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GoFrogs: Horned Frogs Set for 21st Consecutive NCAA Regional Championships

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[SIZE=14pt]GoFrogs: Horned Frogs Set for 21st Consecutive NCAA Regional Championships [/SIZE]

The TCU men's golf program will return to the links on May 20 when the Horned Frogs travel to The Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas, for the NCAA Regional Championships.

The Frogs will be making their 21st consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, which makes them only one of four programs in the country to reach 20 or more consecutive berths with the same coach. Last season, the Frogs finished fourth overall at the NCAA Regional Championships en route to securing a berth at the 2009 NCAA Championships where they finished ninth overall.

This season, the Frogs will enter the NCAA Regional Championships as the fifth-seed and will be joined by Texas A&M (1st), Texas Tech (2nd), Georgia (3rd), North Florida (4th), Pepperdine (6th), Auburn (7th), North Carolina (8th), Baylor (9th), Tulsa (10th), Rice (11th), Wichita State (12th), Georgetown (13th) and Jackson State (14th).

"This is an exciting time of the season for us," said head men's golf coach Bill Montigel. "It gives you a lot of confidence when you have played the course before so hopefully our guys can use that in their favor. However; this is a strong field, and if we don't play our best then we could find ourselves sitting at home during the national championships."

For the second consecutive tournament, the Frogs will send the lineup of senior Travis Woolf, junior Tom Hoge, sophomore Johan de Beer and freshmen Daniel Jennevret and Pontus Gad. The Frogs finished sixth overall when they played at The Traditions Club last month as part of the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational.

"I'm confident in this lineup, and I believe that they give us the best chance of advancing to the national championships. Pontus is the only one who has not played this course before, but I believe that he'll be fine. Everyone else has experience at this course and know how to play it so we just need to play our game and we'll be in good shape," said Montigel. Woolf will be competing in his fourth NCAA Regional Championship and is coming off a season that saw him earn All-Mountain West Conference accolades for the first time in his career. The TCU senior is currently ranked first on the team with a 73.44 strokes average to go along with being listed 61st in the country in the most recent Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Woolf tied for 18th overall at the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational last month with a 1-under-par score of 215 at The Traditions Club.

"Travis has a wealth of experience playing in regional competition, and I know that he wants to play his very best since this will be his last trip. He's been one of the most consistent players that we've had, and he's worked extremely hard all season to get to this point," said Montigel.

In his sophomore season, de Beer garnered All-Mountain West Conference honors for the second consecutive campaign and is currently ranked second on the team with a 73.78 strokes average. Ranked 69th in the country in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, de Beer has notched six top-25 showings, including three top-10 showings this season.

"This will be the third time that Johan has played this golf course so I believe that experience will help him. He's played extremely well during the spring season, and he is a guy that I'm counting on to put together some really low scores," said Montigel.

In four of five career rounds at The Traditions Club, Hoge has recorded a score of 1-over-par or better and he is coming off a 14th-place showing at the Mountain West Conference Championships. The TCU junior is currently ranked third on the team with a 74.67 strokes average and has recorded a top-20 finish in three of the last five tournaments.

"Hoge has played even-par golf over the last five rounds, and he has slowly started to turn things around. He is a player that has had success at regional competition before, and we will need him to give us three solid rounds this time around. He's worked very hard on his game over the last few weeks, and I think that he's ready for this tournament," said Montigel.

Jennevret will be entering his first regional competition, but is not unfamiliar with The Traditions Club after finishing 43rd overall in his last outing in Bryan, Texas. In his first season with the Frogs, Jennevret has recorded a 75.30 strokes average to go along with two top-10 showings, including a tournament victory at The Prestige at PGA West.

"Even though Daniel is only a freshmen, he has played a lot of golf for us this season, and I think that he's gotten more comfortable with the courses. It will help him knowing this course, and I think that he will be able to go in with a solid game plan about how to play it," said Montigel.

Gad made his return to the lineup at the Mountain West Conference Championships, and he will be playing at The Traditions Club for the first time. This season, Gad has competed in 10 tournaments where he has posted a 75.78 strokes average and has notched three top-25 showings, including a fourth place finish at the PING/Golfweek Preview.

"Pontus has made improvements throughout the season, and if he can improve on his short game at the regional championships then he'll be able to put together three solid rounds. He's an extremely talented player, but like all freshmen, he needs to continue to play and get comfortable with the courses," said Montigel.

The first round of the NCAA Regional Championships will be held on Thursday (May 20) at The Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas.
 
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