The Fall 2016 NCCGA season kicked off with a bang this past weekend, with 10 tournaments taking place all across the country. 10 teams took the first step in qualifying for the National Championship at Walt Disney World Resort, and many more teams with some ground to make up in the second tournament.
Atlantic
The first Atlantic Regional of the season took place at Fox Den Golf Course in Ohio. Fresh off their victory at the 2016 City Tour Championship, the Pittsburgh club golf team marched to victory in the first tournament of the NCCGA season. Penn State finished in second, followed by Robert Morris. Pitt was led by the pair of Sean Weber and Max Johnson who both shot 143 (-1) to lead the tournament, including round one scores of 69 and 68 (respectively). Weber earned medalist honors in a playoff against his teammate. The second regional will take place October 15/16 at Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Capitol
The University of Maryland club golf team got off to a hot start, sweeping the top two spots of the Capitol Region's opening tournament. The "A" team placed first, followed by the Maryland "B" team, and American University in 3rd. Maryland's Sean Crawford won medalist as a member of the "B" team, firing a 69 in round one to kickoff the tournament. Maryland placed four on the All-Tournament team, American placed two, George Washington one, and Georgetown one. The second regional will take place October 8/9 at Little Bennet Golf Course in Clarksburg.
Mountain
As the winter season looms, the Mountain Region held their first tournament and Colorado State-Fort Collins took home the title by 37-strokes. Colorado-Boulder finished in 2nd, followed by Northern Colorado. The tough course (7,000+ yards, 135/72.7) saw scores higher than normal. Alexander Quinn led the field with a 2-day total of 156 (+12) to win medalist honors from the University of Denver. The second regional will take place October 22/23 at Highland Meadows Golf Course.
North Carolina
The always competitive North Carolina Region teed off at Tot Hill Farm Golf Club in Asheboro. UNC-Wilmington eeked out the victory over Elon to take the early lead in the #drivefordisney. UNC Chapel Hill finished in 3rd. Greg Henion of East Carolina won medalist honors with a 76-71 weekend, making up a 5-stroke deficit from round one. The second regional will take place October October 15/16 at Carolina National.
Northeast
The first Northeast Regional tournament of the semester marked a groundbreaking moment for the NCCGA. Two Canadian Universities competed in the tournament, officially marking the association's expansion into Canada. It was quite a debut for one of those schools, as Carleton University stormed to a first tournament victory. Defending regional champion SUNY Cortland finished second, and Seneca College placed third. SUNY Binghamton's Devin Solar won medalist honors with a 71-76 weekend (+3). The second regional will take place October 1/2 at Shadow Lake Golf Club.
North Florida
One of the most well-represented regions at last season's NCCGA National Championship, the North Florida Region continued to be competitive for the chance to compete at Nationals in their home state. Florida State emerged on-top, edging out Florida by 5-strokes. Florida's "B" team finished in third, led by tournament medalist Matt Galluzzo's 141 weekend (incuding a final round 68). The second regional will take place October 22/23 at King and Bear Golf Course in St. Augustine.
North
The first North Regional tournament of the season took place at Lake Arrowhead Golf Course, and Wisconsin-Madison took home the victory with a 763 team score. Marquette finished in second, followed by UW-Madison's "B" team. Marquette's club president and NCCGA veteran James Christian won medalist honors shooting 73-74 (+3). The second regional will take place October 8/9 at Golf Courses of Lawsonia.
Ohio Valley
The largest NCCGA regional tournament field ever (108 players) took over Pipestone Golf Course, and Miami (OH) rose to the top of the standings. Miami narrowly beat out Dayton by 1-stroke, with Ohio State finishing third. Ohio State's Dean Hitt won medalist by 5-strokes, shooting a 74-74 for the weekend. The second regional will take place October 22/23 at Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, Kentucky.
South
Technically taking place September 17/18, we didn't want to forget about the South Region just because they started earlier than all the other regions. Despite facing a 3-stroke first-round definict, the defending regional champs Alabama fired a second round 386 team score to win the first event of the semester. Tennessee finished in second by a mere two strokes, with Auburn in third. Tennessee's Grant Thorpe won medalist with rounds of 73-72. The second regional will take place October 1/2 at King's Creek Golf Club in Tennessee.
Southeast
The always competitive Southeast Region saw a performance for the books from the Georgia club golf team. The Bulldogs fired a historically low team score of -7 (359-354). Golf Academy-Myrtle Beach finish 11-strokes back at +4, and Clemson finished third. Georgia was led by Park Brady and Ben Brennan, who both fired final round 69's. Medalist honors, though, went to Clemson's Connor Blackwelder. Connor shot 70-69 (-5) for the weekend. The second regional will take place October 22/23 at Greenwood Country Club
Twin Cities
The first weather-related issues of the season occured in Twin Cities, as rain and lightning forced the cancellation of round one. Instead it became an 18-hole tournament, which Iowa State won via 6th man tiebreaker over Iowa. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities finished in third. Alex Beversdorf of UM-TC won medalist honors with a -1 round of 71, edging out teammate Bobby Frazzini. The second regional will take place October 8/9 at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club in Minnesota.
