Don’t be surprised if Kansas University senior Andy Stewart grabs the early lead in the NCAA men’s golf championships on Wednesday in Durham, N.C.
Stewart has been the Day One leader in his last two tournaments the Big 12 championships at Hutchinson’s Prairie Dunes and NCAA Midwest Regional Championships at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla.
“The first round you are more ready. You have two days to get prepared. At that point you are ready to go,” said Stewart, KU’s sole representative in the NCAAs, Wednesday through Saturday at Duke University Golf Club.
Stewart shot a 66 the first day at regionals, following with rounds of 76 and 72, good for a third-place finish and individual berth at NCAAs. KU missed qualifying in the team competition by four strokes.
Stewart shot a tourney-best 72 the first day at Big 12s, slipping to rounds of 85 and 83 and finishing 43rd for the seventh-place Jayhawks.
“You always want to play better,” Stewart said. “You think about some mistakes you should have avoided, but I was happy with the first round at my last two tournaments.
“I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t,” he added, asked if he can make it three stellar opening rounds in a row. “I’ve been putting well. It’s what my game hinges on. I’ll keep my fingers crossed I can roll a few in on Wednesday.”
Stewart one of just six individuals to advance to NCAAs along with 150 golfers representing 30 teams will be in Durham, N.C., all week.
He’s been picked to play in today’s NCAA East-West matches, sponsored by Golf World.
The event pits an 18-man East unit against an 18-man West team in four-ball, match play competition. The nine individual matches are worth one point apiece to the winner.
“It’s an honor to go out there and compete with a bunch of great players,” said Stewart, who will be competing for the West. “I’ll also get to see the course early. My goal is to make some putts, keep it in the short grass. That’s the best formula for me.”
Stewart, a senior from Independence, will finish his college career at his second straight NCAA meet. He wishes he’d been joined by his teammates.
“We finished four strokes out of 10th place (at regional),” Stewart said of the 15th-place Jayhawks, who needed to place 10th to qualify. “Over the course of three days, that’s nothing. That can be made up on a couple holes. That’s what’s so cool about the team game in golf. Even at 17 on the last day, we still had a chance.
“I don’t think anyone would disagree that we underachieved. We can’t be too satisfied with our season,” added Stewart, who helped KU to three tournament titles during the regular season.
Stewart, who’ll finish his degree in business administration this summer, has no plans of turning pro immediately. He will play in a U.S. Open sectional qualifying tourney in early June in Kansas City.
“I am not in any hurry to turn pro,” he said. “There are a lot of tournaments I can compete in as an amateur while I finish my degree.”
Stewart finished his final season with a 74.49 stroke average. He had four top 10 finishes and six top 25 finishes, his best finish the third at regionals.
“I don’t want to say I had a great career. I’ve not won a tournament yet,” Stewart said. “I’ve had my seconds, thirds, fourths. I’ve had a lot of fun and played with some great teammates.”
