TCU finished sixth at the NCAA Bryan Regional, missing the NCAA Championship cut by five shots after a tense final day.
TCU men’s golf had the NCAA Championship in sight, but the final round turned into a gut punch.
The Horned Frogs finished sixth at the NCAA Bryan Regional on Tuesday at Traditions Club, closing at 13-under after three rounds.
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That left No. 34 TCU five shots behind No. 16 Tennessee, which grabbed the final qualifying spot at 18-under with a sizzling final-round 278.
Because of weather concerns, the field played the final two rounds on Tuesday. For a while, TCU looked ready to punch its ticket. The Frogs shot 7-under in round two and attacked the back nine, going 6-under as a team with almost no damage on the card.
That surge pushed TCU into third place through 36 holes and put the Frogs firmly inside the top five.
Then the final round changed everything.
TCU posted a 2-over 290 in round three, while Tennessee caught fire. The Volunteers’ 10-under closing round flipped the leaderboard and ended TCU’s season one spot shy of advancing.
Freshman Sam Udovich led the Frogs, finishing tied for 17th at 4-under 212. He shot 69 and 71 on Tuesday and wrapped up his standout freshman season with a team-best sixth top-20 finish.
Nathan Miller, another freshman, finished tied for 26th at 2-under 214 after opening Tuesday with a 70 before a final-round 76. Charlie Wylie tied for 31st at 1-under, while Lewis Wright closed his TCU career tied for 34th at even par.
Senior Jack Beauchamp delivered a gritty finish, shooting back-to-back 71s. He played the back nine at 7-under across those two rounds without a bogey.
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Texas won the regional at 45-under, followed by Texas A&M, Chattanooga, North Carolina and Tennessee.
For TCU, the ending stings. But with Udovich and Miller already playing big-boy golf as freshmen, the Frogs’ future still looks loaded.
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