May 16, 2018

STOCKTON, Calif. - UC Davis junior Ryan Han shot a 1-under-par 71 on the final day of the NCAA Stockton Region men's golf tournament, held at The Reserve at Spanos Park Wednesday. He finished the tournament as part of a four-way tie for 12th place with a 4-under total of 212 strokes.

Han, a first-team All-Big West honoree and the 2018 individual conference champion, shared the lead thanks to a season-best 67 on Monday, then slipped into a tie for 14th after Tuesday's 74. His 71 on Wednesday elevated him two places in the final standings, but UTEP's Charles Corner ultimately won the lone at-large individual spot to the NCAA Championships.

"I was really happy with the way I played the first day. When I saw I was tied for first, it honestly kind of made me nervous," said Han, recapping his week in Stockton. "I got a little bit out of myself in the second round, which cost me some strokes, but then I came back today and played well. I had a little bit of a rough stretch but for the most part, I'm pretty happy with my game.

"I was a little nervous going into today because I knew it would be really windy, and sometimes it's a hit-or-miss with some of my shots," added Han. In fact, heavier cross winds affected play on the back nine, particularly on 17, which saw eight bogeys and four double bogeys from the field on Wednesday, and 106 over-par scores for the week.

The aerospace engineering major from Hollister, California, shot a 3-under 33 on the front nine combined with a 2-over 35 on the back toward his 71 total. He reached in regulation on eight of the first nine holes, sinking birdies on 1, 2 and 5 to begin his day. Perhaps Han's biggest highlight was that birdie-3 on the 435-yard fifth: his approach put him above the pin and left him with a tough downhill putt. Undeterred, he sent the shot in to lift him to that 3-under start.

As it had on Tuesday, the back nine holes proved more treacherous for the 2018 Big West Conference champion. Han managed to score up-and-down birdies on the par-5 11th and 16th holes. In each case, his second shot put him in the greenside rough. However, accurate chip shots left him with sinkable birdie putts, which he converted to stay within contention of Corner, who slipped three strokes after consecutive bogeys on 13 and 14.

Ultimately, Corner rallied to three pars and a birdie down the final four holes to secure the national qualifier.

"What you want is to have a chance to win on the final day, and he did," said UC Davis head coach Cy Williams. "It was really exciting for all of us, his parents, his girlfriend, his coaches and fans to see him in it. He was in it all the way. This is about as strong a field as you face all year. There are legitimately great players here, and he had a chance to win going into the 17th hole. That's all you can ask for."

Kansas won the team competition with a 20-under-par 844 total, one stroke ahead of No. 18 runner-up Stanford. Iowa State was three strokes back at 17-under, with No. 7 Alabama (-15) and Oregon (-12) claiming the remaining team advancements. Oregon's fifth-ranked Norman Xiong won the individual title at 15-under 201, one stroke in front of Stanford's No. 49 Brandon Wu.

This was Han's second NCAA postseason appearance. He previously finished in a tie for 15th at the 2015 Bremerton Regional. Han was also just the third Aggie to earn an individual at-large berth to a Division I regional, joining Austin Graham (2010) and Tyler Raber (2013).

NCAA STOCKTON REGIONAL, DAY 3
The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, Calif.)
Par 72, 7,239 Yards

TEAM RESULTS (Final)
1. Kansas, 281-282-281--844
2. Stanford, 285-283-277--845
3. Iowa State, 278-284-285--847
4. Alabama, 282-280-287--849
5. Oregon, 289-283-280--852
6. LSU, 293-283-281--857
7. Colorado, 290-282-290--862
8. TCU, 283-286-296--865
9. USC, 295-284-288--867
10. UNCG, 293-283-293--869
11. UC Irvine, 290-293-289--872
12. Kennesaw State, 292-290-296--878
13. North Dakota State, 297-295-294--886

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS (Final)
Winner plus UC Davis competitors.

1. Norman Xiong, Oregon, 68-67-66--201
t12. Ryan Han, 67-74-71--212
 

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