18 holes with the 4th-ranked team in the nation and came up just short of pulling of a major upset," Coach John Hackney said. "We lost the match 3-2, but we actually shot 3-under as a team, compared to their 2-under. It was just tough to take. We played so well late in the year and were clearly one of the best teams in the country, and our guys proved that here in Denver. We put up some great numbers and knocked off some great teams in Regional and National play."

The final four teams left in the tournament were all ranked first to fourth in Division II. The Lancers enjoyed an improbable run as the No. 30 team in the division.

"I am just really proud of our guys. They proved that they can play with anyone and their games and mental approach to golf really matured as the season progressed," Hackney said. "With no seniors in our lineup, they have set the tone for the future and put CBU men's golf on the map. It will be fun to see what happens next season."

It was close all the way through and was dead even at 2-2-1 through 15 holes on Friday. With four of the matchups already decided and one more left with two holes to go, it was still all tied up between both team's No. 1 golfers. Florida Southern finally got some separation from the Lancers and took a two-stroke lead into the 18th to secure the narrow victory.

Nevertheless, this has been, without argument, the finest season in program history, as the team used fourth-place finishes in the PacWest Tournament and NCAA Division II Regionals to advance to the Division II Championships for the first time. CBU continued its storybook season and secured a top-eight finish in the division on Thursday by advancing into Friday's match play.

The Lancers then showed it was no fluke on Friday by going shot-for-shot with the Moscies up until the very end. Tai Kuida and Greg Gonzalez each came away with big victories against their opponents for CBU.

Kuida – the No. 5 golfer in the lineup -- played the round at one-under-par 71 to defeat FSC's No. 4 Christian Anderson (75) by four strokes. Gonzalez had the Lancers' finest round of the day, playing it two-under 70 to defeat the Moscies' Michael VanDerLaan.

"We had the lead off and on during the morning. Tai and Greg, who led us off, were in command of their matches throughout the day and ended up both shooting under par and winning by a landslide," Hackney said. "That meant all we needed was one more win and we would move on."

There were tightly-contested battles in the other two matches, with Jimmy Jones just knocking off CBU's Christian Sanders by two strokes. Jones – the No. 3 golfer in the lineup -- finished up at 75, while Sanders, who plays at No. 4, turned in a 77.

"Christian almost took down one of their first team All-Americans, Jimmy Jones, but a couple of bogeys on the final three holes left him two back," Hackney said. "He had an awesome tournament and showed that he is a very good player with a lot of resolve."

Kavan Eubank played great at one-under 71, but was outdone by Florida Southern's John Coultas (69). Chris Carew had another good round (73) for the Lancers but fell to the Moscies' John VanDerLaan (67).

"Both [Eubank and Coultas] were 3-under with three to play," Hackney said. "Kavan missed a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 7 (his 16th hole) and then left his tee shot on the par 3 8th just short of the green with a tough side-hill lie just outside of a bunker. His chip raced 12 feet past the hole and he narrowly missed the putt, leading to a bogey. Coultas then drained a clutch 12-foot birdie putt to take a two-shot lead. Both players parred the final hole, giving FSU the narrow victory."