College Golf News – Guilford’s Ratner Takes 12th at NCAA Championships& Named First Team All-American

DESTIN, Fla. –Senior Noah Ratner (Asheville, N.C./Asheville) ended his brilliant Guilford College career Friday with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Golf Championships at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Ratner shot a two-over-par 73 in his final college round to finish with a four-round score of 293. His eight-over total for the tournament was 10 shots behind medalist Brad Shigezawa of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, who won the 210-man tourney with a two-under total of 283.

After the tournament, Ratner earned his school-record third straight PING First Team All-America honor. The award was presented by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

Ratner, who won a five-man playoff Wednesday for the chance to play the final 36 holes, played the first 14 holes at even par with a bogey on the fourth hole and a birdie on the fifth hole. He bogeyed the 15th and 16th holes before parring the final two holes on the par-71, 6,854-yard layout.

In addition to winning three straight First Team All-America awards, Ratner collected an unprecedented three consecutive Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Golfer of the Year Honors. He finished his senior campaign with a league-leading 73.07 stroke average in 27 rounds, the sixth-lowest figure in school history. Ratner ends his career second all-time at Guilford with a 73.435 stroke average in 108 rounds, the most in the Quakers’ NCAA Division III history. He also won a school record-tying five medalist honors, including the 2013 ODAC Championship. Ratner earned the 2011-12 Jack Nicklaus Award, presented annually by the GCAA to Division III’s top golfer.

Buddy Hallman of the University of Texas-Tyler placed second with a 54-hole total of 287, which helped the Patriots win the national team title. Texas-Tyler shot 289 Friday and overtook third-round leader Transylvania University to win by seven shots. The Patriots delivered the day’s low round (289), thanks to Dayton Cargill’s one-under 70. Cargill was 24-over through his first three rounds, but carded the day’s third-lowest score when it counted most. Methodist University finished third at 1188, 21 strokes off the lead.