NCAA MEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Razorbacks very much aware of course’s renown

Arkansas' Nicolas Echavarria tees off during the final round of an NCAA regional on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at Blackwolf Run Meadow Valleys golf course in Kohler, Wis.
Arkansas' Nicolas Echavarria tees off during the final round of an NCAA regional on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, at Blackwolf Run Meadow Valleys golf course in Kohler, Wis.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The No. 21 Arkansas men's golf team tees off this morning at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., fully aware it's facing a West Coast disadvantage.

The Razorbacks, who start at 9:22 a.m. Central on hole No. 1 at Eugene Country Club with South Carolina and Oregon, only had to look at the SEC's play on the women's side on this course last week to get the picture.

NCAA men’s golf championships

WHEN Today-Wednesday

WHERE Eugene (Ore.) Country Club

YARDS 7,014 PAR 70

FORMAT 30 teams in three rounds of stroke play, then top 15 teams play one round to set field of eight teams for match play.

LIVE SCORING www.golfstat.com

TOP SEEDS No. 1 Texas, 2. Illinois, 3. Stanford, 4. Georgia, 5. Oklahoma State, 6. Vanderbilt, 7. Clemson, 8. LSU

2015 CHAMPION LSU

REGIONAL TITLISTS Arizona State, Georgia, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas

ARKANSAS LINEUP 1. Taylor Moore (71.3), 2. Nicolas Echavarria (72.2), 3. Alvaro Ortiz (72.8), 4. Charles Kim (73.7), Kolton Crawford (73.4)

NOREWORTHY Arkansas is playing in its 21st NCAA championship. … The Razorbacks have finished in the top 20 16 times. … Arkansas has faced 25 of the other 29 finalists this season and has a 23-38-3 head-to-head record in those meetings. … Arkansas’ best NCAA finish was second place in 2009, when the Razorbacks lost 4-3 to Texas A&M in the final during the first year of the match play format. … Arkansas has finished in the top five in eight of its past 10 tournaments. … The Razorbacks have won at least one tournament each of the past 10 years.

The SEC put six teams, including Arkansas, into the 24-team women's championships, but only one, South Carolina, advanced to the eight-team match play portion after four rounds of stroke play. The Pac-12 produced five of the eight teams in match play, including Washington, which captured the title with a 3-2 decision over conference rival Stanford on Wednesday.

The SEC qualified nine of the 30 teams on the men's side, but walking away with the title on the poa annua greens will not come easy for the teams from the south.

"It's a thicker grass and the main thing will be the spin off the greens," Arkansas Coach Brad McMakin said. "If you can't control your spin, it'll rip back 30-40 feet. It's a cold-weather grass ... so you've got to take spin off and hit lower shots. It's kind of good because we're used to that."

Senior Taylor Moore said putting has to be exact on these type greens, which Arkansas played on at Pebble Beach earlier this season.

"They tend to get a little bumpy in the afternoons as the day goes by with people walking on them," he said. "So you've got to strike the ball well, hit it in the center of the face, make sure the ball's rolling well. If not, it can bump off line. It's a little different."

The Razorbacks won't have to worry about bumpy rolls today, but they will Saturday when they tee off at 2:42 p.m. on No. 10, also with South Carolina and Oregon.

Led by seniors Moore, Nicolas Echavarria and Kolton Crawford, Arkansas has advanced to the championships for the fifth time in the past eight seasons under McMakin. Arkansas has 16 top 20 finishes at the championships, the best a runner-up showing to Texas A&M in 2009 in the first year of the current format. The 30 teams will compete in three rounds of stroke play, which will narrow the field to 15 teams, and a final round of stroke play will determine the top eight teams for match play and the individual medalist.

The Razorbacks finished two spots out of match play in 2013, led by Echavarria's 4 under.

"We've been close our freshman year, and I think it's kind of unique, this being our last tournament in our college careers, so we're excited," Echavarria said. "For our three seniors, yes, it would be very nice to have something special out of this weekend, and we have the chance to do it."

Moore, Echavarria and Crawford will play out of the 1, 2 and 5 spots, respectively, while sophomore Alvaro Ortiz will play at No. 3 and freshman Charles Kim at No. 4.

The Hogs think their years of experience at top-level events could pay off in Oregon.

"Over our four years, we've seen a lot from a lot of different golf courses and a lot of different conditions," Moore said. "So I feel like we're pretty tough mentally in order to get through some conditions and some tough times during the round. I think that just benefits us, especially with three older guys."

Arkansas bounced back from a bad first round at the NCAA Kohler (Wis.) Regional two weeks ago to tie Florida for second place behind No. 2 Illinois.

Douglas firs line the tight fairways on the 7,014-yard layout at Eugene County Club, which the Razorbacks traversed in Thursday's practice round. The Hogs also had reviews of the course from other sources, including Arkansas women's Coach Shauna Estes-Taylor.

"She's been keeping me informed," McMakin said. "They've got a lot of high rough and tight fairways and slopey greens. She said it's a great golf course and very fair."

Sports on 05/27/2016

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