Sophomore Ian Asch tied for fifth with rounds of 69-73-69. And two others had respectable showings: freshman Kye Fisher tied for 29th by going 79-70-75 and senior Brock Rumpke tied for 34th with scores of 79-77-70.
But freshman Timmy Hollenbeck, who had shown flashes of stellar play all year, tied for first at 7-under with rounds of 73-66-67, losing in a two-hole playoff to teammate Andrew Flynn.
That performance confirmed Lash’s hunch about the Mason product.
“At Sea Palms, he played as an individual and shot 75-67,” the third-year coach said about the March 7-8 event at St. Simons Island, Ga. “Once he shot that 67, I was like, ‘Alright, he has the ability to go more than just one or two under. He can go four or five. Not everybody can do that.
“I was just trying to find the hot hand at the end of the year. I’m like, ‘I don’t know how you can keep him out of the lineup.’”
Hollenbeck went 67-76-67 at the HL tourney, tying Flynn again for first and losing once more in a two-hole playoff for individual honors.
His surprise showing helped the Raiders seize their second title under Lash and secure an NCAA tournament bid.
“He has an ability that not a lot of people have — being lights-out under pressure,” said Flynn, who tied for 19th in the HL tourney in his first appearance as a junior last season. “He’s young. He’s confident. And he thrives when the moment gets bright.”
The Raiders will find out their NCAA regional destination when the bracket is revealed at 2 p.m. Wednesday on the Golf Channel. The team is planning a watch party for fans (see WSURaiders.com for details).
“I know how the NCAA does the regionals. They try to keep teams close,” Lash said. “There’s one at Purdue, and we could end up there. But it doesn’t really matter. We’ll go wherever they send us.”
They won’t have any lineup questions for the NCAAs, and they have one of the best players in the country leading the way.
Fifth-year player Mikkel Mathiesen was named HL Golfer of the Year on Thursday after his solid season and fourth-straight top-four showing at the league tourney.
He has an average of 70.38, which is just off Tyler Goecke’s school record of 70.36 in 2022-23.
He has five top-five finishes and has been in the top 15 in seven of 11 tourneys.
Flynn and sophomore Shane Ochs, a Carroll grad, joined Mathiesen as first-team all-league picks, while sophomore Adam Horn made the second team.
Lash was coach of the year for the second time.
Though Mathiesen has had a decorated career, Flynn actually played as the one man in the final round at the league tourney. And he handled the pressure with aplomb.
He trailed Hollenbeck by two with two holes to go and knew what was needed to force a playoff.
“I didn’t look at the leaderboard a single time until hole 15. I looked and saw I was two back of Timmy. I made par there and then missed a good look at birdie on 16 and kind of thought, ‘My chances are slim.’ But it freed me up a little bit,” he said.
He made birdie putts of eight feet on 17 and seven feet on 18 on his way to a 68. Both parred the first overtime hole, and then Hollenbeck hit his drive on the second hole into the woods, and Flynn made birdie to end it.
The key to going low may have been how he responded to a double-bogey on No. 10.
“A lot of people say if you start off with a bogey or something goes wrong, it kind of settles you in. I had this perfect round going, and had a few mistakes. I got a little upset, and it kind of got me back in it (mentally),” Flynn said.
The Louisville product has blossomed as a player at an ideal time.
“My game has been in really good shape for two tournaments in a row. I’ve had some extremely helpful and important practice with a couple instructors at home to work on my putting and driver, which were two things that were kind of hurting me this semester,” he said.
As for the NCAA regionals, he said: “There’s no reason why we can’t go out there and finish in the top five and move on to the nationals.
“We’re playing with confidence. We’re playing good. We’ve got five guys that believe in themselves. And I believe we’re going to do it.”
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