HPU Men’s Golf: MacDougall Wraps Up Performance at NCAA Regional

RALEIGH, N.C. – High Point University men’s golf sophomore Brendan MacDougall completed HPU’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I Regional with a third-round 73 (+2) at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course on Wednesday.

MacDougall didn’t have the start he wanted heading to No. 12 at four-over, but he battled back with three birdies over his final six holes to finish two-over. Overall, the Calgary, Alberta native finished tied for 46th (72, 70, 73 – 215) in the ultra-competitive field.

“This has been a special experience, a momentous occasion for our program and I’m really proud of Brendan,” head coach Brady Gregor said. “He fought extremely hard these last three days and it’s bittersweet because the season came to an end, but he really went and made a name for us. We set a foundation last year and he went and set a new standard for us this season. From now on we’ll expect to make it to Regionals as a team or individual. Brendan showed a lot of fight and growth by continuing to battle down the stretch after knowing he wasn’t in a position to advance to nationals.”

After three straight pars to start the round, MacDougall moved to one-under with his first birdie of the day on the par-4 4th. However, he couldn’t keep the momentum going shooting five-over through the next seven holes. Despite that, he kept battling and carded birdies on No. 13, No. 15 and No. 18, which should become valuable heading into his junior season.

“This experience has been very eye-opening,” MacDougall said. “It showed me that as good as I know I can be I need to get better to compete with these high-level teams. I think this will make me work harder and smarter to improve on the things that I need to improve on. The biggest thing for me is that I kept fighting and didn’t give in even though I wasn’t playing as well as I wanted.”

Texas, Duke, NC State, Augusta and Arizona State advanced in the team competition while Campbell Pontus Nyholm earned the opportunity to advance to nationals as an individual.