KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Sophomore Yannick Schütz closed out the 2017-18 University of South Alabama men's golf season by recording a 2-under-par 70 Wednesday on the final day of the NCAA Kissimmee Regional.

With the performance, he posted a 2-under-par 214 54-hole score to finish in a tie for 26th place in a field of 75 competitors, ending the event with the lowest total among the five individuals competing this week.

No. 8 Florida — the second seed in the regional — fired a 17-under-par 271, the low team round of the event, and with a 42-under-par 822 finished 12 strokes ahead of host Central Florida.  The Gators' Andy Zhang earned medalist honors by one shot after carding a 13-under-par 203 three-day total.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): NCAA Kissimmee Regional (Central Florida)
Date: 5/16
Course: Reunion Resort Watson Course (par 72, 7,154 yds)
Live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=pairings&tid=15136

TEAM SCORES
1) Florida 276-275-271—822 (-42); 2) Central Florida 276-280-278—834; 3) Vanderbilt 283-282-277—842; 4) North Carolina 283-282-278—843; 5) Kent State 280-280-284—844; 6) Arizona 284-287-275—846; 7) Colorado State 288-277-283—848; 8) South Florida 282-281-289—852; 9) Purdue 288-285-280—853; 10) Coastal Carolina 290-288-281—859; 11) Saint Mary's (Calif.) 289-292-282—863; 12) Jacksonville State 286-293-293—872; 13) Georgetown 297-290-295—882; 14) Central Connecticut State 303-294-298—895.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) Andy Zhang, UF 68-68-67—203 (-13); 2) Chris Nido, UF 71-70-63—204; T3) Austin Hitt, UNC 68-68-70—206; T3) Kyler Tate, UCF 71-65-70—206; T3) Patrick Martin, VU 69-70-67—206; T6) Chase Johnson, KSU 67-72-68—207; T6) George Cunningham, UofA 67-72-68—207; T6) John Axelsen, UF 69-68-70—207; T9) Ian Holt, KSU 68-69-72—209; T9) Manuel Elvira, UCF 71-70-68—209; T9) Juuso Kahlos, UCF 67-72-70—209.

SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T26) Yannick Schütz 71-73-70—214 (-2).

TEE SHOTS
-Schütz' 214 total is tied for the fifth best three-round score in program history at an NCAA event.
-It was the fifth time this spring that Schütz has posted a 54-hole total under par.
-He ended the season with a team-best 13 rounds at or below par, with the sophomore accomplishing the feat on multiple occasions at five of seven events this semester.
-It's the first tournament Schütz has carded multiple scores at or below par since the BIGHORN Invitational hosted by Kansas State on March 23-24.
-Schütz ranked among the top 10 players in the field in scoring on par-three (-1) and par-five (-7) holes for the week.
-He birdied Nos. 1, 7 and 14 on all three days of play.
-Schütz was 6-under-par on the front side of the course in the tournament.
-In addition to Florida and UCF, Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Kent State also qualified for the NCAA Championship.
-George Cunningham of Arizona earned the individual berth from the regional to the national championship after recording a 9-under-par 207 total.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On Schütz' play in the final round: "Today Yannick got off to a solid start, birdying the first before getting it to 3 under at one point.  He was really in control all day.  Had he got a hot putter, he could've made a few more birdies, but he played solid golf and ended with a good tournament."
On how Schütz performed throughout the tournament: "Yannick had a very solid golf tournament, he just could not get dialed in with his scoring clubs.  These pins were tucked over ledges all week long, putting from 30 feet versus 15 feet was the difference between a good, solid event — which he had — and a great one.  He certainly represented the university and our program admirably, competing well against a very strong field."
On the significance of earning a regional invitation for Schütz: "To be a sophomore and qualify for this event is a great feat, as an individual you don't get into this tournament unless you play good golf all year long and that's what he did.  I believe his scoring average is going to be under 72, that's a lot of good golf for the year.  If his game continues to grow, he should be very excited about what lies ahead and the opportunities that will come."

Up next: The Jaguars are off until the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign in the fall.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.

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