Historic Run Ends One Shot Short for Potgieter at NCAA Championship

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Golf senior standout Malan Potgieter, who had posted back-to-back four-under 68 scores in his first two rounds at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships and stood tied for second and eight-under, slipped to a seven-over-par 79 on Sunday, May 31 and missed the cut for Monday's final round by one stroke.

The senior from Kirkwood, South Africa, lost five strokes to par on the final four holes of the 7,538 yard, par-72 Omni La Costa layout in Carlsbad, California, including back-to-back double-bogeys on the par-three 8^th hole and the par-four 9^th, his final two holes after starting on No. 10.

His one-under 215 score through three rounds left him tied for 32^nd individually in the 156-player field.

The top 15 teams from the 30-team field and the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will play the final stroke-play round Monday, June 1.

Ten individuals not on one of the advancing teams wound up with two-under or better scores. Ten players finished Sunday at two-under, including three that were playing as individuals and making the cut to the final round.

"It wasn't nerves, I really believe it was just mental exhaustion," said Ragin' Cajuns head coach Theo Sliman. "In no way was it a panic or that he couldn't handle the pressure … it was just a fatigued young man who was under the spotlight of history."

The 33^rd-ranked Potgieter had played the first two rounds at the NCAA Championships without a bogey, following a streak of three bogey-free rounds at last week's NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional in sharing medalist honors to advance to the national meet.

He had a streak of 93 straight holes without a bogey, dating back to the final hole at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, that ended with a bogey at the 245-yard par-3 12^th hole. The Golf Channel credited that streak as the longest known such run in collegiate golf history.

"It's remarkable what he did over the last two weeks, going five rounds bogey free and missing only seven greens in five rounds," Sliman said. "To have the interviews and the national news escalate yesterday, that was remarkable for our program but I also think it weighed on him. I could tell he was mentally exhausted, and it's unfortunate because he was playing brilliantly."

The senior, who entered the third round tied for second individually, birdied his first hole at the 596-yard 10^th Sunday, his first birdie at a par-five in the tournament after seven par-four birdies and one par-three birdie in the first two rounds.

But the bogey at the 12^th that stopped the record streak was the first of two more on the back side, and Potgieter was still two-over for the day before bogeying the par-five sixth and taking the back-to-back doubles on his final two holes.

"He knows that he came up one stroke short," Sliman said. "But to experience the history that he did, I'm so proud of him. He told me when he walked off the final green that sometimes we all need to be humbled and today was my day to get humbled. That speaks volumes for what kind of young man he is."
Third-ranked Preston Stout of Oklahoma State is the individual leader going into Monday's final round, with a seven-under 65 Sunday leaving him at 11-under 205 for a one-shot lead.

Top-ranked Auburn stands at 22-under and has a three-stroke lead over Texas entering the final stroke-play round, with the top eight teams advancing to match play Tuesday. Eight teams – Auburn, Texas, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Arizona, Oklahoma State, North Carolina and Duke – enter the final round under-par.

Potgieter finished his senior season with a 69.56 stroke average and with a four-year career 71.29 average – both UL school records and among the 11 season or career marks set in the Cajuns record book this spring.

He will have one more appearance as a collegiate player when he is one of 12 players on Team International for the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup in late June in Ireland.

"I'm proud of him and I'm going to miss him," Sliman said. "He's a special guy, and I know we're going to see this young man win on the PGA Tour in the future. He proved in these six NCAA rounds that he's one of the best out here."

FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajunsGolf) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana Golf updates.

- www.RaginCajuns.com -

Historic Run Ends One Shot Short for Potgieter at NCAA Championship

Players Mentioned

Malan Potgieter

Players Mentioned

Malan Potgieter

Footer

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics