Longwood men’s golf team headed to regional as No. 14 seed

Published 6:00 pm Thursday, May 11, 2023

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Fresh off winning the program’s first Big South Championship, Longwood men’s golf team waited to see where it would head for its first NCAA Regional appearance since 2007.

Now the players know. Longwood is headed to the Salem Regional in Salem, South Carolina as the No. 14 seed. North Carolina is the top seed in the regional, which is being hosted at The Cliffs at Koewee Falls by Clemson University.

The Lancers will play Monday to Wednesday, May 15-17, and they are one of 14 teams who will compete for the regional title. Fans can follow along with live scoring on golfstat.com.

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The top five teams and the low individual scorer not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Finals in Scottsdale, Arizona from May 26-31.

Championship shirts are now on sale and will be available during the team’s run to the NCAA Regional. In addition, the athletic department is working with the Longwood advancement office on a Drive for 5 fundraising campaign that provides Lancer Nation an opportunity to show the team love with a gift of support.

A dramatic comeback

The Longwood men’s golf team won the Big South Championship on April 19 thanks to a dramatic comeback against reigning champion Charleston Southern. The heart-stopping finish saw the Lancers charge back from being down 2-0 with three golfers to play in match play. Daniel George roared back on the back nine for a thrilling 3-2 win by winning four of his last six holes, and he sank a putt on the 18th and final hole to clinch the win.

Earlier that day, the Lancers advanced to the final round thanks to a dramatic 3-2 win over Winthrop that went to extra holes. This time, the Lancers held off a hard charge from the Eagles, and sophomore Justin LaRue went to extra holes to clinch the program’s first spot in the Big South Championship’s final round ever.

More about the Longwood men’s golf team

While the Big South Championship was the team’s first tournament win of the year, the team had been knocking on the door as it finished in the top five in six straight tournaments to close the regular season. In the stroke play portion of the Big South Championship, the Lancers finished tied for second and went into match play as the second seed.

Nick Rakes (All-Big South Second Team) and Brendan Dunphy (All-Big South Honorable Mention) both finished in the top five in the Big South in scoring average on the way to earning all-conference honors. Head coach Kevin Fillman was named the Big South Coach of the Year as well.

For Fillman, it was the first time he has been named the Big South Coach of the Year. He has been at the helm of the program for the past 26 years, and he guided the team to the East Regional in Georgia in 2007. It was the first year the program was eligible for a regional at the NCAA Division I level, and Fillman was named the Division I Independent Coach of the Year. Adam Webb set a then-program scoring record as the Lancers won one tournament and finished as the runners up four times in 11 events.