Peyton Wilhoit earns at-large selection to NCAA Men's Golf Championships
05/02/2018 | 6:29:00 | Men's Golf
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In total, 81 teams and 45 individuals were announced during a live selection show on the Golf Channel on Wednesday evening. Wilhoit, who is the nation's No. 168 ranked player and the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, is just the second individual in school history to advance to the NCAA postseason. He joins Richard Tock, who advanced in 1972.
"I'm proud to represent the school," said Wilhoit, moments after viewing the live announcement from the team's locker room. "I'm the kind of guy who puts high expectations on myself, so I will prepare, practice, work on my game, and get ready to play. Then I'll just take my normal practice round, try to get used to the greens, try to lay out the course and prepare like it's any other tournament."
The junior from Searcy, Arkansas has had a remarkable year so far for the Salukis. He leads the team with a 72.4 stroke average and won two individual tournament titles, claiming first place at tournaments hosted by Kennesaw State and William & Mary. He also took fifth place at LSU, and third place at both South Florida and Arkansas State. He finished the regular season with a remarkable run of seven-straight top-15 tournament finishes and won the MVC Player of the Week award eight times. Earlier today, he added on MVC Scholar-Athlete team honors to his resume.
"Peyton's had such a great year across the board," said head coach Justin Fetcho. "It's great for him to be able to see his season continue. It's a testament to the year he's had."
Thirty teams and six individuals will advance from regional sites to the national championships to be played May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Fetcho thinks Wilhoit has the capability to advance.
"We've seen top 25 team, top 50 teams all year long throughout our tournament season," Fetcho said. "He's run off a streak of finishing inside the top 15 against those kinds of fields. If he can just do what he's been doing and find the confidence within himself, he should feel like he has an opportunity to go to nationals."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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