MACON, Ga. - After enjoying a landmark season as a team in 2009, Mercer men’s golf took another huge step forward on Monday as senior Bill Jones III earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional tournament. Jones will play at the Sorrento, Florida regional site, taking the course at the Red Tail Golf Club on May 14-16 to vie for a spot at the NCAA Finals. He becomes the first Mercer golfer to qualify for the NCAA Regionals, and the first Mercer athlete or team to gain an at-large bid into their respective national tournament since Deborah Jones (cross country) did so in 2007.
“This is monumental for our golf program,” head coach Andrew Tredway said. “Bill has played well in Orlando in the past, so he can take some confidence from that. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to get the NCAA tournament, but we will just take it one step at a time and hopefully we can get there.”
A native of Conyers, Ga., Jones played a vital role in helping Mercer men’s golf continue its astounding turnaround, leading Mercer to the program’s highest-ever national ranking (86th) and its best conference finish (third) since 1992. Playing in every tournament and sporting a team-low 73.77 scoring average, Jones earned three top-five, four top-ten and five top-20 finishes for the Orange and Black this season.
In perhaps his best individual performance of the year, Jones proved he could more than hold his own against the nation’s best. He earned a second-place finish after carding a 209 (-7) at the Linger Longer Invitational, putting him just one shot off the lead in a field that included No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Oklahoma State.
Jones also topped 11 of the nation’s top 100 golfers on his way to a share of fourth place with a four-under at the Rio Pinar Invitational, beginning a streak that saw the senior shoot eight of his nine competitive rounds at even par or below. Jones finished off an spectacular final season with the Bears with a fifth place finish at the Atlantic Sun Championship in April.
The NCAA Regional berth caps off an outstanding week for Jones. On Sunday, he teamed with fellow Bear Ryan Blackburn to capture Macon’s Peach Blossom tournament title at the Idle Hour Golf Course, and last Friday, the senior was named Mercer’s male athlete of the year at its annual year-end banquet.
For a full list of NCAA participants, please
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