University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana's Potgieter Headed to NCAA Regionals for Third Time
5/6/2026 3:34:00 PM | Golf
UL senior earns No. 1 seed among individuals at NCAA Athens Regional
LAFAYETTE – Malan Potgieter is headed to the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships for the third time.
UL's senior standout was selected to the field Wednesday and is the top-ranked individual at the Athens (Ga.) Regional being played at the University of Georgia course. The Kirkwood, South Africa, native is one of four Sun Belt Conference individuals playing in the Athens Regional along with Southern Miss, who earned an at-large entry into the championships as one of three Sun Belt teams in the field.
Potgieter, who one day ago was named to Team International for the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup in July, played in the NCAA's as a freshman when the Ragin' Cajuns won the Sun Belt title and competed in the Norman (Okla.) Regional, and made the field as an individual last May and tied for 11th to lead all individuals at the Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional.
"The day we got back from the conference championships, he was at the course first thing the following day," said Cajun coach Theo Sliman. "He wants to make sure he takes another step forward, and he wants to get to the national championship after he came close his last two times. He definitely has the ability to get there."
The Division I field includes 81 teams and 45 individuals playing in six regionals around the country. The field was announced Wednesday afternoon on the Golf Channel. The top five teams and the low individual from each region will qualify for the NCAA Championships May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
"It was neat to see what Golf Channel does for college golf with the announcement," Sliman said. "He knew he was in, and both of us were kind of hoping for the Texas A&M regional because we played there last year and had a lot of success. But we're in the field and that's all that matters."
Along with Athens, regionals will be played at the Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda Run, N.C., the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas, the Ohio State Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio, the Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore., and the Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Ariz.
Potgieter finished his senior season with a 69.67 stroke average, under UL's school record for stroke average. He had six top-three individual finishes – one of three players nationally to reach that number – and had a stretch of nine of 10 tournaments finishing in the individual top four.
The senior had two individual wins during the year, taking the title at the season-opening Argent Financial Classic at Squire Creek in Choudrant, and claiming his second straight championship at UL's own Louisiana Classics at Oakbourne Country Club. He was the first Cajun to win the Classics individual title in 2025, and became the first two-time Classics champion this March when he won by a three-stroke margin.
Teams taking part in the Athens Regional include top-seeded Auburn, Illinois, Vanderbilt, BYU, host Georgia, Louisville, Kansas, Northwestern, College of Charleston, Rice and Southern Miss as at-large teams along with Ivy League champion Harvard and Northeast Conference champion Howard.
Potgieter is one of four Sun Belt golfers playing as individuals at the Athens Regional, joining second-ranked Hugo Thyr of South Alabama, third-ranked and Sun Belt individual champion Max Bengtsson and fourth-ranked Drew Sykes of Coastal Carolina. Sun Belt players grabbed the top four individual seeds at Athens.
"It'll be a fun time to be around the Sun Belt guys," Sliman said. "It was great to see individuals in our league rewarded for their year-long accomplishments."
Sun Belt champion Arkansas State is the number eight seed at the Marana Regional, and Georgia Southern received an at-large bid and is the number nine seed at the Corvallis Regional.
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.
UGA Golf Course – Athens, Georgia
Hosted by Georgia
Teams (seeded in the following order):
1. Auburn
2. Illinois
3. Vanderbilt
4. BYU
5. Georgia
6. Louisville
7. Kansas
8. Northwestern
9. College of Charleston
10. Rice
11. Southern Mississippi
12. Harvard [The Ivy League]
13. Howard [Northeast Conference]
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
1. Malan Potgieter, Louisiana
2. Hugo Thyr, South Alabama
3. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina [Sun Belt Conference]
4. Drew Sykes, Coastal Carolina
5. Erik Olin, UAB
6. Matthis Lefevre, Stetson
7. Andrew Ferworn, North Alabama
8. Shaun Cook, Kennesaw State
9. Rasmus Ditzinger, Fairfield [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]
10. Vicente Rodriguez, Alabama A&M [Southwestern Athletic Conference]
UL's senior standout was selected to the field Wednesday and is the top-ranked individual at the Athens (Ga.) Regional being played at the University of Georgia course. The Kirkwood, South Africa, native is one of four Sun Belt Conference individuals playing in the Athens Regional along with Southern Miss, who earned an at-large entry into the championships as one of three Sun Belt teams in the field.
