The Arkansas Razorbacks men's golf team won't have to travel far for its NCAA regional appearance, but it did land in a loaded field in Norman, Okla.
The No. 15 Razorbacks were seeded third at the NCAA Norman Regional behind No. 4 Oklahoma and SEC champion and No. 9 Auburn, the team that eliminated the Razorbacks 3-2 in the SEC match play quarterfinals last week. The other top seeds in Norman are No. 27 Florida State, No. 26 North Florida and No. 25 Pepperdine.
The Norman Regional will be held May 14-16.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Coach Brad McMakin, who led the Sooners to the 1989 NCAA championship during his playing days, is leading the Razorbacks into their 11th consecutive NCAA regional.
Arkansas State University senior Tanner Napier and University of Central Arkansas junior Lewis George have been selected to compete as individuals in the NCAA regionals. Napier will play at Norman while George is headed to Bryan, Texas.
SEC teams pulled down three top seeds: No. 3 Texas A&M at the Bryan Regional, No. 2 Vanderbilt at the Kissimmee (Fla.) Regional, and No. 6 LSU at the Stockton (Calif.) Regional. All 14 SEC teams advanced to the tournament. The other top seeds are No. 8 Georgia Tech in Raleigh, N.C., and No. 1 Oklahoma State in Columbus, Ohio.
The top five teams at each of the regionals will comprise the 30-team field that will compete for the NCAA championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., on May 25-30.
-- Tom Murphy