The Liberty Flames men’s golf team is tied for sixth place and sits just two shots away from the crucial fifth-place position heading into the final round of the NCAA Corvallis Regional, according to a May 19 update.
The team’s performance is significant because only the top five teams after Wednesday’s play will advance to compete in the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. The Flames are currently level with Georgia Southern at six-under-par overall and are chasing Arkansas, which holds fifth place at eight-under-par.
Michael Lugiano led Liberty by matching his career low with a five-under-par 66 during Tuesday’s round. Josh Ryan contributed a two-under-par 69, marking his seventh sub-70 round this season. Their efforts helped move Liberty up the leaderboard as they aim for one of the coveted advancing spots. Lugiano now shares second place individually with an eight-under total and has an additional opportunity to qualify for nationals as a top individual from a non-advancing team.
No. 17 Oklahoma leads the regional after shooting a tournament-best nineteen-under-par on Tuesday and holding an overall score of twenty-eight under par. Purdue, Oregon State, UCLA, and Arkansas fill out the rest of the current top five positions. Other Liberty players include Silas Haarer (even par), Brett Reid (three over), and Ike Joy (six over).
The final round will see Liberty paired with Texas Tech and San Diego as they attempt to close their gap on Arkansas for advancement.
