STANFORD, Calif. - Down as many as many as five strokes during Wednesday's final round, Stanford tallied 11 birdies on the back stretch to secure a bid to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships in dramatic fashion.
The Cardinal finished the tournament tied for fourth in the team standings with a 10-under 830 tournament, advancing over Ole Miss by a single stroke.
Stanford joins Illinois, Florida State, Texas A&M, and SMU as qualifying teams from the NCAA Stanford Regional. Minnesota's Ben Warian advanced as an individual as the lowest-scoring golfer not on a qualifying team.
It is Stanford's third consecutive season reaching the final 30 at the NCAA Championships, and the 16th NCAA appearance under head coach Conrad Ray.
Michael Thorbjornsen finished as Stanford's highest finisher with a 10-under 200, going bogey free for final round 65 with birdies on holes 11, 15, 16, 3, 5, and 7. Finishing tied for fifth in the individual standings, it is Thorbjornsen's fifth consecutive top ten finish dating back to his medalist finish at the Cabo Collegiate in early March.
Karl Vilips finished the day with a rocky 1-over 71 scorecard, but pivotal birdies down the back nine for the senior proved to be the deciding factor in Stanford's bid to the NCAA Championships.
Vilips sunk a 70-foot birdie putt on the par-3 third hole, before chipping in for birdie from the front fringe on hole 7. Then on the final hole, Vilips dropped his second shot within three feet of the pin and tapped in for birdie to push Stanford above the cut line and ultimately secure a top-five finish.
Barclay Brown capped off his best tournament of the season a top-20 finish, turning in a final round scorecard of 69 with three birdies and two bogeys on the day.
Jake-Beber Frankel finished with a 3-over 73, while Sean-Karl Dobson made his first appearance of the NCAA Regionals serving Stanford's substitute, registering a 7-over 77.
Stanford now turns its attention towards the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. Competition takes place May 24-29 with four rounds of stroke play, before the top eight teams move on to match play to determine a national champion.
NCAA Stanford Regional (Stanford Golf Course, par 70)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T4. Stanford | 269 (-11) | 284 (+4) | 277 (-3) | 830 (-10) |
| T5. Michael Thorbjornsen | 65 (-5) | 71 (+1) | 64 (-6) | 200 (-10) |
| T18. Barclay Brown | 68 (-3) | 72 (+2) | 69 (-1) | 208 (-2) |
| T28. Karl Vilips | 70 (E) | 69 (-1) | 71 (+1) | 210 (E) |
| T36. Jake Beber-Frankel | 68 (-3) | 72 (+2) | 73 (+3) | 212 (+2) |
| S. Ethan Gao | 75 (+5) | 74 (+4) | --- | --- |
| S. Sean-Karl Dobson | --- | --- | 77 (+7) | --- |
Italics - Non-scoring round