Sargent Rebounds with Strong Finish on Day 2 of NCAA Championships

Saturday, May 25

Fayetteville, Ark.

Western Kentucky University

NCAA Championships

Photo courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

Sargent Rebounds with Strong Finish on Day 2 of NCAA Championships

5/25/2019 8:43:00 PM | Men's Golf

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Billy Tom Sargent's score didn't fare as well Saturday, but in many ways, his second round at the NCAA Championships was more impressive than the first.

After a brutal first nine holes, the WKU Hilltopper Golf redshirt senior caught fire with a 33 on the front to finish with a 4-over 76 and a two-day total of 147 (71-76).

Sargent is tied for 33rd at 3 over, but he's just one stroke out of the top 25, two shots out of the top 15 and three shots out of ninth place.

"Today was a grind from the start," Sargent said. "I had a rough start with a lot of mental mistakes as well as poor shots. I finished up my first nine and just told myself I didn't come here to play like this, and I got it in gear and just tried to get back to my game plan and forget about the first nine. I hit some good shots and was able to roll in a few putts."

Sargent will tee off at 2:12 p.m. CT Sunday in the third round at the par-72, 7,550-yard Blessings Golf Club.

He'll be in the mix to advance to Monday's final round of the 72-hole individual stroke play event. The top 15 teams make the cut to Monday, as well as the top nine individuals not on those advancing teams.

Sargent's second round Saturday started in shaky fashion with a 7-over 43 on the back nine, including two double-bogeys and a triple bogey.

But that didn't break the Georgetown, Ky., native, who put together three birdies with six pars – including back-to-back crucial saves on Nos. 6 and 7 – on the front nine to right the ship.

Sargent is tied for ninth in the 156-player field with nine total birdies across both days.

"It gave me a lot of momentum going into tomorrow," Sargent said. "I feel really good about the course and how I'm hitting the ball. I just need to be a little more sharp in my swing and mentally."

NCAA Championships Second Day Results
T33. Billy Tom Sargent (71-76-147)

Sargent Named to PING All-Region Team

Sargent picked up another honor Saturday before his round began when he was named to the Division I PING All-Region Midwest Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

This is the second straight season that Sargent has been selected all-region by PING.

He was one of 25 players selected to receive the honor in the Midwest Region. Six regions were honored overall.