Potgieter, who one day ago was named to Team International for the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup in July, played in the NCAA's as a freshman when the Ragin' Cajuns won the Sun Belt title and competed in the Norman (Okla.) Regional, and made the field as an individual last May and tied for 11th to lead all individuals at the Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional.
"The day we got back from the conference championships, he was at the course first thing the following day," said Cajun coach Theo Sliman. "He wants to make sure he takes another step forward, and he wants to get to the national championship after he came close his last two times. He definitely has the ability to get there."
The Division I field includes 81 teams and 45 individuals playing in six regionals around the country. The field was announced Wednesday afternoon on the Golf Channel. The top five teams and the low individual from each region will qualify for the NCAA Championships May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
"It was neat to see what Golf Channel does for college golf with the announcement," Sliman said. "He knew he was in, and both of us were kind of hoping for the Texas A&M regional because we played there last year and had a lot of success. But we're in the field and that's all that matters."
Along with Athens, regionals will be played at the Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda Run, N.C., the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas, the Ohio State Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio, the Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore., and the Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Ariz.
Potgieter finished his senior season with a 69.67 stroke average, under UL's school record for stroke average. He had six top-three individual finishes – one of three players nationally to reach that number – and had a stretch of nine of 10 tournaments finishing in the individual top four.
The senior had two individual wins during the year, taking the title at the season-opening Argent Financial Classic at Squire Creek in Choudrant, and claiming his second straight championship at UL's own Louisiana Classics at Oakbourne Country Club. He was the first Cajun to win the Classics individual title in 2025, and became the first two-time Classics champion this March when he won by a three-stroke margin.
Teams taking part in the Athens Regional include top-seeded Auburn, Illinois, Vanderbilt, BYU, host Georgia, Louisville, Kansas, Northwestern, College of Charleston, Rice and Southern Miss as at-large teams along with Ivy League champion Harvard and Northeast Conference champion Howard.
Potgieter is one of four Sun Belt golfers playing as individuals at the Athens Regional, joining second-ranked Hugo Thyr of South Alabama, third-ranked and Sun Belt individual champion Max Bengtsson and fourth-ranked Drew Sykes of Coastal Carolina. Sun Belt players grabbed the top four individual seeds at Athens.
"It'll be a fun time to be around the Sun Belt guys," Sliman said. "It was great to see individuals in our league rewarded for their year-long accomplishments."
Sun Belt champion Arkansas State is the number eight seed at the Marana Regional, and Georgia Southern received an at-large bid and is the number nine seed at the Corvallis Regional.
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.
UGA Golf Course – Athens, Georgia
Hosted by Georgia
Teams (seeded in the following order):
1. Auburn
2. Illinois
3. Vanderbilt
4. BYU
5. Georgia
6. Louisville
7. Kansas
8. Northwestern
9. College of Charleston
10. Rice
11. Southern Mississippi
12. Harvard [The Ivy League]
13. Howard [Northeast Conference]
Individuals (seeded in the following order):
1. Malan Potgieter, Louisiana
2. Hugo Thyr, South Alabama
3. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina [Sun Belt Conference]
4. Drew Sykes, Coastal Carolina
5. Erik Olin, UAB
6. Matthis Lefevre, Stetson
7. Andrew Ferworn, North Alabama
8. Shaun Cook, Kennesaw State
9. Rasmus Ditzinger, Fairfield [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]
10. Vicente Rodriguez, Alabama A&M [Southwestern Athletic Conference]
What a 24+ hours it's been for Malan Potgieter ??
— Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns® Golf (@RaginCajunsGolf) May 6, 2026
?? Named First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference
?? Selected to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland
?? NCAA Regional Participant (Athens, GA)#GeauxCajuns pic.twitter.com/NuZUY1Ajfb
Players Mentioned
/ Golf
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