Goucher Men's Golf Opens NCAA Division III Championships On Tuesday In Kentucky

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Goucher College men's golf team are set to make its second appearance at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships when the first round commences on Tuesday from the Keane Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

The Gophers will be the second group of teams to tee off from the 10th hole on Tuesday and will be paired with Oglethorpe University and the University of Redlands. Oglethorpe is competing in the NCAA Championships for the 19th time in program history and the Storm Petrels are ranked No. 16 in the country. The University of Redlands earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships after placing third in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while the Bulldogs are one of three teams to make the national tournament and the team is ranked No. 9 in the country.

Goucher is one of 42 teams joining six individuals not on one of those teams selected to the national tournament. The first round is being played on the Keane Run course that has a par of 72 and 6,897 yards while the second round will move to Champion Trace that is also a par of 72 with a yardage of 7,120. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the Top-18 teams and Top-6 individuals not on one of those teams.

Roberto Mikse (Fort Worth, Texas/Jim McLean Junior Academy) will be the first Goucher player to tee off at 8:20 a.m. and will be followed by Steph Lee (Manalapan, N.J./Saint John Vianney) (8:30 a.m.), Nick Fisher (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) (8:40 a.m.), Evan Yue (Beijing, China/IMG Academy) (8:50 a.m.) and Julian Gonzalez (Heredia, Costa Rica/Berkeley Academy) (9:00 a.m.) will be the last golfer to hit the links.

Mikse shot a 78 in both rounds of the 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Championships to finish in 113th place with a score of 156. He is averaging 78.7 strokes per round in 18 rounds in his sophomore campaign. Mikse has two Top-10 finishes this year including a sixth-place standing at the Goucher Spring Invitational while he carded his best round of the year in the second round of the Don Scalf Invitational with an even-par round of 72.

Lee shot 84 in both rounds last year on the national stage to finish in 196th place with a 168.  The sophomore is averaging 81.8 strokes per round in 14 rounds this season. He carded a 78 in the opening round of the Goucher Spring Invitational on April 15 and in the first round of the Landmark Conference Championships for his top round of the year.

Fisher, who will make his first appearance on the national stage, averaged 81.6 strokes per round in 18 rounds this season with his best round this year coming in the final round of the Landmark Conference Championships with a 74.

Yue was the squad's top finisher at the NCAA Championships last year and almost advanced to the final two days of the tournament as an individual. Yue finished in a tie for the last individual spot and lost a playoff after carding a 75 in the first round and a 73 in the second round for a two-day score of 148 to finish in 39th place. Yue, a two-time All-Landmark Conference first-team selection,  was named the Landmark Conference Player of the Week after placing third at the Goucher Spring Invitational on April 15. Yue is averaging 77.9 strokes per round this season in 18 rounds and has two Top-3 finishes this season. He shot an even round of 72 in the opening round of the Goucher Spring Invitational for his best round on the year.

Gonzalez finished tied for the two-round low score in the Landmark Conference Championships before finishing second after losing in a playoff. The owner of four Landmark Conference Player of the Week awards, the All-Landmark Conference first-team honoree averaged 73.7 strokes per round in 18 rounds on the year. Along with winning the Landmark Conference Fall Tournament, Gonzalez won the Revolutionary Collegiate Classic on October 14 while finishing in the Top-3 in five events and the Top-10 in seven of the eight competitions on the year. Gonzalez carded five rounds under par including a career-best 69 in the opening round at both the Don Scalf Invitational and the Mason-Dixon Collegiate Classic on October 7 and has eight rounds of par or below in his freshman campaign.

Last season at the NCAA Championships, the Gophers finished 35th with a 319 in the first round and a 316 in the final round to card a 635 in the event.

The Top-18 teams advance to play in rounds three and four and that took a first two-round score of 607 last season. Goucher's best two-round score this season was its 608 at the Landmark Conference Championships. Yue made it to a playoff after carding a 148 last season in an attempt to advance to the final two days. Gonzalez has posted that score or better six times this season and four of his scores would have placed the freshman in the Top-4 as an individual to advance to the final two days.

About Keane Trace Golf Club
Transylvania University and the Bluegrass Sports Commision are hosting for the first time, but it's not the first time the NCAA championships have been held at Keene Trace. The course served as the site of the NCAA Division I Men's Golf National Championship in 1993. Home of the PGA Barbasol Championship, Keene Trace has also hosted multiple professional, amateur college and open competitions.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Central Kentucky, Keene Trace Golf Club provides members with 36 holes of premier golf and facilities. Located just south of Lexington in Nicholasville, Kentucky, Champion Trace and Keene Run golf courses are a mere fifteen minutes from downtown Lexington. Keene Trace brings together two exceptional golf courses for a unique club experience. Pristine course conditions challenge golfers of all skill levels. Beautiful horse farms and breathtaking views offer an unbeatable scenic atmosphere for practice or play.