Courtesy of Howard Athletics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Howard University men’s golf team wrapped up its historic season as the best team in HBCU golf after competing in its first-ever NCAA Regionals at the Finley Golf Course (par-70, 7,084 yards), hosted by the University of North Carolina (UNC).
Overall, HU shot 49-over par (889) during three rounds while placing 13th in the team standings.
After 54 holes of play, graduate Gregory Odom Jr. (Memphis, Tenn.) finished seven-over par (217) to lead the Bison.
Fellow classmate Everett Whiten Jr. (Chesapeake, Va.) posted the best round on Day Three for HU, firing even par (70) with four birdies. The Virginia native placed one stroke behind Odom (218, +8).
Senior Marcus Smith Jr. (Rockford, Ill.) posted a 220 (+10) in three rounds, followed by newcomer Bear Huff (Riverside, Calif.) with a 25-over par (235) effort.
Freshman Kezaia Dimosi (London, England) closed out his rookie campaign with a 10-over par (80) performance in round three.
Clemson won the team title (815, -25), edging out East Tennessee State (ETSU) by one stroke (816, -24). Both squads advanced to the NCAA Championship Round, along with UNC (820, -20) and Georgia Tech (823, -17). Baylor (825, -15) held on to earn the fifth and final spot, outlasting Alabama (826, -14) and Long Beach State (827, -13).
UNC’s Austin Greaser won the medalist after shooting 13-under par (197) in three rounds, topping Baylor’s Johnny Keefer and North Carolina State’s Nick Matthews by one stroke (198, -12). Despite the runner-up finish, Mathews advanced to the NCAA Championship with the best performance among the 10 competing individual golfers.
The five teams and Matthews are set to compete in the 2024 NCAA Championship (May 24-29) in Carlsbad, Calif.
Howard University Director of Golf Sam Puryear and the HBCU golf-leading Bison look to repeat as NEC Champions while returning back to the NCAA Regional Round in spring 2025.