FINAL RESULTS
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Nick Lyerly enjoyed a year that many others could only dream about.
Lyerly won tournaments, earned major accolades, raised the bar of excellence for the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's golf program, and concluded a phenomenal run at the NCAA Division I regional tournament.
He shot a final round three-over 75 Wednesday afternoon on the PGA National Golf Course. That effort helped Lyerly finish tied for 15th overall after shooting two-over 218 for the three-day tournament.
While he fell short of qualifying for the NCAA championships, finishing among the top 15 individual golfers in a region with 18 of the top 100 collegiate golfers isn't bad.
Lyerly finished the regional with 30 pars, 11 birdies, and one eagle. He was leading the tournament after the first round in which he shot a five-under 67.
"I had a great first round that put me in position to advance," Lyerly said. "I just didn't have my best stuff the past two days coupled with a few bad bounces but that's golf. I kind of took myself out of it early in the round today, but I managed to hang in there and put together a respectable score."
After starting the day four-over on the first five holes, Lyerly rebounded and finished the round one-under from holes six through 18. He shot an even par 36 on the back nine. He birdied the eighth and 10th holes. Lyerly also made par on 13 other holes.
This was Lyerly's third time competing in the NCAA regionals, which is an amazing accomplishment. He was the first UNCG student-athlete to be named Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Year. Lyerly earned so many player of the week and player of the month awards that they should've been named after him.
"It was a great year," Lyerly said. "We weren't far off from having the entire team here and I'm looking forward to next season. It was great to get some wins this season, both individual and team and I'm hoping for more next year."
In addition to the honors already mentioned, Lyerly also won three individual tournaments this year, finished second at the SoCon championships and was a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award. Lyerly helped the Spartans to seven top five finishes this year. UNCG also won the Dorado Beach Collegiate and Advance Golf Partners tournaments.
"Nick had a great season," UNCG head men's golf coach
Terrance Stewart said. "From the wins to SoCon Player of the Year to a 4.0 grade point average, he's a great teammate. He's back for one more season. He's a true student-athlete who represents the best of what college athletics is about."
NOTES: The following programs advanced to the NCAA championships (Vanderbilt, Florida State, Florida, South Florida, and the College of Charleston).
