Sam Houston State entered this week’s Stillwater regional as the No. 8 seed. After 36 holes of play on Monday, the Bearkats found themselves in sixth place, one shot outside the top five and automatic qualification for next week’s NCAA Championship.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, Sam Houston State was forced to play their final round on Tuesday without their star senior, William Holcomb.
“This is truly heartbreaking for Will,” said head coach Brandt Kieschnick via a release. “He played phenomenal (on Monday) and has put us in this position. He has handled this like the champion he is. I had a great meeting with the rest of the guys and they are looking forward to this opportunity. We have a chance to do something really special today. All year long we have dealt with different scenarios we’ve never faced before, and this is just another challenge that has been placed before us. We have a great group of guys and I am fully confident in their ability to go out and perform at a championship level today.”
A release from Sam Houston State said Holcomb was ruled out due to contact tracing.
Statement from Brandt Kieschnick about the team playing without senior William Holcomb today pic.twitter.com/aySpt46h8r
— Sam Houston Men’s Golf (@BearkatsMGolf) May 18, 2021
At the time of this post, the Stillwater regional is in a weather delay, with Sam Houston State in fifth place at 2 over, three shots clear of Auburn.
Much like the men this week, the women’s team found themselves in an unfortunate situation last week at the Baton Rouge regional. The event was decided without a single shot being hit due to the golf course being playable, but not at a “championship level.” The top-six seeds automatically advanced, leaving the Sam Houston State women on the outside looking in, though Hanna Alberto qualified as an individual.
Barstool Sports then rallied to put together the Let Them Play Classic, an event for teams and players who weren’t able to compete in Baton Rouge. The Bearkats will be sending four players to the tournament, held May 20-21 at Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona.