KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. -
Timothius Tirto Tamardi finished tied for third in the individual race at the NCAA Kingston Springs Regional Wednesday.
"Being the first men's golfer in a regional was a pretty fun experience," Tamardi said. "I hope my experience from this year can be taken to next year in playing. I also hope that we come back here as a team in a regional tournament."
Tamardi fired back-to-back under-par rounds of 70 and 69 to close the championship event. The junior connected on three back-nine birdies Wednesday to post his best round of the tournament, a final-round 69.
For the event, Tamardi carded a three-round even par score of 213. James Piot from Michigan State won the individual race at 5-under-par and will advance to the finals in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Tamardi placed tied for 19th in the regional as a whole among a total of 72 NCAA qualifying golfers. He also made history becoming the first App State men's golfer to compete at a NCAA championship event.
"I think I could have done better, of course," Tamardi said. "It was a minor error the first day as I hit into the penalty areas making this course hard, but the last couple of days, I learned the course better and took it one shot at a time. This was good learning for me for the next tournament."
In the team race, Vanderbilt's final-round charge of 9-under Wednesday clinched the regional title by 11 strokes. Arkansas (2), San Diego State (3), N.C. State (4) and Clemson (5) will each also advance as a team to Arizona along with Vanderbilt as the top five regional teams move on.
The NCAA Men's Golf Championship finals are scheduled for May 28-June 2 at Grayhawk Golf Club.
