University of Washington
NCAA Regionals at Gold Mountain
Pan Leads Washington Back To The NCAA Finals
May 16, 2015 | Men's Golf
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BREMERTON, Wash. – The legend of Cheng-Tsung Pan continues to grow. The Husky senior caught fire over his final nine holes to shoot a round of 5-under 67 to win the NCAA Bremerton Regional and lead the Dawgs back to the NCAA Finals. It is the Huskies 12th trip to the NCAA Finals in the past 14 years under head coach Matt Thurmond and 15 in 17 years overall.
“Pan is unbelievable,” said Thurmond. “My 9-year old after the round asked 'do you guys ever call him Pan-the-Man?' and I'm like 'all the time!' because it is just the most appropriate nickname. He is the man.”
Washington entered the day four shots out of qualifying position, needing to go low to get back to Nationals. Playing the back nine first, the Huskies got it going on the 13th hole, making two birdies before all four players whose scores counted birdied 14.
Jonathan Sanders was the catalyst over the opening nine, birdying four of his last six holes. On 18, Sanders went for it on the drivable par four, but pulled it into the deep rough behind a tree. The junior then hit a miraculous wedge over the trees onto the green to about six feet. He drained the birdie and the Huskies were on their way.
“He hit one of the worst shots of his week, or year on 18, but some miracle branch caught it and put it back in play,” said Thurmond. “It was for sure going to be a lost ball or out of play. So he really got a lucky break and took advantage of it and got a birdie, the crowd roared, and then two holes later he holed-out form 60 yards. It got extremely loud.”
The hole out might have been the shot of the tournament as after making the turn to the front nine, he converted from the fairway on the second hole. The shot drew loud cheers from a growing group of Husky fans that made their presence felt during the special come-from-behind effort.
“It was a real collegiate atmosphere,” said Thurmond about the fans. “It was like the Dawg pack in the stadium. And the guys fed off that a lot.”
Despite shooting 67, Pan would have actually been the throw out score through eight holes. He played his first nine holes at even par and was still even through 11. His second birdie of the day came on the par-three third when he hit a wedge to about a foot and tapped in the birdie. This began a string of five birdies over his final seven holes to run away with the individual title.
Pan finished the week at 13-under 203 with all three rounds in the 60's. On the week, he made 17 birdies to just four bogeys to win by four shots. His final stroke was a six-footer on 18 for birdie where he was mobbed by his teammates. At the time, it appeared the final stroke could be a deciding factor, but a late collapse by Baylor led to Washington qualifying by eight shots.
“He is just an amazing player,” said Thurmond. “All the attention he gets, he deserves. It is amazing to watch his control and to shoot 31 on his final nine today, when we most needed it, on the tougher nine, that's just Pan.”
Sanders also finished strong, shooting 4-under 68 to get to a tie for 10th at 4-under for the week. The top-10 is a strong result, but Sanders will be remembered for his great start that got the Dawgs momentum going for their big day.
Washington finished at 11-under 277, easily their best of the tournament. For the week, the Dawgs were 10-under to tie for fourth place. UAB won the Regional at 21-under, while top-seeded South Carolina shot the low round of the day to finish second at 19-under. USC was third at 17-under, while TCU tied for fourth with Washington. Baylor was the first team out, finishing sixth at 2-under. The Bears appeared poised to battle for the final spot down to the last shot, but played their final three holes at 7-over, ending the drama that lasted all day.
The Dawgs final round was a complete team effort as they did not have to keep a score over par. Corey Pereira shot 2-under 70, making three birdies to just one bogey. His birdie on the par-five sixth came right about the time the Dawgs moved past Baylor into qualifying position for good. Pereira finished the week at even par and tied for 25th.
Frank Garber also came up big, finishing with a round of even-par 72. The freshman struggled the first two days, but overcame a bogey-bogey start make a big impact. Garber finished tied for 64th for the week at 11-over.
“I was really proud of Garber to shoot par,” said Thurmond. “We needed that fourth score so bad.”
Jordan Lu had his score thrown out, but played well early on to help ease the pressure with no high numbers on the board. Lu shot 4-over 76 after a pair of costly double bogeys, but still was solid overall. He finished in that same tie for 64th at 11-over as Garber.
The Dawgs will now move onto the NCAA Finals for the fifth-straight season. The tournament begins May 29 in Bradenton, Fla., at The Concession Golf Club. Washington will be guaranteed three days of stroke play with the top 15 teams and nine individuals advancing to the fourth day. The individual champion will be decided after 72 holes with the top eight teams advancing to match play. Match play will be quarterfinals and semis on June 2 with the final to decide the NCAA team champion coming on June 3.
“Today might have been a breakthrough day,” said Thurmond. “I'm not saying that we're going to go and win the whole thing, but it was a breakthrough day emotionally for us.”
Players Mentioned
