Despite strong final day, Kansas men’s golf team comes up just short of advancing at Tallahassee regional

By Matt Tait May 19, 2021

Photo courtesy of Kansas Athletics

The 2020-21 Kansas men's golf tee gathers for a photo on the final day of preparation for NCAA Regionals in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Kansas men’s golf team stayed alive in the hunt for a spot at nationals until the final hole during Wednesday’s third and final round at Seminole Legacy Golf Club in Tallahasse, Fla.

But the Jayhawks’ strong showing on Day 3 came up just short and Kansas finished seventh out of 14 programs in the final team standings, just three shots behind TCU for fifth.

The top five teams earned spots at the NCAA Championships later this month.

Jamie Bermel’s Jayhawks, who finished ahead of three teams ranked nationally in the top 45 this week, entered Wednesday in seventh place, needing a few low rounds to have a chance to advance.

They got one from freshman Sion Audrain, who was playing in the No. 5 spot. After firing a 76 and 72 in the event’s first two rounds, Audrain shot a 4-under-par 68 on Wednesday, which was the best single-round score of the week by any of the five Jayhawks who competed.

“Sion has made great progress since the middle of March,” Bermel said after Wednesday’s round. “I was really proud of his 68 today. He hit a bad tee shot on 1, hit it out by the green and chipped in for birdie. From there, he just took off.”

For a while, the Jayhawks had moved into the No. 5 spot in the team standings behind strong rounds from Audrain, junior Harry Hillier and freshman William Duquette. But the hot streak cooled off and KU fell victim to a few late bogeys that knocked them out of the top five.

Hillier (71) and Duquette (72) stepped to the tee at hole No. 18 needing to both birdie to pull Kansas into a tie for fifth place with TCU. But Duquette, who played it first, bogeyed and Hillier, who shot a blistering 4-under on the front nine Wednesday followed with a par.

“I don’t coach and the guys don’t play for moral victories, but I am extremely proud of the fight we had this week,” Bermel said.

KU individual scores

Harry Hillier – 70-69-71 – 210

William Duquette 71-73-72 – 216

Sion Audrain 76-72-68 – 216

Luke Kluver 73-73-73 – 219

Ben Sigel 74-72-73 – 219

Final Team Standings

1 – Florida State -34 (830)

2 – Georgia -17 (847)

3 – Georgia Tech -16 (848)

4 – Liberty -15 (849)

5 – TCU -9 (855)

6 – Ohio State -7 (857)

7 – Kansas -6 (858)

8 – Georgia Southern E (864)

9 – Indiana +5 (869)

T10 – LSU +10 (874)

T10 – Davidson College +10 (874)

12 – USC +31 (895)

13 – Florida A&M +38 (902)

14 – Long Island +71 (935)

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.